Blogging and Time Management

One of the common concerns I hear from people about Blogging, is that they just don’t have the time.  Seriously though, we live in a world where Starbucks offers drive-thru coffee for those who don’t even have time to sit and enjoy it.  Everything in life seems to be go-go-go!  So maybe Blogging and Time Management really is a valid concern and important topic for many!?!  I just Googled Blogging and Time Management, there really wasn’t much out there.  So maybe there is no answer?  If you did find the answer, would it be right for you?

Defining Blogging – Is Blogging just writing an article, banking on search engines, waiting for comments, hoping for calls and emails, and wishing to close on the sale of your product or service?  I think Blogging encompasses much more than that.   Sure, creating a great post loaded with valuable content and information is important, but Blogging ends up becoming more, a part of life, and a part of you.  Blogging includes reading, commenting on posts, learning, sharing, connecting with others, engaging in conversations, exploring tools, researching technology, meeting new people, discovering new ways… etc. Much like what we already do in the off-line world.

We learn quickly that Time Management is important. I’ve also learned that Blogging and Social Media Networking are really one in the same.  Your Blog IS your Social Network.  Having an acceptable “liveable” balance of time on your computer vs the time you spend having a life is crucial to both your Business and Personal success.  For me personally, it has helped me define and refine my daily actions and activities, my time, and my focus.  Thankfully, some time management strategies have assisted me in reaching some of my desired goals, and in less time.

So what is the “Best Blogging Time Management” skill-set?  Will it work for you? How many hours a day, week, or month does it take for you to be a successful Blogger and to be an effective Social Networker?  Will you still have the time and balance to seek your other business and personal goals?  Is there a Time Management manual, program, or a person out there that can define the Best Time Management program for you?  NO.  I mean YES, but it’s YOU!  You have to create it.  Everything you do, your experiences, and your rewards and successes WILL BE UNIQUE to you, and will happen because of YOUR own personal time management system or strategy!

You’ve learned to Manage your email and VM, your Blog is no different. Somehow, we find a way!

Having had the chance to moderate Blogging panels, interact with AR members all day everyday, and read thousands of Blog posts all over the country, I’ve managed to learn a great deal about some of the things that make a successful Blogger “tick” (pun intended).  We’ll define “Successful” in another post, but I think we can all agree that success is “to each his own.”  Well, so is “Time Management.”

Here’s a few of the things I’ve learned and heard suggested…

TIPS & TRICKS:

  1. Understand and agree that your Time Management and others Time Management will not be the same.
  2. What works for you as a Blogger, may or may not work for other Bloggers with the same rewards.
  3. Your Goals and Dreams are unique to you, so your Time Management and efforts will be unique also.
  4. Except the fact that you will never learn or know it all.  “Focus and Willpower” are critical.
  5. Realize time is precious and valuable and it should be spent focused on items related to your goals.
  6. Don’t let others try to convince you of what is the “right” or the “wrong” way to do something.
  7. Believe in yourself, be passionate about the things that work and that bring you desired results.
  8. Find a mentor or someone who has like-minded goals, see how they manage and achieve them.
  9. Resist the temptation from every invitation that comes your way to be on every social network created.
  10. Create a “Blogging and Social Networking” Commitment in your Business Plan, then stick to it!

IDEA & SUGGESTIONS

  1. Set aside 1-2 hours everyday to utilize Social Networking and Blogging.
  2. Consider using your Blog to respond to questions and consumer emails.
  3. Write a variety of content, just like a newspaper, cover a “rainbow” of topics.
  4. Create 2-3 posts per week, then build or reduce the amount based on results.
  5. Look into your email sent folder for topics and ideas to write about and share.
  6. Set aside time to research tools and sites that SAVE time, and money.
  7. Automate your daily tasks and utilize technology that’s gives you a ROI.
  8. Analyze what sites you’re on that just consume time and deliver no value.
  9. Use mobile technology to maximize your Social Networking and Blogging during down times.
  10. Watch less news and TV, write and create more of your own. Localize through your eyes.

Your Blog over time can and will become a great library of content, and will also be one of your greatest resources.  Blogging will actually save you time in the future.  What you Blog about today can be used again tomorrow without the time spent recreating it.  So what is the best Blogging Time Manager?  It’s you!  It’s your time, and it’s your life, no one can tell you what or how to spend it.  It’s really up to YOU. Time is the greatest gift one can ever give to another, so manage and use it wisely with no regrets.

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