5 Reasons You Should Be Prepping Your Blog Post Ahead of Time

I'm sitting here, a week before I plan to have this post go live, drafting out my notes, editing the pictures that I want to use, and making sure that all of my social network posts are ready to go. I like working ahead of time because it saves time in the long run, reduces my stress levels, keeps me on a schedule, boosts my productivity, and gives me plenty of time for all of the other necessary blog tasks that I'm doing on the daily.

And I'm not the only one. Bloggers all around will tell you that finding a method that works for you is the difference between a successful blogging business and a personal past time. While prepping ahead of time might not exactly be what works for you, it is what works for me. And I want to share with you my reasons why you should at least give this method a try.

1. It saves time.

Sundays. That's when I attempt to finish up all my blog posts for the upcoming week and make sure that everything is ready to go. Doing this on a weekend as I sit on the couch and binge watch "Once Upon a Time" on Netflix saves me time during the week. I don't have to worry about scheduling time in between classes on a busy Tuesday to make sure that my Newsletter is ready to go, or spend hours on Thursday rummaging through emails looking for all of the correspondence with my upcoming Blogger Series posts.

Working ahead, and having at least a plan and a draft ready to go before the actual date of publish, saves me so much time in the long run. I can feel confident that I won't have to rush in the future, stress about getting my posts done and up, or missing the publish date that I had planned for.

2. Reduces your stress.

So now that I've got all of my posts drafted for the upcoming week, I can literally take a sigh of relief. It reduces so much stress off of me to know that this blog that I love to write for is still pushing out tons of wonderful content without me having to constantly be on it or checking up on everything. When you schedule your posts ahead of time, have a plan, and create templates and drafts, you will have time to do other things, focus on stuff that you love, and not freak out about creating blog content.

All of these tips that I am sharing might make it seem like I don't enjoy writing this content; but, yet I truly do. I, like most of you, live busy lives that include jobs and families and other things besides blogging. So, reducing my stress about curating content can allow me to stress about other things--like making sure your dogs don't tear up the Christmas tree (aka what they're doing right now!!).

3. Keeps you on a schedule.

I create a blogging schedule a month in advance. Creating that schedule/editorial calendar is the first step in making sure that I am organized and stress free. But once I have that schedule, I need to make sure to act on it and stay consistent. If I miss a post because I don't make time to write it, then my entire plan for the month could be jeopardized--or even worse, I won't have time to write that post and fit it in at all.

Writing my posts in advanced and having things queued up and ready to go helps me keep to my schedule. Having a routine is good for your blog and for your readers. If your readers can know when to expect new content, they will be more likely to keep an eye out for your posts, look forward to reading your blog, and feel like they are part of a consistent community.

4. Boosts your productivity.

The reason that I like to do everything ahead of time on a Sunday is because that is the beginning of the week. This is the time for me to start fresh, get ahead, and build momentum. Having already started a week on a positive and productive note, I am more likely to continue the trend and push myself to achieve more and more.

Having that boost of productivity can simply come from taking some time to think ahead, curate some amazing content, and draft out what I plan to do for the rest of the week. Not only am I achieving the goals that I have outlined for myself, I am also making sure to tick off all of the other tasks that I need to make sure to get done on a weekly basis as well.

5. Gives you time for other tasks.

The single most important reason for me to prepare my posts in advance is that prepping ahead of time gives me time for other things. I feel like I can spend Mondays and Tuesdays and every other day of the week working on social media or house cleaning tasks that would otherwise be occupied by my need to blog. I feel as though I can come home knowing that content is already being pushed out onto my blog without me having to do anything that day. This gives me time to accomplish other necessary things and work my way towards achieving more than I ever thought I could have.

Working ahead can be a bit of a challenge for some people. And trust me, I totally understand. The first week or so is usually the worst because you feel as though you have to do double the work just to get everything ready to go. But once you make this a routine you will be able to accomplish so much more. Something as simple as prepping your blog posts ahead of time can be that one thing that pushes your online business to the next level.

Do you plan ahead and schedule things out in advance? Let me know in the comment section below. I would love to hear about all of your blog schedules and online tools that you use to stay on top of your tasks and productive.

Follow