Tricks to Be a Smarter Blogger … And Cut Your Workload in Half

 

Becoming a successful blogger takes time …

… but maybe not as much time as you think.

If you’re spending hours and hours every week working on your blog, and not getting much traffic or many new subscribers as a result, it’s time to start working smart instead of hard.

And in case you think that means you won’t succeed, here’s a question for you:

Wouldn’t it be great if you could do half as much work as you do right now … and still get the same results?

Well, there’s a good chance you can.

Here are the three biggest steps I suggest:

 

Step #1: Write Less Frequently

If you’re currently posting once a month at best, this tip isn’t for you. But many bloggers are posting

more often than they need to, especially when their blog is new.

For most niches, you can post once a week or even once every two weeks and still get good results. (Boost Blog Traffic, for instance, typically only has a new post once a week – yet it’s a very popular and well-regarded blog.)

Step #2: Develop a Writing System

Do you find yourself struggling to come up with an idea when you’re due to write a post? Do you ever spend an hour writing a couple of paragraphs, only to change your mind and scrap the whole thing?

You need a writing system that lets you produce posts like clockwork. A good way to do that is to:

• Come up with a bunch of ideas all at once (try to list, say, 20).
• Plan out several posts at a time, with a list of bullet points to cover in each.
• Set aside dedicated writing time, where you won’t check emails, social media, etc.
• Allow plenty of time to edit, so you’re not pressuring yourself to write a perfect first draft.

If you haven’t tried separating these different steps of the process before, you might want to watch my (totally free) video training on The Writing Process for Bloggers.

Step #3: Cut Back on Social Media

When you “quickly check Facebook”, does it turn into a half-hour browsing session after you just have to check out that link to a Buzzfeed quiz? Social media can be a great way to build relationships and to share your blog with others, but it can also be a huge time sink.

Don’t feel that you have to read every status update / tweet / etc. Perhaps you’re worried about missing out … but the truth is, if you’re spending too much time reading and chatting on social media, you’re missing out on the opportunity to grow your blog in more effective ways.

Limit your social media time to, say, 15 minutes every morning and 15 minutes every afternoon. If you want to post updates throughout the day, try using a tool like Buffer to schedule them in advance.