For the last six weeks I have consistently published a blog post every Tuesday morning. This isn’t my first attempt at blogging consistently, but it is my most successful. Several times before I have set goals to write on a consistent basis, but have always failed after a few weeks. This time is going to be different, here’s why:
- Each week I create a blog post. I don’t add any content and only sometimes do I add a relevant title. At this stage “New Post” is an acceptable title. Though I try to have it be relevant to what I plan to write about.
- Next I set the publish date and time for 9:15 AM the following Tuesday. Then I click “Schedule.”
- Throughout the next week I come back to that post and fill in details and gradually write the post.
That’s it.
If I fail to complete a post the deadline doesn’t pass by silently, it is marked by a hideously incomplete post for everyone to see. It has a wonderful tool to help me practice consistency.
Try it.
Hard deadlines are the only real way to get anyone motivated. It’s simple, dirty, feels shameful to admit, but also liberating. I’m trying to put as many hard deadlines as possible into my schedule. Definitely going to try that (already scheduled the blog post I was planning to write for almost two weeks)
lol, I love it. I’ll have to try that out.
Sadly, my posts would likelyappear without content. I have yet to figure out how anyone finds the time to write or even (*shudder*) tweet on a regular basis. There just isn’t enough time in the day…and my day ends at 1am. I think the best way to get on track is to get up early enough to write *as you recaffeinate* and just make it part of the morning routine. Maybe I’ll try that next.
Nice trick, problem is your users might get upset as they are notified of the new post in their RSS feed.
That would only be if you failed to write the post and let an empty post publish itself. For me the threat of an empty post upsetting my readers is enough to get me to actually write a post for the week.
I love it, I’m going to do this immediately (thinking Monday at like 8am, when I am NEVER awake). Thanks!
With my new blog I’ve been doing exactly this. I’m trying for a Monday Wednesday Friday schedule. I’ve gotten everything written to the beginning of September and I’m writing more content as I go.
The schedule feature is amazing and I plan on using it extensively
It’s very hard to post blog persistently b’coz we always forgot to write with engaging other work.some time it’s our carefree, tiredness and simply procrastinating.
I like the sentiment but I strongly believe the only time to publish a blog post is if you’ve got something interesting to say.
Scheduling something in this way does force you to think about writing but it also potentially forces sub-standard writing simply because you have a self imposed deadline.
I do the same as you and have lots of drafts which are the basis of a post but sometimes I never post or finish them, other times, I dip in and out of writing a longer time insensitive post or other times I just throw a few lines out and hit publish.
There are times when I’ll write several posts in a week if I’m inspired or on a roll with a topic and other times when I can go weeks between posts.
I appreciate for some blogs, readers expect a regular post but I don’t believe scheduling them to force creative writing is the correct answer for most blogs.
Thanks Nathan for the tip. Definitely worth trying out to get oneself to blog consistently.
Definitely a very interesting technique. Personally I was never able to write consistent just because I was too lazy or had some more important deadlines. I think there is nothing wrong about writing inconsistent as long as you are writing for a small, personal niche blog.
Having a blog, then keeping it up to date is the toughest thing. The filling out approach you detail works, the hardest thing is starting it!
This is a great tip and actually something I do for some of my own blogs. Giving yourself a deadline is something that a lot of people wouldn’t even consider.
Great little tip Nathan, regular posting is something I’m trying to do. So far I’ve been using Evernote to make notes whenever I have an idea and returning as and when I can but it doesn’t quite have that fear factor that your approach does!
And that’s a one great idea, considering people’s tendency to procrastinate. Thanks for the tip, I appreciate it a lot!