5 Tips for Making Time to Blog

Do you love to write?  Or blog?

There are many people who love to blog. You may be one of them.

There are people who blog just as a hobby and some who do research and extensive writing. They may write highly informative articles for people to learn from or gain information about a specific item.

But like me, you may run into obstacles when blogging. My biggest obstacle is T.I.M.E.

Here are a few tips that have helped me make more time for blogging:

 

Short Writing Sessions

Short writing sessions can be extremely productive.  Sometimes bloggers get bogged down with all the things that are going on in their lives.  Soon blogging becomes more of a chore.

Take a few minutes to sit down and do a “free-writing” session.  I keep spiral notebooks that I purchased for just a few dollars at Walmart handy for jotting down my notes. I take short breaks either before work, during my lunch break, or after work and try to write down some of my ideas that I can later develop into articles or posts.

I try to do some short writing sessions or free writing sessions as often as I can. I just start writing ideas for a blog that comes to mind.  There have been times when I sat down to jot down a few ideas and I have written several pages before I am done. Those times are a blogger’s blessing!

 

 

Make an Outline

Making an outline can be particularly helpful.  If you have an idea for a blog post, take the time to sit down and jot down your ideas in an outline form.

It is okay if you do not have a title for your post.  You can work on a title later once you develop your ideas.

Write your ideas down in bullet points.  These bullet points may later become the headings for your post.

Most often I use an outline during my short writing sessions.  Making an outline for a post can make the whole writing process go a lot smoother.

 

Use a Recording Device

You may feel you do not have time to sit and write. An easy alternative is to get a small recorder or even your phone if it has a recording option and speak your ideas into it.

There are some recorders like the one I have that allows you to organize your recordings into folders.

Here is the recorder I sometimes use. It is not expensive, and it has different options for saving your messages. I used one just like this a few years ago when I was attending college. They are typically easy to use and a great option for keeping up with your thoughts or notes.

 

Use a Speaking Device

You are probably asking yourself what is a speaking device? A speaking device is something that you use with your computer. It comes with software that you download and a headset. You easily download the software, hook up the headset, take a short tutorial to learn the commands, and you are off (in fact, I am using one now).  When you speak into the headset the program automatically types what you are saying.

I use one of two things now, the Dragon Naturally Speaking Premium program and headset or the Dictate app on my iphone.  They are both super helpful.

I work a full-time job as a paralegal, and I type all day. I often get tired of typing.  I have even used my Dragon for work when working on a typing-intensive project.

I have found the use of both these programs has saved me time. Sometimes I have even used them with no outline. I just put on my headset with the Dragon program or go the app on my phone and start recording. watch my words appear on the screen and I just need to go back and review and tweak as needed.

The Dragon premium device I have has an extremely high accuracy rating. In fact once you learn a few simple commands, you can write a draft article in little to no time. Using the Dragon device has made writing a lot simpler for me.

The Dictate app is a recent discovery and it is becoming more and more useful and it is very accurate.

 

Take Advantage of PLR articles

PLR stands for “private label rights.” These articles are pre-drafted and purchased by those who want to use them.

I found a few good PLR suppliers and I use them occasionally.  I have used PLR articles in the past when I had writer’s block and just could not come up with an idea for my blog.  I used them for the basic idea and rewrote them in my own words. I want my post to reflect my personality and voice.

There are many PLR websites out there in the blogging world. These people have found a niche writing for others.

A couple of good sites I found and have used in the past are IDplr.com and Health & Wellness PLR.  IDplr has articles on different topics such as education, marketing, business, etc. Health and Wellness PLR, as you may have guessed, specializes in the health and wellness industry with articles about healthy eating, mindfulness, and even journaling for your health.

Their articles can be anywhere from 200 to 1000 words long and can be used as they are written or changed.

As stated earlier, I use them for the basic idea usually and rewrite and add to them. Many times, I have started with a 200-word article on an idea I liked and would end up posting a 1000-to-1500-word post.

I may do some additional research to cement my ideas and I have a good article ready to post.

In my short post, “Make Time for Blogging,”  I stated that blogging should be fun.  If you see it as a chore or a job, it is not something you are likely to want to do.  

So, if you have entered the blogging world and you are finding it hard to have a lot of time to write your posts use these tips to help you make more time to blog.

I have found that taking short breaks and writing a few words for an idea that I have really worked. And having a Dragon speaking device is an amazing thing. I sat here and read this post from my notes I wrote between yesterday and today, and I am over 1000 words in less than 10 minutes. Awesome!

I will have to go back and read my draft and make some corrections and I am done.

I hope you find some of these tips helpful for making more time for blogging.

 

Happy blogging!

Pamela