From the anchor post, you can gather that I section my day into timed “blocks” of focus and then transition into the next.I have a specific chunk of time set aside every day for my “Blogging Block” which is what I’m doing now. Are you struggling to get organized as a mom blogger? Are you looking for a system, physical tracker and daily, visual reminder for where you should be focusing on your blog? I might have just what you’re looking for!

You don’t have to schedule your day in blocks to benefit from my post… don’t worry.

For this post, I’m going to walk you through the Blogging Block and Wall Organizer Content Flow Chart that lives next to The Block Wall so that you can set up your own system at home.

I realize not all of my blog readers are also blog writers; you’re just here for the uber fun Toddler School stuff! I get it.

But there are some ladies out there whom I’ve met along my blogging adventures that perhaps want to begin blogging or improve their blogging strategies.
*Notice I don’t say ‘skills’ because low and behold, I am nowhere near any sort of expert at blogging…

I actually write 2 blogs. The first is for my #momlife, A Cotton Kandi Life, originally about me {Kandice} and all of my cotton {yarn/crochet} which morphed into the blissful lifestyle and toddler school blog you’re reading now. The other is a blog for my professional life which is Wedding & Event Coordination for my own company, Green-Eyed Girl Productions. This blog actually existed first!

I publish my mom blog newsletter on Thursdays. I actually publish TWO newsletters for the wedding blog as there are two separate subscriber lists… One is a list exclusively for the brides/clients I’m working with on their weddings, the other is for blog followers and the general public. On Wednesdays, I publish a newsletter that shares my brides’ homework and planning assignments for the week, and then on Fridays, I publish the public newsletter which is just about inspirations, DIY, real weddings, etc.

I tell you because when I walk you through my wall organizer Content Flow Chart you’ll know what the heck I’m talking about…

Let’s get to it!

My Blocks are all posted up on my wall in my office and then I have built each Block into my daily schedule. The Blogging Block happens every single day… ugh …right?

Well, the good news is that every day I’m doing something different.

I actually run everything through a 3-week cycle {FUN! Who doesn’t love cycles?}

Let me introduce you to my Wall Organizer Flow Chart for content. Really, this Organizer sets me up for newsletter success.

How to build your own Chart

Where to start:

I started by asking myself what I wanted readers to see each week. Or, what do I think THEY want to see from me. How should my newsletter look on a weekly basis to give readers a well-rounded perspective, and yet coming back for more?

Bonus of these questions: I learned where I needed to focus my writing and dedicate content!

I use the Mail Chimp newsletter system which I like. My newsletter layout is a 3 column with a 4th bottom box. {you can check out past issues here} So essentially I have 4 spaces of content to fill in the newsletter every week, {like a kid writing the school paper} on 3 newsletters, which equals 12 new posts per week.

Hold your horses, no trophies yet folks… that doesn’t actually happen every week, LIFE is what happens, and I don’t stress out over my content or cranking out 12 posts. They have to actually be GOOD or people won’t keep reading them.

Some weeks I only get 2 posts per newsletter, or I fill in with a guest post, or an Etsy Treasury.

Another factor in my limiting blog posts per week is sometimes I produce a LONG post, or unit that I really want folks to pay attention to. So, I’m not going to bother writing 3 other posts to split their attention.

I think you get my point.

My Wall Chart Flow Chart is built with the utmost production in mind. Because, as we know {like around Christmas} there is a LOT of quality stuff to blog about!

I prepare for the most overwhelming content amount possible and then pleasantly underachieve it if I want to. {I’m an over-preparer}

Bottom Line:

1. List out your main TOPICS and sort them into your Newsletter.
2. Work backwards from your publish date to build your schedule.
3. Remember days to take, edit and meme pictures!

{some days I spend my ENTIRE Blogging Block editing/re-sizing pictures!}

Construction:

Looking at my chart you’ll see a lot of colors. Yours probably doesn’t need to look like this exactly. I publish the 3 newsletters {mentioned, and you’re sick of hearing about them} so to keep their content tasks separated and accounted for on a weekly basis I color code them {of course I do} on my chart. If you’re struggling to juggle several blogs and content production, perhaps this is the perfect tool for you!

• The Thursday Newsletter for A Cotton Kandi Life is color coded Pink throughout the chart.
• I write about a LOT of things, so my readers get 8 different topics over 2 weeks {ideally, but not always, like when I’m doing a unit}
• The Wednesday Newsletter {to all my brides} is color coded Green which their progressive Project Block Assignment, Homework and other goodies.
• The Friday Newsletter for my public wedding blog readers, about Inspired Coordination is color coded Grey.

{First Round Newsletter posts are A’s: darker color, Second Round Newsletter posts are B’s: Lighter color.}

I just printed all of the tasks necessary to finish a post. I labeled each content piece A, B, C, D

The Newsletter it is associated with are marked with initials Sweet Subscribers {SS}, Wedding Wednesday {WW} and Inspired Coordination {IC}

My bottom three charts are all I ever write on. Whichever topic is written in here carries throughout the Flow Chart above by number and letter. I get the Post title from my Content list that I FILTER in…

Content Filter:

To the right, I have a dry-erase frame where I just jot down post ideas as they come to me. I can then LOOK at what I want to do and eventually flow it into a newsletter.

I build my Newsletters so that they are all coordinated, so this Post Idea Board is a great place to see themes emerge. Sometimes I look and say, “Hey! There’s a Unit hiding in there!” Then I can build it up.

Finally, I remind myself of all the prominent hashtags I use on social media. This is a way to keep me on track for what I’m “known for” which is narrowing down more and more as I slowly figure this whole #momblogger thing out! {see what I did there…}

 Structure:

I like the structure of a calendar to keep me on track. As we all know, especially when we’re blogging between nap times, you can sometimes sit down at your computer {finally} and forget what you’re supposed to be doing.

My blogging block happens somewhere, sometimes multiple times throughout the day, so when this fleeting window finally hits me in my schedule, I can’t afford to fall into a Facebook free-for-all or Blogger Black-out {where you spend your entire nap time reading OTHER blogs about how to make time for blogging… caught-chya!}

When I sit down for my exact 20 minute Blogging Block which happens at 6:45am on Thursday I know I’m writing SS2A and SS3A, no matter what! No distractions. Pure focus, and goal driven.

Be sure to assign your dates and times for tasks that make sense for you too to avoid burn out. For example I do my best writing in the morning, so I put my writing tasks on Thursdays because I know the boys sleep in those days.

My Fridays are BIG Blogging days because dad is home to take the boys all day.

I put all of my 4 Posts {4A & 4B} writing tasks on weekends because, hey? If they never happen, that’s okay, smaller newsletter!

Don’t do too much, but if you want to do a lot build it in to your system. It is MUCH easier to not do something than to magically find room in your week for a 4th post!

Good luck Mommy Bloggers! Go forth and tip-toe to your keyboards during nap time! This post is part of a Blog Hop for Mommy Bloggers about managing #momlife as a #momblogger from other awesome #mombloggers in our group Blogs & Business. See who else is participating, they’ve got great advice to share:

The Art of Better | Being Mrs. Beer | Women Winning Online | Mommy My Way | xo -Ava | Kori at Home |Ma Bell Vie | Stellar Mama The Jessie K | Make & Do Crew | This Kenyan Traveler | Blue Eyed Babies |HebrewDawn | Leah With Love | Fighting for Fitness | Tot Tot Goose | Nuture Her Nature | Blogihealth | A Cotton Kandi Life | The Bipolar Mama | Simple Acres | Dawn P Darnell | A Kreative Whim | Scarlett Ballantyne | My Unfiltered Chaos | The Big Red Patch House | The Mother Blog | Diary of a New Mommy