My guest post today is from Bernice, author of the blog Living the Balanced Life. Bernice is a very supportive blogger and certainly knows how to encourage other women and mothers to find that balance that we all seek daily! She is a huge dose of inspiration, sharing her tips on how to make the most of your blogging time.
As mommy bloggers (or moms who blog) we have multiple areas of our lives we are responsible for. Our kids are a huge part of that, as well as our spouses or significant others. And then of course, somebody has to take care of the house so caring for ourselves may get thrown in there somewhere. As we are working to be successful in blogging, we are trying to keep everything in balance. One thing we can do is learn to be efficient and productive, making sure that the time we set aside for blogging, we’re able to get as much done as possible.
Tools to Help You Make the Most of Your Blogging Time:
Google Calendar: Google calendar allows you to layer in multiple calendars for all different areas of your life. I write for several blogs, plus have my own projects going. I have each blog layered as a different color so I can see what all I have coming up at a glance, but I can turn off layers if I am looking at other areas of my life. This is great for families to use as well. You can share access with other family members so everyone can see and add their own activities.
Google Reader: Reading and commenting on other blogs helps you build friendships and bonds with other bloggers and readers. Reading also gives you ideas that you can write from your own twist and angle. Using Google Reader works really well for me. I have a list of blogs organized by titled folders. Play around with it until you make it work for you. If you find you are not reading a blog that is in your reader, delete it!
Google Analytics: This is a great tool to help you see your traffic. It will tell you how many visitors came to your site, where they came from, how long they stayed, and from what page they left. I know I still have not mastered all the data that is available in GA, but it is very helpful. One of the biggest pieces of data I look at is where are my readers coming from. This helps me know what blogs fit my niche well, and if I should spend time there and time looking for others like it. It may also be a good place to look for options for guest posting.
Feedburner: Using Feedburner will allow your blog readers to subscribe via RSS reader. Setting it up is not difficult, but it’s essential for helping to make your blog easy to read through this subscription option.
Windows Live Writer or Microsoft Word: I had been using Live Writer as a blog writing program. You don’t have to be online and for me, it’s better to write offline so I can stay focused. I liked the features it has and then I realized my new version of Microsoft Word has a blog writer option in it as well.
Photography: Photos are important to your blog posts, but not everyone is a photographer. Good quality, eye-catching photos can make a big difference, but you shouldn’t just grab something off Google Images, since many of those images are copyrighted.
Facebook: You want to be sure you are utilizing Facebook. Share a link of your latest post. Share a picture you took. Interact with your fans/friends. Depending on whether you are growing a business/following, you will want a Facebook Fan page.
Twitter: Interacting with your readers via twitter is vital to growing a blog. For additional info on social media, see Theta Mom’s post Build your Following through the Power of Social Media.
YouTube: Some people may actually be more comfortable on camera than writing. Either way, video blogging, or vlogging, is becoming more and more popular. I found it was quicker to do vlog than it was to write and edit and format a written post! Consider giving it a shot, and it doesn’t have to be perfect!
Skype: One great thing about blogging and the internet is that it allows us to do business across thousands of miles. If you are collaborating with other bloggers on a project, or you want to interview someone for your blog, Skype is an awesome way to do so. Consider how Skype may work for you.
Don’t try to jump in and start all these at one time! Look at each one and see how you may be able to benefit from it and work it into your plans. If you feel you are overwhelmed and you need help balancing out your life, you would benefit from my recently released ebook, Find Your Balance.
Google Calendar? Windows Live Writer? Both on today’s “To Investigate” list. Thanks, Bernice!
Oh, you will love both! Good choices!
Bernice
Great tips, thanks Bernice!
Excellent tips! I have my google calendar also linked to my palm so I always have my schedule with me – without it I would be walking around lost!
This is a great idea! All smart phones (and maybe even some not-so-smart!) will allow you to access your calendar via phone, so you have it right there with all the time!
Bernice
I use every single one of those!
Well, you should have *plenty* of time then, lol!
No seriously, great way to work efficiently! Leaves time for the most important things…
Bernice
Great tips! I actually use Outlook though after hating that I had to be switching all over the place to see my emails. I love it! (And the calendar is still synced with Google and my blackberry)
I used Outlook at previous jobs and missed it for a while. I bet it does work great with smart phones now! And smart to link it all together!
Bernice
Yes I tried to leave Outlook but after a year I just had to have it back. It’s organizational capabilities are enormous! Gmail as a standalone tool just could not give me the coordinated look at my contacts and calendar and emails that I needed.
Do you use David Allen’s Getting Things Done method? I loved using it with Outlook! Google calendar doesn’t have those same capabilities, you are right!
Love this post and love Bernice!
Excellent post! I’m a huge fan of Google Calendar and have often said that, on the rare occasion it goes down, our family cannot function.
Now my next move is Google Analytics. Is it easy to install on a WordPress theme?
I don’t remember the exact steps, but it was fairly easy. I love Analytics! There are help videos for Analytics on Google as well, just in case you get stuck!
Bernice
I have no idea what I would do without Google Reader. It is an excellent tool for subscribing to blogs.
It took me a while to get the hang of it. I found that when I made sure to only have blogs in my reader that I actually wanted to read, I will definitely go in and check it once or twice a day. Before I really figured it out, I would avoid opening it because I would have over 1000 unread posts! Once I weeded it out and categorized it, now it is much easier to keep up with my favorite blogs!
Bernice
If you have an iPad, the Bloghself app is also a neat reader!
Oops. That would be “blogshelf.”
What great tips!
Wonderful tips. And it reminds me that my google analytics isn’t working. Sigh. To-Do list item #742 “figure out GA problem.”
I use Google calendar all the time but I’ve never thought about using it for a blogging calendar! That’s a great idea!
Thanks for all the tips!
It helps me keep up with when I have posts due for other blogs, plus when I want to post for my own blog. I can also know when those guest posts are going to hit, so I can link accordingly. I can also plan series as well. It took a little to get it sorted out the way I wanted it, but now it is wonderful! Don’t forget to use the different layers!
Thanks Jackie!
Good tips. The only things I don’t use are Skype, guess I haven’t had a reason yet, and I don’t use Word to type posts, just do it on Blogger. But am very intrigued by the idea because I would be writing while offline, which really CAN help keep me focused and on task. Rather than seeing emails popping in or hearing tweetdeck go off. Great idea! Thanks.
Yeah, if you have other windows open on the computer, it is easy to get distracted! Using a different program to write in helps!
I have not used Skype myself yet, however I feel the time is coming soon! I have several projects I am collaborating with others, and there is only so much that can be done via email!
Bernice
Hi Bernice,
Great advice. I will be making an entrance into the blogging world soon so I found this super helpful. Thank you. And through the comments section, I found a great app reco for the IPAD.
Good stuff.
Thank you,
Colleen
These are great suggestions! Thanks so very much!
This one’s the biggie for me too: “it’s better to write offline so I can stay focused.” I will often go write in my car somewhere so I don’t have the temptation to check email, etc. Or I’ll set a timer, minimize all windows but my word doc, and get a move on. Thanks for this blogging basics list – nice to share with friends who are just starting out!
Great article! I am a google junkie also. Love some of the other suggestions – retweeted
These are great suggestions! I love the Google calendar and it keeps me well organized!
Love this!! I love anything google, its great!