Content calendars. Editorial calendars. Blog calendars. Whatever you want to call it, this planning for 30 days of blog posts is a favorite way to organize a website’s content. Before digital publishing was a thing the only thing, editors ran on a publishing schedule. Each story must be prepared within a certain time frame in order for it to be ready for print. As a digital media editor it makes sense to me that we, in online publishing, would at least try to work in a similar way. It’s just good organization. But just because basically every blogger under the sun is championing a calendar these days doesn’t exactly mean it’ll work for you. I write based off of a calendar for basically every blog except my own. It’s extremely valuable for those commitments, but when it comes to IFM, I can’t seem to stick to a schedule.
Last December when I was kicking off a redesign and shifting direction from DIY to more of a sustainable lifestyle blog, I was full of ideas. So naturally, I decided to plan out the next three months of my life. Little did I realize I’d be getting Google notifications on my phone five days a week (for some reason I kept them turned on too). We all know I haven’t been blogging that often (see this post), so needless to say these little reminders are nothing but daily doses of guilt for all the tasks I’m not completing. Yeahhhh. It got me thinking that perhaps next month I shouldn’t continue this way. A calendar just doesn’t work for everyone all the time. If you’re one of these type of bloggers, you may way to skip out on it too.
Your posting schedule fluctuates
If you don’t know what you’ll be blogging about tomorrow, best not to try to figure out a whole month, even if it seems everyone is telling you that’s what you need to grow your blog and gain a following. In my opinion, this just ends up being wasted time. If you’re not on a strictly MWF or M-F schedule or whatever, it probably isn’t worth it.
You’re not exactly sure of your blog’s direction
If your blog is new or changing, it may actually be best just to test the waters for a bit. I’ve switched focus quite a few times and I find that while a brainstorm is totally necessary, there’s no reason to finalize it all before I know how it will go.
Your blog is entirely personal
If you rely on family outings, travel, or personal musings for the majority of your content, planning a calendar for any amount of time will likely require Planning. Your. Life. Sure you can plan for certain categories and you definitely want to plan for things like brand partnerships and guest posts, but overall, if you’re not into it, you don’t need a calendar for this type of blog.
You rely on breaking news
If you base your content off of current events, news stories, trends, pop culture, etc. etc., you need to leave a little wiggle room for things that just come up. If you do choose to make a calendar, it’s important to at least leave open spaces or room for movement in order to provide the best stories in a timely way.
You tend to over plan
This is where my story comes in and why I don’t think I should worry about a calendar for my blog next month. Last time, I over planned and under delivered. I couldn’t keep up with the schedule, I kept second guessing ideas I’d had a few months back, and I ended up planning and re-planning several times. If you tend to plan everything to the point where it becomes slightly excessive, care to join me in my no-planning month? It will be a challenge, but instead we can start drafting our blog posts when we dream them up, instead of going through the whole over planning process. (Side note: don’t get me wrong, if you don’t go overboard, planning helps create a better blog.) I think it will lead to more productive blogging!
If it’s more overwhelming than it is helpful
Writing out a blog calendar is a lot of work. For some of us it’s a life saver and for others it’s just another thing to worry about. In essence, when something that’s supposed to be helpful turns out to be stress inducing, stop right there!
Have you been seeing all the calendar advice around blogland lately? What’s your take? Let me know if you’ll be joining me on a calendar-less month in March!
Kathryn J says
I have seen numerous posts on the ‘blog calendar’ ethic, and I’m sure it is a helpful tool. This is a good reminder though, that there is balance in all things and I can definitely relate to the guilt and anxiety that comes with over-planning. Note to self!
Paige @ Little Nostalgia says
I love using an editorial calendar because none of my stuff is really time-sensitive, with the exception of Pantone’s new color of the year. But that’s seriously it. Everything else can wiggle around within a couple of weeks of itself, so I use mine more to keep track of what I talked about recently and what I want to cover next.
Alexandra says
Love this! I schedule evergreen material that is suitable for whenever, like blog tips and outfits and I schedule seasonal/holiday material. That gives me enough time to do a weekly creative/time sensitive post without stressing about keeping my schedule and losing sleep!
Warm Regards,
Alexandra
http://www.littlewildheart.com
Bri says
While I agree an editorial calendar isn’t for everyone, it’s really important to have one if you’re blog is a source of profit. If you’re working with sponsors, you have to be on a schedule. But when personal events and breaking news pop up it is great to have flexibility in your schedule so you can address these topics as they arise. As an editorial calendar coach, I tell my clients to leave some blank spots in their calendar for exactly that. Everyone works at their own pace and has a blog that’s unique to them so having those flex days is so important. But I still believe having some kind of roadmap for your blog is so so important (unless you’re blog is a hobby. then it’s not necessary).
Alyssa J Freitas says
I’ve seen so much calendar advice (in fact there’s a post on The Well about it today!) and although I use a calendar to see what days I have covered I don’t use it to plan content. I write about whatever interests me at the moment and then throw it on the calendar to make sure I have the next few weeks covered and too many similar posts aren’t going up in a row. Love the points you made!
Alyssa J Freitas
Angela says
Oh yeah, I love the idea of using it as a way to see what you’ve covered! I generally will write out all my categories on the calendar even when I don’t have topics because that’s a lot easier to plan. Then the posts themselves can be fluid and not stressful, but just like you said it can still keep you from doing too much of one thing.
Lindsay says
I’ve been running into a similar theme with my new clients – they are all expressing a desire to write about something more substantial. A lot of them do lifestyle and style blogging, which is focuses on trends and brands. They make their content reflect what they should be writing about instead of what they want to write about, and then they get into this little rut. I recently came upon this quote: “Write the book you want to read, not what you know.”
Juliet says
At the end of the day – this is your blog! I think editorial calendars are so hyped around the blogging community (I mean just look at Pinterest), that new bloggers feel like they NEED to have it. But no, whatever one blogger says, no matter how influential or successful they may be, you don’t have to do what they say.
Some blogging tools work for some people and some do not for others. Find what works best for you! I love this blog post because you show another side and that’s what we all need once in awhile in a sea of blog posts telling us “How to” or “Must Do.”
– Juliet from http://www.thelittlejewelsoflifeblog@gmail.com
Angela says
Exactly! It’s nice to get advice from other people but you have to remember that there are no exact rules, just guidelines :). Thanks for your feedback Juliet!