When I suggested as to whether I should put on a 'blog organisation' post the response was overwhelming. It seems lot's of us do have trouble fitting it all in with full time jobs, school or university and even y'know just having a social life it can be hard to find the right balance.
Whilst at University I really did take for granted all the spare time I had and looking back I wish I had used it more efficiently, although re-runs of Friends and One Tree Hill with leftover pizza did seem a good shout at the time. Now I've graduated and fully immersed in the 'real world' of early alarms and long days. Having an internship that works so closely with bloggers is a major plus but it certainly doesn't give me any extra time to blog for myself whilst I'm there but I'm lucky in the respect it can offer up inspiration.
The real question for many of us is how do we juggle full time work or education whilst still maintaining a regular blog post schedule? Here are a few ways that I personally find helpful for in achieving my aim to post at least four times a week, you might want to grab a mug of tea and get comfortable...
I do love using apps like Evernote as it's so simple to use and I can take photo's and store them for inspiration as well as jotting down ideas on the go. However, you can't be a good ol' trusty notebook. I have one specifically for blogging and another for work and another for separate social occasions that aren't blogger events. I like to keep thing separate so that it doesn't get all jumbled up and confusing and I know which notebook to go to for what and so on.
My blogging notebook consists of lists of products I've yet to review with dates needed for the post to be up if sent by a PR, as well as weekly set out schedules that list the posts I'm going to put up for the following week. I tend to sit down on a Saturday morning and go through my list of post ideas, pick which one's I'm ready to review or can photograph that weekend and then write down what's needed for that post.
For example for a lipstick review I like to have photographs of me wearing the lipstick as well as product images so I can give a true representation of the shade. I find it best to pick one afternoon on either Saturday or Sunday to stock pile on photographs and get as many product images as possible so that all that then needs to be done is the typing up of the post, which is FAR easier than snapping away one post at a time. Picking one day of the weekend to dedicate to blogging may not be a popular choice for one but I find it gets a lot of the work done and drafted up and then you can enjoy the rest of the weekend and week without worrying about getting a post up.
I also jot down any great photography locations, beauty tips or products I want to try, any great blog posts I've read and any inspiration I may have. I've realised in doing so I've become a bit of a list-aholic but it really does help keep things clear and compartmentalised ready to go. I would recommend always keeping your notebook handy as you never know when an idea will crop up or a new product will be added to your list or wish list!
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| 'To Review' Drawer |
Having
a good beauty storage system has also made things a heck of a lot easier, I finally caved and bought the blogger cliché that is the IKEA Alex. Having separate drawers for facial products, lipsticks, skincare and body products makes grouping things together easier. They do say a tidy room a tidy mind and since clearing my dresser of all things cosmetic and housing it properly in the Alex I've felt a lot more motivated with all my beauty bumf easily accessible and categorised. Such a nerd! I also use one drawer specifically for products I need to review and any samples I receive which makes keeping track of what needs to be reviewed much easier.
App wise, I do recommend Evernote as I mentioned early, as well as Blogger which I've used to draft up a post whilst commuting in the morning. I also really love the bloglovin' app for catching up on my favourite blogs as well as seeing what posts are popular in the beauty and lifestyle categories. Ooh, and I couldn't put up this post without mentioning Tweetdeck or Hootsuite which are both great for scheduling tweets. I use tweetdeck to schedule blog post tweets around popular times of the day as well as some general chit chat so that I'm still socially active throughout the day without being glued to my social media outlets at work or out with friends.
So there you have it, not exactly anything miraculous but lists and dedication will be your best friends. Have a spare afternoon/evening? Use the longer daylight hours to get lot's of product photographs done and dusted. Lost for inspiration and ideas? Flick through the bloglovin' and pinterest apps in your lunch break and use evernote to keep any images or links handy and able to come back to. I do think you have to be dedicated and dare I say it trade some of your social time at the weekends getting things done blog wise. That's the way I keep on top of things and don't have to stress about not having anything to blog about during the week, which has in the past put me off and I then get stuck in a rutt of not posting because 'it's too late' or 'I'm too tired'.
I know this post is a bit lengthy so give yourself a pat on the back and let me know if you make it the whole way through so I can personally congratulate you in the comments! Phew! I really hope this helps make things a little bit easier for those on the go. Do you have any blog organisation tips and tricks?
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