How To Write 13 Blog Posts a Week

How to Write 13 Blog Posts A Week (without going insane). Writing tips via I'm Not the Nanny

For the past eight months, I’ve written 10-13 blog posts and articles a week.

No, I’m not crazy or torturing myself. I love writing. I write 3-4 times a week on this site, another 2-3 times a week on From Left to Write, and freelance at various places on the web. I get to do something I enjoy while earning income from it. It’s a win-win.

Recently a friend of mine asked how I was able to write so often. While loving what I do makes it more fun, producing that much content week after week can be very challenging. I’ve learned a few tricks that keep me productive without getting burned out. (That’s not to say there aren’t times I take on too much and get burned out, but that’s another post.)

How to Be a Productive Writer

How to Be a Productive Writer via I'm Not the Nanny

Write everyday.

You thought I was going to say something magical, didn’t you? Nope. When I started blogging, I hated hearing this advice. I fought it with every fiber of my nonconformist being. Once my youngest started preschool, I sat my butt in my in my comfy wheeled chair four mornings a week and started typing.  This is my only uninterrupted time to write so I didn’t want to waste it.

Writing everyday isn’t easy. Some mornings I can’t type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. Other days, I bang randomly on my keyboard. Hoping that inspiration would flow from my fingertips. Whether it’s banging or tapping, eventually the words flow into some cohesive ideas.

I don’t write everyday, but I do write every weekday. Sometimes I pull out my laptop on the weekend late at night if I’m feeling particularly inspired.

I’ve trained myself to write every morning that I feel odd when I don’t sit at my desk with a cup of coffee. Which leads me to the next tip.

Grow your brand with styled stock photos & graphics, from Pixistock. 

Establish a routine

Even though my office is down the hall from my bedroom, I get dressed every day. I make breakfast and a cup of coffee in my favorite mug before walking it to my office. Which, according to our apartment floor plan is the breakfast nook. I wake up my computer and do a brain dump in my calendar.

Then, I write.

This routine trains my brain and my body. I know that when I sit down with my cup of coffee, that it’s time to write. My morning routine may vary depending if the kids have school that day, but sitting down with my cup of coffee is my signal.

I write best in the morning, so I’ve created a positive routine for that time of the day. If you write best in the evenings, maybe you can treat yourself to a small piece of chocolate as you sit down to write. Whatever it is, pick something that makes you feel good. Associate this good feeling with writing.

Swipe File from How to Be a Productive Writer via I'm Not the Nanny

 

Start a swipe file

Used in marketing, swipe files are a collection of scripts and sales letters. Writers need a file of article topics and blog ideas. When I have no idea what to write next, I pull up my swipe file. For example, when my friend Abby asked how I managed to juggle blogging and kids, she gave me the idea for this post. I added it to my swipe file.

No matter what my original idea was, I try to make the idea more specific. Instead of “spring makes me happy,” I write down “5 Reasons Spring Makes Me a Better Mom.” Instead of “my favorite books to read,” write about “Why I Love These Beach Reads and You Will Too!” Same ideas, but more refined. Once you starting thinking about your topics in this way, you’ll see ideas everywhere!

My version of a swipe file lives on Evernote, a free note taking app. It lives on my smart phone and I use the web version on my desktop. That means I have access it whenever an article idea pops in my head. I have to capture it right away or it’ll disappear. Because I write for different websites on different types of topics, I keep different swipe files for each site for easy reference.

Create an editorial calendar

What is this mythical editorial calendar? It just means planning out when you want to publish each article. For the sites where I freelance, I have the same deadline every week. I know that every Monday, I need to turn in an article. I write the due date on my calendar or add it to Asana, a free online project manager. (Need a planner? Here’s a list of planners I love.)

For your own blog, decide how often you want to publish. Once, twice, three times, daily? Once you decide on the frequency, pick the specific days you will publish and stick to it.

If you want to get even more specific, allott specific topics to certain days. For example, on Mondays you write about an adventure from your weekend; Wednesdays could be a recipe; Fridays, you share your favorite things. I’ve tried this method but it doesn’t work for me, though I try to publish one food-related post each week.

You can also create monthly themes to guide your topics. Whatever you decide, sit down once a week (or once a month if you’re more organized than me) and plan out your posts for the entire week (month).

How to be a productive writer via I'm Not the Nanny

Unplug at least one day a week

Writing as much content as I do isn’t easy. I could easily sit at my computer all week, trying to write. But I don’t. Writing is hard work, and we need to allow our brains to relax. I take the weekend off and unplug from social media as much as I can. I read, binge watch House of Cards until the wee hours, nap (much needed after a Netflix hangover), or bake.

Go out and live life so you can something to write about come Monday!

I know you’ve heard all of this before. These are not new tips or ideas. You’ve probably read other articles with similar tips. Why? Because they work! The key is trying them out on a consistent basis and adjust them so they work for you and your life.

There’s no magic pill for writing 13 blog posts and articles a week. Make writing a priority and it will get done.

What tips would you add to this list?

69 Comments

  1. imnotasupermom June 9, 2015
    • ThienKimL June 9, 2015
    • Sandy Harvill September 28, 2016
  2. Rachée Fagg June 9, 2015
  3. Meg Root June 9, 2015
    • ThienKimL June 9, 2015
  4. Sue Loncaric June 9, 2015
    • ThienKimL June 9, 2015
  5. ThienKimL June 9, 2015
  6. Kim June 10, 2015
  7. Liz June 10, 2015
  8. @themamamaven June 11, 2015
  9. Holly June 19, 2015
  10. pinkglitters22 June 20, 2015
  11. hbksloss June 21, 2015
  12. hbksloss June 21, 2015
  13. Amanda June 22, 2015
  14. guestlife June 23, 2015
  15. Debbie Rodrigues June 24, 2015
    • ThienKimL June 24, 2015
  16. Jordan Ash Hicks June 26, 2015
  17. @LaurenJadeATX June 30, 2015
    • ThienKimL July 7, 2015
  18. Lori July 6, 2015
  19. Peggy Guiler July 7, 2015
  20. lkjohnson88 July 8, 2015
  21. Joanne July 19, 2015
  22. Amy July 22, 2015
  23. moodymadeline September 4, 2015
  24. Rachael September 29, 2015
  25. Cora October 1, 2015
    • Thien-Kim Lam October 1, 2015
  26. Natalie Wicks November 10, 2015
  27. Robyn November 21, 2015
  28. Sabrina Quairoli December 1, 2015
  29. Laura Gutierrez January 6, 2016
  30. Lillian Ortiz January 6, 2016
  31. chasing joy January 14, 2016
  32. lisa ciarfella January 23, 2016
  33. Stacy April 16, 2016
  34. Tori May 10, 2016
  35. Bicultural Mama May 24, 2016
  36. Amanda August 25, 2016
  37. Destiny September 3, 2016
  38. Evelyn October 9, 2016
  39. Bonnie McConaughy December 23, 2016
    • Thien-Kim Lam December 23, 2016
  40. Jamie December 26, 2016
  41. jeralyn December 29, 2016
  42. Miriam May 19, 2018
  43. Vox July 10, 2018
  44. Nuha August 4, 2018
  45. Kim October 7, 2018
  46. Chrisfy January 8, 2019
  47. Dawn February 6, 2019
  48. Farrah March 6, 2019
  49. Pratishtha March 6, 2019
  50. Cheryl March 6, 2019
  51. tayo March 14, 2019
  52. Brenda Nicholson April 14, 2019
  53. Maggie May 13, 2019
  54. Deeja July 19, 2019
  55. The British Blogger August 8, 2019
  56. Niakshi April 5, 2020
  57. Zaini April 28, 2020
  58. Amanda July 10, 2020
  59. Shay Thomas July 13, 2020
  60. Katelyn @ Hey You Finance April 27, 2021