Too much on and to-do list as long as the queue in the ladies at a Daniel O’Donnell gig?
Yup. Me too.
So when I carved a few hours out to go to Tots 100 Blog Camp in Manchester, I was determined it would be good use of my time – my me-time even. There would be lovely people to meet, relaxed day dreamy train journeys and I’d come home positively oozing enthusiasm.
One of the best bits was the final session when Cathy from Nurture Store, Charlotte The Mummy Blogger, Geek Mummy Ruth, Tina Mothergeek and Cheshire Mum Claire.
At a blistering pace, they cantered through a startling array of tips and suggestions. I barely had time to say “oh, yes, why didn’t I think of that?” before they were on to the next.
So on with walking the walk.. the tips.
Cathy:
Be intentional. Do what works for you and don’t bother with things that don’t.
Love your blog. I takes up too much time and energy to be anything less.
Write things down on a bit of paper. A few puzzled looks here, but then one or two confessed it was the only way to keep track of the to-do lists.
Charlotte:
Set a timer. It’s so easy to let web time run away with you, know exactly how long you’ve got and stick to it.
Focus on social media channels that work for you.
Ruth:
You can’t do it all. If you follow all the blogging advice, you’ll be utterly frazzled. Don’t compete on all fronts, stick to what works for you.
Do it on the go. Work out which tools and apps help you take advantage of every moment. Ruth, impressively, records messages and blogs while she’s driving (safely, of course).
Clare:
Understand what you do with your time. She suggests keeping a diary in 20 minute chunks of exactly what you’re doing, not what you should be doing.
Have permission not to do things. If you’re exhausted, stop and recharge. You’ll do better later.
Turn down the noise. Unsubscribe to everything you don’t need.
One time only. Read each email only once, when you read it deal with it.
Top down. If you keep going at your inbox from the top, by the time you get down to the dregs at the bottom some will have resolved themselves just like magic.
Tina:
Do it on the phone. She does a lot of the work of blogging on her iPhone while she’s out and about
Stack up the posts. Save drafts for time times for when you’re too busy to produce fresh content.
App-y talk. Programmes, gizmos and apps for an easy life.
Things to look at in all the time you’ve gained by following the above.
Oh and one from Mistress Tots herself, Sally Whittle: Don’t get it right, get it written.
Wow! Top tips. Didn't really get the Evernote thing, but I appreciate the rest. Good for you. Thank you.
Thanks.
There was a bit of a stunned silence when I confessed to the pen and paper option wasn't there? Great round-up Ellen – and I was lovely to finally meet you.
And very lovely to meet you too.
It was a good moment. Sometimes it's easy to get a bit bogged down in finding the perfect app for something.
Thanks for the round-up Ellen! I can't believe I haven't made a single blogcamp yet!
Good old pen and paper and the back of whichever envelope is to hand… I took this tip from my grandma back in the Middle Ages, the only problem is what my husband covers said envelope with and his puzzled face when I go ballistic 😉
I still keep track of everything: work (jobs I have on, deadline, word count and money it's worth), blog ideas, menus, shopping lists, things to do, in a notebook. It helps that I love notebooks!
I downloaded Blogsy to my iPad ages ago but couldn't get on with it, must give it another go.
PS-I read somewhere ages ago that hand writing stuff, keeping a diary, calendar, etc. is really good as it offloads a lot of the burden onto the paper and the mind feels lighter. I think it's totally true
There are some things you just can't replace. I think you're right it's something to do with the physical act of writing.
I always write a shopping list, forget to take it with me, but remember most of the stuff on it anyway.