Simple Blog Series Hack for the Easily Distracted Writer

If you’re like me, you hate paper notes…I’ll make list after list, note after note, even notebook after notebook with the best of intentions…and then I just end up with piles and piles of papers and have no idea where the one is that I want, or get squirreled by other notes with a random word – and I have no idea why I wrote that word! Let’s talking about having a series for you blog and one simple hack that helps me stay on course.

Do you have a niche for your blog?

‘Having a niche’ is a big buzz phrase in blogging and content creation right now. The problem is, many of us don’t have one – or, maybe we do, but we don’t want to be tied to that one particular niche. I learned from my friend Lisa, on TikTok, a little strategy she calls ‘Lilly Pads’ – in short, you choose 4-5 topics – these can be topics you want to write about, things that interest you, things you are knowledgeable about, etc. For example, a parent might right about local activities for preschoolers, connecting with other parents, natural remedies for common childhood ailments, cleaning, schools, working parents, youth sports, etc. Take those topics and stick too them! Now, of course there can be many subtopics, but everything should be able to be categorized under those topics (be sure to follow Lisa on TikTok for more tips like this – and be sure to let her know I sent you!). Now, you have a small handful of niches you can cater to! Isn’t that easier?

Once I figured out my niches, I was able to be much more strategic about my blog and other online content. The problem, now, is that I’ll write about a topic, and realize there are about a gazillion things I want to add! But, blog articles are not books! So, I have to break it down. I started with just adding a note at the end of the article to tell you what we would be talking about next week, but then I had to make sure I didn’t miss that day, or I had to go back and find what I said I’d write about! So, I started keeping a list on a little weekly calendar that someone gave me – and that has worked really well – I can just jot out topics. I even add to that list topics that I’ve already covered – it keeps my brain flowing in the right direction. Today, I’ve prepped my wall calendar chalkboard to help me stay on track, as well. I spend so much time researching and writing posts, and creating graphics and videos to go with them, that I’m not getting much else done…So, I’ve worked in a day off from blog posts each week! That will allow to do boring ‘desk work’ and maybe get a little ahead on future posts.

💜 I made you a couple of calendars to download and print, as well. You’ll find them at the end of this post. 💜

Here’s My Best Blog Series Hack:

Draft. Posts. Yep. That’s it. It’s that simple.

As I’m writing or researching a topic, I find that my head absolutely swims with ideas to include, or to write about later! Here’s what I do:

• Make a draft post in WordPress (I’m sure this will work with any other blogging platform) and keep that open in a separate window.
• The post title will be the series topic.
• Write notes in list or outline form. It’s not anything formal, nor is it ever perfectly organized.
• Add any resources, links, or specific information I want to be sure to include.
• Link to or add any photos I’d like to be sure to use, or at least a note of where I stored them.
• list of hashtags used in the series
• Link to the series (You can do this by clicking on a hashtag in one of your posts – be sure to use at least one common hashtag on each post in the series.)

If there’s just one specific post or topic I want to be sure to write about, I’ll just create a draft of that topic with a few notes.

That’s all, folks! I hope that you found that tip helpful and it helps you #TackleTuesday! Don’t forget to grab your free downloadable blog planner below! Have a blessed day!

Here are your Free Printable #JotSpot Blog Planners!

What do you need to tackle today?

You just might give me some ideas for projects I need to tackle!

My goal is to bring you a new “TACKLE TUESDAY” post each week as we move through out this year. Some will be personal and household related, others will be business related.