When it comes to blogging, I live and die by my content calendar. It is the place where ideas become posts and the one thing I use the most when it comes to anything blogging related. Finding a content calendar that works took a lot of trial and error, but these are my secrets to help you get a great calendar to plan your content.
Find the Best View
Regardless of if you use a physical calendar or a digital one, decide how you want to view it. For my content calendar, I prefer looking at a full month when planning my content. That way I can see what the whole month looks like, and plan content well in advance so I’m not scrambling to generate a post last second. Others prefer looking at 1 week or 2 at a time, it’s all a personal preference. The sooner you find your view, though, the better off you’ll be.
Color is Your Friend
Color coding is a magical method. Since I have multiple projects I work on consistently, color coding makes it so easy to see what is for what. I have the designated colors for the different categories I write about which is great for diversifying your content. And when something has been completed and set to publish, I change it to a gray color so it no longer stands out as bright as the need-to-do content. An example is below.
Keep It Separate
I can’t imagine using only one planner for everything, and I mean everything. I technically have 2 calendars I use with their individual purposes. When you keep your content calendar separate, it will be easier to keep organized and straightforward.
Do What Works For You
At the end of the day, if you have what works for you and you’re comfortable and productive with, then congrats you have what you need. People, particularly other bloggers, will continue to come up with solutions to hypothetical problems for content calendars, try to sell you their product, and it may not be worthwhile for you after all. My calendar is through Google Calendar, which is free with a Google Account, and I’ve never had issues with my method. When you find what works, stick to it. And if it’s not working, try again.
What are your tips and tricks for a great content calendar? Share below in a comment!
For Geek Gals, I use the project management tool Asana to plan out our content! It’s not really meant for this but the calendar feature is excellent. They have a free version if you ever want to try it out. Aside from Asana, my team and I pitch ideas for articles on Google Spreadsheets. 🙂
When I go back for my final year at uni in a couple of weeks, I think I’ll need to organise a calendar. That way I can plan out content better and not stress out trying to find time to write.
Good plan! My content calendar system really solidified while in school because I had to find balance between writing, working, and classes.