Effective Habits of the Blogging Homemaker

Darren of Problogger has a group writing project called “Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers”. I don’t know if I’m highly effective, but it’s a goal I strive for. Here, I’ll share what I do to be productive online, even as I also work at being a domestic diva.

1. I prioritize. I’m a wife, a mom and a homemaker first. That means I have to make sure that my family has meals to eat, clean clothes to wear and that our home and its younger residents are fairly clean and healthy. All other things, including blogging, have to be scheduled around my responsibilities at home.

2. With Point #1 in mind, I set a time for blogging. The best time is when my kids are asleep, in the afternoon during their naps and at night after bedtime.

3. Blogging responsibilities are divided into tasks which are spelled out and checked off as they are finished. I have found Microsoft Outlook to be a very effective tool for organizing the way I blog. I use the task mode instead of the calendar for this.

For each blog, I have a minimum number of posts to write. These are distributed throughout the week. I also include activities such as cultivating online relationships, giving one day to focus on each of my blogs. On Outlook, I simply enter all the recurring tasks I have to accomplish every day of the week. I like being able to check off items one by one as I accomplish them. In case I’m unable to do one, it comes up red the next day as a reminder to catch up on.

For example, I’m one of those people who must read emails before doing anything else online. I like knowing that I’ve taken care of items that are urgent enough for people to email me about. So reading emails on my various accounts comes first. I also try to reply right then to save time. Next comes forums, feeds and alerts. This starts to get me into a blogging mindset. As I read, I start to think of the topics I’ll write about that day. If I have time, I try to get started writing entries. Otherwise, it will have to wait until later in the day.

4. I think on my feet. I don’t like to waste time sitting in front of the computer thinking about what to write. I prefer to have a solid idea of a topic and how I’ll approach it, before I touch the keyboard. So if I’ve read my feeds but have to wait until later for the actual writing, I compose the entry in my mind while washing dishes, rocking the baby and so on. This way, I can start to write immediately when I get the chance.

This works especially well for 55Fiction, a blog I co-author with several others at b5media. This blog is composed of stories that are only 55 words long. Thinking on my feet helps me come up with a plot for a story I can write about. It’s a fun creative exercise throughout the day.

5. I take regular breaks. I don’t blog on weekends. It’s a time for family and going out. I’ve found that I’m more effective when I take a rest from writing. I then look forward to Mondays and the next post.

It’s also good to take longer breaks occasionally. When I had my baby recently, I took a maternity leave from blogging. I believe this break has refreshed my writing significantly.

6. I try to infuse my blog with a bit of my personality. It’s a learning experience. I’ve found that I enjoy blogging more if I make it personal in some way. And I’m sure my readers do too.

7. I use the crockpot. Since this is a homemaking blog after all, I just thought I’d throw in that little tip for saving time.

So that’s it for me. These are the things I do that allow me to blog in the middle of raising kids, keeping a home and leaving time for sleep.

You read this blog. Chances are, you’re a blogger yourself. How do you effectively organize your time to accommodate this pursuit?

Tags: effective blogging, time management, blogging habits