This post on blogging workflow has been submitted by Melissa Petri of Europe String.
Apart from maintaining 5 travel blogs under 3 different networks, I also: (1) work full-time; (2) am a mother of 2 very young boys; and (3) travel a lot for work.
Many have asked how I manage all that and still get some sleep.
The conflicting demands of my family, work and pro-blogging can only be answered if I manage my time well, set my priorities and use tools to aide me in my research and in blogging.
1. Time Management
I have to admit that problogging takes a backseat BUT I still meet my quota if I make use of my free time at night and/or on weekends.
I try to be strict with myself when I face the computer. My YM and Skype are on invisible mode to avoid distractions.
On the other hand, when the weather is beautiful or something interesting is going on, I take a break even if it’s time to blog. I have no plans of missing life. Besides, the beauty of travel blogging lies in the fact that almost everything I see or enjoy could become great blog fodder.
Whenever I am on business trips, I also use my downtime to blog rather than watch TV out of boredom.
2. Priorities
There was a time when I had way too much blogs to maintain, with an impossible number of posts to write per day. Rather than lose all of my blogs for failing to meet the required posting frequency, I decided to cut back. I ended a couple of blogs.
I think that we always will have options. We should just keep in mind what our goals are and decide base on that.
3. Tools
Blogging is a lot easier and faster with the use of several tools like:
- Bloglines – I usually blog about destinations, travel tips, budget options, hotels and airlines, among others. Along with these mini-features, I also need to blog about current travel events. Bloglines help me sift through news without wasting my time over an article which is of no use to me in blogging.
- Forums – I feel like an outsider listening in or butting in on other people’s conversations. Reading forums gives me an idea of how different people view a certain topic. And this helps me when I write my post about, say, a certain destination.
- Notepad – Would you believe that I write a lot of my entries on this very simple application? Sometimes, when I am offline, I get an idea or two and just need to write. I use .txt files for my N70 and laptop. This saves me the frustration of editing codes when I have to copy paste my entries onto MT or WordPress.
- Backpackit – When I have bloggerís blog, I rely on Backpackit to remind me of the great idea I had when I was on a blogging roll.
A goal is all we need, imo, and this makes it possible for us to build a workflow around it that will suit our needs.
