Do you guys have a life motto? I have one, and I am sure I have told you that several times, that is: “Time is money”.
Agree about that or not, you have to admit that the more carefully you treat time, the more you get in return! A research shows that office workers waste about 40% of their workday on average (statistics from simplyproductive), nearly half a day! That is a lot of work left undone! You see, time is precious, especially for those who have their hands full of office workers or WordPress bloggers!
For any post, a blogger must go through a process from a brainstorm, research, write, edit (one or several times), publish, to promote the piece! That is not to mention approving and answering comments afterward. A tiring cycle, huh? So, no strange to see bloggers complain that they wish a day was longer than 24 hours. However, even 48 hours would not make a big difference if they did not know how to use them wisely! But how wise is wise?
Leave that question to me!
In this article, I will give you a collection of 10 tips to maximize your time and gain the most out of your daily routine as a WordPress blogger! Check out:
- Make a Priority List
- Set Smart Goals
- Keep a Notebook
- Schedule your Day
- Respect the Deadlines
- Stick to the One-by-one Rule
- Don’t Waste Time on Petty Tasks
- Take Breaks
- Remove Distractions
- Reflect your Day
Ready for more details? Let’s go!
Make a Priority List
The point here is to categorize your tasks based on the importance level. As a WordPress blogger, your day could start with literally anything – write a new post, edit an old one, promote your newest pieces, etc. Whatever they are, make sure you have them in order! If you manage to get the most important tasks done first, you’re already halfway to success. Thus, make a list that includes:
- Names of the tasks
- How long it takes to finish each
- Level of urgency
- Deadlines
Then, look at that list and consider which task to put at the first priority position, which at the second, the third, and so on!
Set Smart Goals
Defining your goals will give you a really strong push!
So, think to yourself what you want to achieve, when and how you want to achieve them. But, remember not to set big goals right away! Too big goals that cannot be achieved at the start might weaken your determination. Instead, set small goals that prepare you for the big ones.
For instance, if you’re new to WordPress blogging, try to write one post for every 2 days, and focus on writing posts only. As you grow, increase the number and add more tasks. Gradually, you will find yourself capable of doing more and greater things!
Keep a Notebook
…or simply your mobile phone would be of great help! Some people prefer to do it manually with a notebook though.
For what? Well, to write down or visualize any idea that comes up in your mind! Inspiration can come from anywhere, at any time, and disappear in a blink of an eye. Be prepared! Or else you will waste a lot of time sitting at your desk with your fingers already placing over the keyboard, trying to recall “Hm, what was the great idea I had in mind this morning?”.
Schedule your Day
Most WordPress bloggers work from home, where distractions are quite, if not always, common. Therefore, having a schedule around stops you from being distracted! My tip? Make a timetable of your daily routine and have it displayed right on your working desk, in front of your eyes! It’s up to you to decide which kind of schedule, fixed or flexible, would fit you, but here are some clues:
- A fixed schedule makes sure every task is finished at exactly the time you set out. However, it may also drain you, since there are certainly days you are not as productive as on other days.
- A flexible schedule helps you balance between physical ability and work, but you might fail to complete your tasks on time!
Respect the Deadlines
As said above, distractions are evil and may hold you back on your way to the finish line, but remember: Don’t let them win!
This is why you need deadlines, and why you must stick to them. So, give a time limit to every task, and do the best you can to comply with it no matter what. This also helps practice your endurance! For example? Let’s say you have set a deadline on Monday, it’s Saturday and you suddenly remember about an all-day date on Sunday with your girl What will you do? Extend the deadline to Tuesday? It would affect other tasks! What a responsible WordPress blogger (and boyfriend) would do is to, by all means, complete the task on Saturday!
Respect the deadlines!
Stick to the One-by-one Rule
Many people wrongly think multitasking saves time. The truth is the other way round! Why? Doing more than one task at a time requires you to split your concentration, your energy and eventually, running the risk of stressing you out to the point nothing is done. If that is the case, you will need another day for a task that you set out to complete the previous day or days ago. That is not to say multi-tasking usually results in bad-quality products.
Do your tasks one by one. Use 100% of your effort, energy and focus on one task, what you get will certainly be worth it!
Don’t Waste Time on Petty Tasks
Distractions can come from anywhere, and petty tasks could present a great source! Imagine you’re working when your phone suddenly notifies you that an email has just arrived, or someone has just commented on your Facebook post. Chances are that you will pause your work to check and answer. Don’t you!
The thing is your concentration and productivity reaches its peak only in a certain length of time each day (usually in the morning), so don’t waste them on those petty trivial tasks that you always have time for later!
Take Breaks
Some people prefer to work without breaks because they believe it “saves time”, which is so wrong! Your brain is made of cells, not robot parts. It needs time to restructure and refresh itself. Working for long hours only reduces its productivity and hence, your working quality. If your work is under-qualified, isn’t it you who have to spend time redoing it?
Therefore, take breaks at regular intervals for 15-30 minutes after (and only after) you complete one task, then move to the next one.
Remove Distractions
I have repeated the word “distractions” several times in this thread, only to stress the trouble it would cause if it had a chance to! That is why removing distractions is extremely important in the series of time management skills. So, when writing, don’t hesitate to put your phone on silent mode, turn off the TV, put aside all the social media, etc. Make sure they can’t disturb you!
Reflect Your Day
Take 5 minutes at the beginning and end of each day to reflect how your efforts go through the day. Before getting down to work, ask yourself what your goals and tasks for the day are. Then, set your phone at each break to check whether you are being productive and sticking to the schedule. Similarly, when you finally call it a day, check again to see if you have accomplished all the goals and tasks you set out earlier!
In Conclusion
You see, managing time is not that hard as long as you know the rules! Master these 10 time management skills for WordPress bloggers, and I bet your efforts will pay off!