I have had several emails and comments asking how I keep everything straight with my day job, blogging, freelance work, my home life, and anything else I heap onto my plate. Here are the blog checklists I developed for myself to make sure I stay on track:
My Daily Blog Checklist:
- Comment on 4 Other Blogs
- Answer All Advertiser Emails for my blog and the 16 other Blogs I Work With
- Answer Rest of Email
- Check Yakezie for New Posts
- Make Sure BFS is at least 1 Week Ahead
- Update BFS Ads Excel Sheet
- Update BFS Expenses Excel Sheet
- Update Ad Excel Sheet for the Rest of the Blogs
- Answer Comments at BFS
- Check Twitter
- Check Facebook
- Staff Writing
- Personally Email a Reader
- Retweet at least 5 Posts from Other Blogs
My Weekly Blog Checklist:
- Make Sure Crystal Clear Thoughts is Updated
- Staff Writing for 6 blogs
- Retweet Staff Posts – Friday
- Answer Staff Post Comments – Friday
- Update “Crystal for Hire” page
- Update Threads at Yakezie
- De-Clutter Sidebars
- De-Clutter Email
- Look in the “Ad” email box and see if there is anything to check up on
- Review past posts for follow-up post ideas
Whew! I’ve had these lists for a week and have only made it all the way through a daily one once so far, but it is keeping me focused. I feel like I have at least been participating in the blogging world again. I was drifting along for a month or so and then I felt like I was just being pushed along for a month or so…just always catching up. Now I feel like I have a little control back and am loving it. I know I want to continue in my day job for at least 5-7 more months to build up some major padding before taking the leap to blogging full time, and hopefully this blog checklist will get me there with my mind intact, hahaha.
EDIT: I do have posts submitted to 5 blog carnivals a week as well, but I have hired Jesse Michelsen over at pffirewall.com to do that for me since I only was getting around to it every 2-3 weeks. I also leave 20 blank lines on both of my checklists to add in things that pop up…for example, I will be writing a blog post for the Yakezie sometime this week so that is written on a blank line on my weekly checklist.
What system do you use to stay on track? If you aren’t a blogger, what do you use to keep yourself on track with your own daily schedule?
Hey Crystal
Great list! I try to do something similar, but may use your list to keep motivated too
Something I need to do better at is submitting posts to blog carnivals. I didn’t see that listed on your checklist, but it’s definitely important!
Cheers,
Tim
Sounds like you have great organization! I don’t have quite as much to do as you, but I continually update my list of “To Do This Week”. As the week goes on, I check off my various tasks off the list. It’s pretty simple and it keeps me on track.
It is a good idea to make a list, much better than my let’s just wander the internet and see what we can accomplish plan. Making a list now.
I need to borrow your checklist Crystal!
Wow! I knew you were busy before, but looking at that list, I am exhausted! I seriously don’t know how you do it all. Are you getting any sleep at night?
Like Life and My Finances, I have a list of things to do that I just scratch off as I complete items.
I try to post and clear my feed reader on business days. Weekends are a bonus if I get this done though I will use the time to write ahead.
That’s funny, I just started a list where I broke down various tasks to do on certain days of the week as well as an ‘every day’ list of items. That seems to be working in my never ending battle to be organized
Crystal, you are a blogging machine! I don’t know how you find the time to squeeze it all in.
@Tim, blog carnivals are pretty important! Since I was only submitting myself every 2-3 weeks, I ended up hiring someone else to do it for me – a fellow personal finance blogger.
He submits my posts to 5 carnivals a week. If anybody is interested, shoot me an email at budgetingfunstuff *at* gmail *dot* com and I’ll send you the names of the two carnival submitters I know (I don’t know if they want more clients or not which is why I am not listing them here). It’s an affordable way not to miss weeks of submissions…
@LifeAndMyFinances, I include additional blank lines on my actual checklists so I can add things that pop up too.
@Niki, good luck!
@Moneycone, have at it! I wouldn’t publicly post my stuff if I wasnt willing to be copied, lol.
@Melissa, I actually took a hit to my sleep for the last 2 weeks, so I have vowed to go back to at least 7 hours a night. 5-6 hours is making me grumpy and sluggish…
@No Debt MBA, I am one of the few people I know that don’t use feed readers. I tried, it sucked for me, and now I just wander around finding my favorites and new favorites, lol.
@Money Beagle, it really does help, right? Yay for organization in at least one part of my life!
@Mike, I have no life from Mondays-Fridays…I only play catchup on the weekends so I usually have them somewhat “off” – I only blog for 2-3 hours a weekend day as opposed to 5-9 hours, lol.
I am tired just reading it. No way I could keep that kind of schedule. My full-time work doesn’t even seem that busy. Maybe I will stick with my day job and blog for fun. Good luck to you. You certainly deserve every bit of success that you have as intense as you are.
I have a hard enough time keeping up with what I’m doing.
I try to comment on a half dozen blogs each week. Post 3-4 times per week. Think about writing guest posts.
@cashflowmantra, lol, you make me sound crazy.
Like I said, I only was able to make it all the way through my daily checklist once or twice between Monday-Friday of last week (and I did finish my weekly checklist, woot). It keeps me on target but I am not a slave to it if you get my drift. But yes, I am pretty intense about it but only so I will be where I need to be when I quit my day job sometime between September 2011-February 2012…then my checklists will be the only job I have! That means I’ll be cutting back from 12 hour or more workdays between my day job and blogging to 5-7 hour workdays at home plus whatever little blogging stuff I simply enjoy – yay!!!
@Jason, I feel a little bad. Since I started staff writing on so many blogs, I rarely guest post anymore. I only do it for blogging friends that are going out of town and only if they give me a couple of weeks or more of advance notice…I’ll get back into it once I quit my day job I think…
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you set limits on how many blogs you comment on per day. I love reading my fellow blogger’s articles so much that I can spend the entire day just reading and commenting and as enjoyable as it is, it’s hard to get anything else done if you go that route. Setting a daily target means that everyone gets a little love every week, but you aren’t consumed by it.
Great advice. Thanks.
That’s a great list crystal – I may have to look into something like that. It seems like I’m only sorta staying on top of my blog, and my alexa rank has grown because of it.
I love how organised you are…you have to be lol
Wow that’s a serious checklist. I need to resume the blog commenting to get more active in the community.
Emailing readers can be very powerful.In an era where every email exchange is considered “consulting” rarely do bloggers respond to readers any more.
Can I suggest an item? Start an emailing list
Ah, the dreaded checklists. I’m responsible for three at work — my own and the two held by a fellow co-worker who’s currently off on disability leave. Yes, I’m also doing his job since I have a gap in activities related to my main job.
Also, at least once a quarter or half-year, review your list to see if there are things that aren’t needed or if things need to be added.
That’s quite a list, and I didn’t realize you were working with 16 other blogs in some capacity. You have to be organized to be able to accomplish all of that, and it seem like you are.
Personally, I need to organize blogging time better, as it’s hard to fit in everything with so much else going on…namely being a parent:) I try to fit in the time opportunistically sometimes when it comes to blogging. For me, it’s writing my own posts that takes time.
Overall, I probably comment as much as you do, based on taking your daily commenting rate and multiplying it out. With me, however, it comes in big batches…I might comment on 12 blogs one day and then none for the 2 or 3 days. Just depends.
It’s interesting to me how you’ve targeted being at least 1 week ahead with BFS. I had been able to do that for quite a while, even being 2 to 3 weeks ahead, but now I’m pretty much taking it day by day. The cushion has evaporated, and I know see how great it is to build it up. Staying a week ahead is a great thing, I’m with you on that being a good goal
I’m working on growing my personal blog right now. So finding the right tools to help me be more productive is key. Thanks for sharing!
This is an exhaustive list. I have a question: do you take care of this stuff before you go to your day job? Or do you do some of it at your day job?
@First Gen, I’ll be honest, sometimes I can’t stop until I see that 5th or 6th hashmark, lol.
@Jeff, well, I think I am on top of as much as I can be and my Alexa ranking is still creeping up.
@Laura, thanks!
@MD, serious question – how does an email list help?
@Byrocat, yes, that is so important – I will be reviewing my lists every week or two for weeding and updates.
@Squirrelers, yeah, being one week ahead keeps me from freaking out. I get a little weirded out when it falls to less than 4 posts…
@Jenna, I hope they help!
@JNUrbanski, it depends on the day. I work in an office environment and we get work in waves. If I am between waves, I can fit in stuff like commenting and using my smart phone to answer emails. If I get a big stack of tickets to do, I have to handle everything at home. Tomorrow was a slow day so I blogged alot but tomorrow is going to be really heavy so I may have to do everything tomorrow evening…
An email list is the thing to do lol. For now I’m just focusing on keeping in touch with readers, bouncing ideas off them, and building my own small army.
That is highly professional! It’s no wonder you’re now earning enough on blogging to exceed DH’s income when the blogging is combined with your salary.
I started FaM as a hobby, and the result is that my approach to it tends to be hobbyish: ad hoc and catch-as-catch-can. Really…life would be better if I could organize as well as you do!
@MD, my army is my readers right now. If I can ever think of a great use for an email list, I will start one. But right now, this is my link to readers.
@Funny about Money, my general plan is to out-earn my husband’s gross income through blogging and freelance work alone by the end of 2012 – not because I care about outearning my husband, but because that would mean that I was making more than $4000 a month, which would be stellar!
If I liked a different job, I would treat blogging as a hobby too…I just can’t think of anything I like to do more work-wise, so I am working hard to make that happen.
These are great checklists Crystal! I may have to copy you a bit and see how it goes for my online empire. It’s going to take a while to get into the swing of things but I’m confident it’ll help get things off the ground.
@20 and Engaged, hope they help! I’ve already added a few things to them this week that I’ll be adding in permanently…
talk about having a plan and accountability. Crystal you continue to amaze me with all the work you are putting in.
I have daily, weekly and monthly checklists to keep me on track. I use the Checklists software I developed to keep track of my progress: http://www.16applications.com/
Thanks for sharing this because I’m borrowing your checklist. With a few edits, it’ll be great to help me keep on track daily/weekly.
Great checklist. I may steal parts of it.
I am using your checklist to keep myself on track for the blogging related stuff.
16 blogs? Amazing. I have enough problems keeping up with my one blog. Haha. Need to borrow your checklist and I’m guessing things have radically changed since you now are blogging full time!
What carnivals do you submit to? I know a few finance ones but wonder if there are any focused on simple living/finance?
Sounds like you have great checklist! It is a good idea to make a to-do-list to help us organize everything and to keep in track.
[...] Budgeting in the Fun Stuff is a very organized blogger and shares some of her secrets in My New Blog Checklists. [...]
[...] Popular PostsHow to Develop Passive Income (35)Mortgage Refinancing – Our Personal Story (33)My New Blog Checklists (32)Hello Readers! I Have a Few Questions for You… (31)How Long Do Cars Last? (29)Job Satisfaction – [...]
[...] Popular PostsHow to Develop Passive Income (35)Mortgage Refinancing – Our Personal Story (33)My New Blog Checklists (33)Hello Readers! I Have a Few Questions for You… (31)How Long Do Cars Last? (29)Job Satisfaction – [...]
[...] Another blog Budgeting in the Fun Stuff is run by Crystal. Crystal’s amazing work ethic includes writing, commenting and also she has for hire services. I used to think before that I was a workaholic balancing work, blogging, family life with two small kids and all. However reading her schedule I have now decided to have daily goals of my own and also have weekly goals and of course a long term goal for the blog. See her blogging checklist [...]
[...] Popular PostsMy New Blog Checklists (36)How to Develop Passive Income (35)Hello Readers! I Have a Few Questions for You… (32)How Long Do [...]
[...] Popular PostsI AM QUITTING!!! (82)My New Blog Checklists (37)How to Develop Passive Income (35)Hello Readers! I Have a Few Questions for You… (32)How To Get [...]
[...] Popular PostsI AM QUITTING!!! (90)My New Blog Checklists (38)How to Develop Passive Income (37)How To Get Rich – What Worked For Us (33)June 2011 Blog Statistics [...]
[...] Popular PostsI AM QUITTING!!! (92)Biggest Financial Mistake (41)My New Blog Checklists (41)I Use a Dryer for my Clothes (39)How To Get Rich – What Worked For Us (35)June 2011 Blog Statistics [...]
[...] Popular PostsI AM QUITTING!!! (93)My New Blog Checklists (42)Biggest Financial Mistake (41)I Use a Dryer for my Clothes (41)How To Get Rich – What Worked For Us [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]
[...] my blog checklists and see what’s [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]
[...] seeing how I went from an 8 million plus Alexa rank and 3 readers to where I am today, you can see My Blogging Checklists, which breaks down everything I do related to blogging. If you want to see how I have started [...]