Every blogger I know has their own way of organizing post ideas and they each have different editorial calendars. Today I wanted to share the method I have been using for the past few months… the only one that I have actually stuck to!
First, I print out a calendar. I usually just google “October 2014 calendar” and good options come up. I pick my favorite, copy and paste it into a word document, and then size it so it takes up the whole page. I find this works better than using multiple agendas for me personally! I get an agenda for school and can add personal items on there as well, but I like to keep blogging separate!
I then add sticky notes with my post ideas on each day. I use small sticky notes and then cute them in half so they fit perfectly in the space. I love using sticky notes because posts are always being moved around. This way I can plan my posts for months in advance, but if something changes the week before, I can easily rearrange things.
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Usually I try to plan a few weeks in advance because I always like to know what posts I can write and schedule when I have a little free time! If I do have more ideas, I will plan further ahead!
If I have a weekly or monthly series, I write it down immediately. Currently I have a series every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, along with my Monthly Musts post at the end of every month. It makes it so much easier to fill in the gaps when you can see all the post ideas you already have!
At the moment I use all the same color for my calendar (unless I run out of a color and have to use another) but in the future I am going to plan on having any series posts one color, any giveaways/linkups/sponsored posts that have to go up on a certain day another color, and then any posts that can easily be moved a third color.
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Lastly, I like to add a little check in the corner once the post is finished and scheduled. Once it has the little check, I know that I don’t need to work on it anymore and I can focus on future posts.
Also, I wanted to share how I organize my post ideas before I add them to my editorial calendar. Whenever I get a post idea, I write it down immediately. If I am out, I will add it into my phone notes. If I am at home I will write it down on a piece of paper and put it on my desk. When I get more ideas I will add it onto the same list or on a different piece of paper. Then about once a week I go through and decide if they still seem like a good idea, and the ones that make the cut get added to the calendar to be written whenever I get a chance! It actually isn’t the most organized method, but it really works for me so it’s what I do!
How do you organize post ideas? Tell me in the comments! Also let me know if there are any other blogging related posts you want to see in this series!
xo, Scarlett