How Moms Can Squeeze Blogging into Their Hectic Lives

People ask me how I manage to write for so many blogs. I tell them I write fast and keep a big supply of 5-hour Energy bottles in my desk. In reality, keeping up one blog or several is all about organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling your time – and using the right tools.

Pens, folders and notebooks
First, get yourself an attractive notebook. It’ll live on your desk, so the nicer the better. (Marshall’s is one of my favorite places to get gorgeous but cheap desk diaries.) At least once a week if not daily, write down a list of posts you have to do, like reviews and guest posts, along with ideas and inspiration for other blogging. (I keep inspiring articles and newspaper clips in a folder that I keep under my notebook.)

Also, you may want to list “blog chores” like submitting a post to StumbleUpon, entering one in a blog carnival, or tweeting about a giveaway you’re running. You may want to include personal to do items, too, or you can keep this in a separate notebook or planner – whatever works for you.

Prioritizing tasks
From here prioritize. Money making gigs are first. Then there are date sensitive posts – you don’t want to be blogging about Halloween in December. Next come all the posts you’ve promised to do, like a product sample review. Finally, there are your blog chores and posts you write just for yourself.

Occasionally you’ll have a post that needs to be done right now like getting the word out about a blogger with a sick child or maybe a entry post for a contest. Not a problem. Just write it in at the top of your list and get blogging.

The answer is…by using calendar programs!
Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar are fabulous ways to organize your time. First, create an appointment schedule and include everyone – kids, your significant other, parents, etc. In Outlook, you can assign a different color to each person and activity. For example, green for your daughter’s swim lessons and yellow for volunteering in your child’s classroom. Unfortunately, there is no color labeling in Google Calendar. (Don’t forget to schedule some me time, too, like exercising or calling a friend on the phone. All work and no play makes mommy very grumpy.)

Outlook also has the advantage of sending out a pop up window to remind you about appointments and events, depending on how you set it up. It’s a helpful feature if you’re one of those moms who get so involved in your posting that you forget to pick up the kids at school. (Guilty!)

A blogging calendar
The next step is to create a calendar just to track your blogging. Include scheduling review posts, replying to comments, and checking your stats. Don’t forget to make time for social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. That way you regularly keep up with your community, but limit your efforts on those time sucking sites.

Once everything is organized, your calendars will help you indentify when you have time to blog. This may be during your lunch break at work, during your child’s dance lessons, or after your family is asleep. Take advantage of whatever time you can find.

My notebook and calendars help me stay on task and use my time as efficiently as possible. But the truth is that I don’t get it all done. Many posts never get written, and I could do more with my blogs. Face it, no matter how organized you are, there’s still too much to do and not enough time to do it. It’s just another facet of every busy mom’s life.

Anne-Marie Nichols is the Social Media Manager at Mom Central Consulting. You can also find her blogging up some healthy recipes at This Mama Cooks!

Anne-Marie Nichols