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Hello You! To help all of us become successful I created a Weekly Blog Planner Printable Pack (try saying that 5 times fast).
Before I go into what is included I wanted to share with you 9 rare hacks I use every single week to keep me motivated, productive and achieving my goals.
A weekly blog post planner can be amazing but it can also be super frustrating if you don’t adopt efficiencies in your everyday activities to really cut cost, save time and achieve goals.
In case you missed it I wrote about a daily blog checklist here.
We all have 24 hours in a day and many of us will live to the expected 70 years but one thing for sure is that time flies fast. Too fast if you asked me.
One of my friends announced on Facebook recently that her son turned 18 and I was surprised because I have no idea how he went from 13 to 18 in that short space of time.
World’s Most Precious Resource
Do you know what is the most precious resource on planet earth? While you are thinking about that question most people would automatically think about diamonds.
As boss ladies, some of us love diamonds while others are not too interested.
Thanks to marketing companies and Tiffany’s many people have come to associate diamonds with an expression of love.
Is it possible to love without a diamond? Of course, it is because love is not just a temporary feeling it is an action and many couples agree to use diamonds to express their love for each other.
Well, Alvern, what does that have to do with the weekly blog planner. Like a diamond, our blog needs time, high-stress levels and a lot of patience to achieve success.
Have you guessed what the world’s most precious resource is? It is time. We may not all have diamonds but we all have time and we can never replace it.
When time is gone we can never get it back. We can, however, replace a diamond.
1. Invest Wisely
As a blogger in order to become successful, we all need to invest in a few things like:
- Hosting
- Domain name
- Themes
- Tools
- Education
- Outsourcing
Starting a blog is like growing a company and we need to be able to manage our cash flow.
We also need to control our spending so that we can progress forward until we come to a point where our income exceeds our expenditure.
One clever way to creatively have a budget available for our business is to live frugally. It is only for the short-term, I promise.
In my experience, I have found that if I go to the hairdresser less, defer spending on unnecessary items like clothes, luxury goods and food I don’t need then I can really free up cash to invest in my blog.
2. Save Time
As I already mentioned previously, time is our most precious resource and I have found these amazing ways to save time every single week.
- Do laundry twice a week
- Cook two big meals weekly – Use appliances to save time (rice cookers, etc.)
- Wear the same outfits every week
- Plan meals in advance – have a 2-3 week rotation
- Cut back on snacks – really try
- Remove distractions – the television perhaps
- Create a low maintenance environment
- Stick it out for 12-18 months
- Use a weekly blog planner to keep you on track
I am sure you can come up with your own list of things to save time since the items listed are not exhaustive.
You will notice in the weekly blog post planner I have allowed for some downtime where you can socialise so take full advantage of it.
Grab The Weekly Blog Planner Hacks
- Stay Sane
- Reduce Errors
- Increase Efficiency 10X
- Achieve Revenue Goals
- Improve Results 5-10%
- Increase Your Blog Following
3. Get Stuff Done
Making a list of things that you need to accomplish every day is important to achieve your goals.
However, the more imperative aspect is actually getting stuff done from that list.
Some of the key ways to tackle your to-do list are:
- Do the hardest thing first
- Leave your favourite for last
- Approach tasks when you are most productive
- Find a special place that makes you feel productive
- Feed your brain
- Listen to something motivational
As you can see from the list it makes more sense to approach tasks when you are in the right frame of mind, without distractions, with high energy and when your brain has been fed.
4. Marketing On Your Weekly Blog Planner
It goes without saying but just in case I would like to remind you to include a marketing plan on your blog post planner.
So often we spend time researching, writing, creating and designing that we forget to get the word out after all the hard work.
Some great marketing tidbits that you can include in your weekly blog planner are:
- Collaborate
- Video
- Group Boards
- Marketing Tools
- Podcasts
Marketing does not always have to be paying for clicks or views but we can be a little bit creative in our approach by adding fun things to the list.
I like adding the things that I enjoy doing to make marketing more interesting. I enjoy creating videos, Pinterest, podcasting and collaborating.
You can do the same and include fun in your marketing campaign so that it does not seem like work.
5. Idea Generation
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have run out of ideas to write your next blog post?
Well, you can pre-empt this experience by spending time every week generating ideas or outlines.
In one of my earlier blog posts, I spoke about overcoming writer’s block. The post will give you a great way to reduce writer’s block by 95%.
Here are 4 additional ways to find ideas for your next 10 blog posts:
- Look at what is trending
- Google Trends
- Buzz Sumo
- What’s trending on Pinterest
Depending on the trend you can it as an opportunity to ride the wave of a popular topic or issue. At the same time, it is also important to see how you can keep that post evergreen.
The great thing about keeping a weekly blog planner is that you can transfer ideas generated from one week to the next. You can also look back on the ideas you generated 6 months ago.
6. Rest + Socialize
Remember to add some rest and social activities every week to your weekly blog post planner. Making time to rejuvenate your mind and body is imperative to preventing burn out.
One way I incorporate this is by using my rest and social day as a reward for all the hard work I accomplish over the past week.
The clever thing is that your rest and social day can also double as an extension of your idea generation plan. Here’s what you can do on that day:
- Meet people (family + friends)
- Network with peers
- Hot desking day
- Browse a bookshop
- Attend a fair/conference (motivational)
- Attend church
- Go dancing?
Some of the greatest relationships, ideas and encounters occur when we are relaxed and open to meeting new people.
I am not asking to go speed dating. It is too extreme but who knows where it may lead.
What you can do is get out of your comfort zone and do something really different to make the unexpected happen to you.
7. Mind Mapping In Your Weekly Blog Planner
After all that rest, stimulation and excitement you will need to write down all the bright ideas and aha moments that you receive along the way.
It is so important that you include a section in your weekly blog planner for mind mapping. In case you are not aware of what it is here is a little screenshot.
As you can see you start with a broad idea and develop it into an outline which then becomes a full-blown blog post, video, ebook or course. ✍
Some things you would also like to do every week is continuing education. This can be accomplished using the following avenues:
- Reading
- Attending webinars
- Researching tips + tools
- Free online training
- Subscribe to newsletters
Each of us is on a journey to achieve our purpose. Our paths are all different as well as our experiences so we need to be constantly growing and blossoming as time passes.
8. Live Like You’re In College
One important technique I find instrumental in helping me live on a budget is to pretend that I’m back in college again. Remember your college days? ?
I was broke and I had just enough cash to get by in school. I would work part-time on campus to help pay for my college fees.
To be fair I got a scholarship for a year or two but I still had to work to pay the rest.
Did you have a similar experience? What did you eat? How did you survive? What motivated you to hustle enough to graduate?
I had peanut butter and bread for breakfast all week this week because I want to save up for my next few blogger courses. I mean business, I want success!?
Here are are a few things I do to live on a budget:
- Only purchase the minimum household supplies
- Wear clothes more than once where possible
- Use paper towels to save on washing dishes
- Reduce waste in every aspect of life
- Use the cheapest means of transport
- Go walking or hiking for exercise – no gym membership or classes
- Home-cooked meals only – no takeaways or restaurants
- No new clothes for 12 months – except for emergencies
- Avoid getting sick at all costs
- Be creative in spending less
- Ultra cashflow management
- Free networking events or potluck where possible
- Plan meals in advance, choose low-cost options
Live like a college student for 12-18 months and reap the rewards by directing those savings to invest in your blogging education. My next big investment is more coaching.
What about you what do you need to save for next? What do you wish you had the funds to do?
Have a section of your weekly blog checklist to track your educational requirements and achievements.
9. Add More Value To Your Blog
One great way to keep your blogging journey exciting is to plan events or programs for your audience. I do have a few things I want to do for you so subscribe to keep informed. ✍
Here is a short-list of things that you can do to keep your audience engaged:
- Plan a webinar
- Create a course
- Generate an eBook
- Add video tutorials
- Create checklists
- Share stories/experiences
- Interview guests
- Address original topics
Remember to have a section on your weekly blog post planner for exciting and valuable items to keep both you and your audience engaged.
What have you done to add more value to your blog? Can you share it in the comments?
Grab The Weekly Blog Planner Hacks
- Stay Sane
- Reduce Errors
- Increase Efficiency 10X
- Achieve Revenue Goals
- Improve Results 5-10%
- Increase Your Blog Following
Recap Time
You probably weren’t expecting all these weird suggestions when it comes to your weekly blog planner so I hope you found this valuable.
Here are those 9 hacks again:
- Invest wisely
- Save time
- Get stuff done
- Marketing
- Idea generation
- Rest + Socialize
- Mind mapping
- Live like a college student
- Add more value to your blog
These 9 hacks will help you save money, time, organize your life for success and keep you motivated for 12-18 months bringing you unexpected success.
Remember that diamonds take a while and a lot of stress to become beautiful so will your creative work.
Announcements
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In case you missed it check out the 10-Day Start your Blog on a Budget Challenge.
It covers blogging for beginners, showing you how to become a blogger, offering blog niche ideas with 20+ HD videos and over the shoulder tutorials.
If you need help setting up your profile on Pinterest or you need someone to manage your Pinterest account on a monthly basis you can work with me here.
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