Last December, I tackled how to create an effective schedule for speed blogging. According to what I’ve experienced from then until now, the techniques I used to ensure that I was working up to speed with everybody else worked, thankfully. I was not only able to jump in and catch up with the posting, I was able to surpass everyone else’s posting frequency. How did I do it? Well, in theory, it was simple enough, all I needed to do was look for leads, write posts about them and post them on the blog, right? Reality isn’t as sweet, however. Oftentimes you’ll find yourself searching for leads for hours at a time, especially when news is scarce or when you’re feeling particularly picky on what to write about.

At times like these, you need to be more focused and think of being organized. We need to prepare for these types of situations, so here are a few tips on how I allocate tasks for speed blogging to ensure I get things done quickly:

1. Set Aside Time for Research

Say you spend 2 billable hours of your workday for a blog. Unless the niche is something you know like the back of your hand and you’re not really writing news, you don’t have to allocate time for research. But if research is an integral part of the job, then you better set a firm time for it. If you work 2 hours for a project, don’t mish-mash researching, writing and posting. If you’re finding news, for example, set 30 minutes to find leads. Follow your plans through. After 30 minutes, move on to writing the posts. It’ll also curb the tendency to surf away to totally irrelevant web sites.

2. Write Everything First Before Posting Them

Unless what you’re doing is extremely time-sensitive, it’s ideal if you could write everything down first. So, for example, you’re expected to write 5 short posts for the day, write them all first before you start formatting your posts on your blog’s back end. Why? It’s very easy to get distracted if you choose to write and then post along the way. Also, it disrupts the creative flow. While writing, you’ll find that you’ll be in a state wherein you’ll write much faster and you feel more inspired than any other time. As you write, you build up to this momentum. When you break your concentration, you’re starting all over again.

3. Proofread as You Post on the Back End

While you’re formatting posts in WordPress, for example, take time to re-read and proofread your posts. This will save you time from having to edit your entry later. Also, it’ll help you format your posts correctly as you’d know what to bold, italicize, etcetera, while reading through what you wrote.

4. Finish By Your Allotted Time

Don’t let your mind wander while you work. The key to speed blogging is to be focused as long as you can to accomplish the task completely.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 4th, 2008 at 3:27 pm and is filed under blogging. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

About the Author: