What do you do when you wake up in the morning and have a little over 1 hour to get a post done only to find that you have no internet? You panic because you have to get this post on or it will mess up you entire day! You can get the links you were planning to include because they are online! You call your internet provider and hear:
Thank you for calling MediaCom. We are currently experiencing a service interruption in your area. We are working to restore your service as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Then, you panic some more and watch the clock wind down… the entire time beating yourself up because you thought about doing this post yesterday. In fact, you thought about doing this post the week before! Did you? No! Why? Because you had time before it came up. Now look at you, you are in a major bind!
Always, always, always try to write your posts in advance so this doesn’t happen to you! I know, everyone has an excuse. The most common excuses for not being prepared are:
1. The nature of my blog doesn’t allow me to write posts in advance.
2. I barely have time to write a current post, much less one in advance.
3. Umm… I have never thought of it.
4. Well, I used to be ahead and now I am always behind! <– this is my excuse
These are valid excuses, but seriously they are just excuses!
- #1 – I understand that coupon and freebie blogs are very “in the moment” but I also know that most of you also write articles to help your readers learn to use the coupons to save money. Those articles can be scheduled!
- #2 – Hire a sitter or trade with a friend for a few hours to get you ahead of the game. Ask your husband to watch the kids for a few hours and go to McDonald’s. Just find you some extra time once or twice and you will get ahead!
- #3 – Now you know… do it!
- #4 – Yeah, my problem is that I would spend an entire day writing many posts, but then when (for example) Wednesday rolls round and I have a Blogging Basics post already scheduled, stupid me would take that time to do something else. Instead I should be taking that time to write the next week’s Blogging Basics post!
By the way, the Blogging Basics post this week was supposed to be about the things that you should include in a reader survey, when you should have a reader survey, why you should have a reader survey, and a link to my new reader survey. So, be prepared… this will be the topic next week.
If you have missed any of my Blogging Basics posts, you can read the Huge Tips post that lists them in order with a short description of each. Also, if you have a topic that you would like to see me tackle, be sure to email me with “Blogging Basics Request” in the subject. You might even get your blog linked to!
About Kelli
It is so sad that i can actually relate to all those excuses! When running a online business there is so much that has to be scheduled in, plus then you have the kids, cooking and cleaning the list is big with so little time! Re writing posts in advanced is a excellent idea! Im going to give it a shot! thanks!
It is funny that people dont think what we do is a real job. I started telling them people that if they thinks its not a real job just try it writting then rewritting. Then you check your stats upload now post by then it is time to start thinking about the next’s days article that you need to start thinking about. There is nothing easy about what we do but we still do it with love
I have all these excuses, and I haven’t even started my blog yet. I am such a procrastinator.
Next week I will start…
Thanks for the Blogging Basics, that will come in very handy for me.