This post is based on Episode 249 of the ProBlogger podcast.
This week’s post is all about schedules and deadlines. Are they a good thing or can they hold you back?
We’ve talked a lot over the years about deadlines and schedules, and how they can help you post content regularly. Not only can they help you write content, but they can also let your readers know when to expect new content on your blog.
But what if your schedule is more of a hindrance than a help? What if the pressure of constant deadlines is negatively affecting your blogging?
There are no rules about how often you should post new content on your blog. But as someone who’s been blogging for a long time, I thought I’d share what I’ve learned over the years.
Choose quality over quantity
First of all I want to say that quality is more important than quantity. Your regular readers won’t share your posts if they aren’t good. Pumping out content before it’s just ready to meet your deadline can hurt the potential growth of your blog (not to mention your brand).
However, the amount still matters, especially if you’re looking to monetize your blog. As I’ve said many times before, every piece of content you post is a door on your blog. The more content you produce, the more doors you have. And each door is a potential source of traffic from search engines, social media, and links from other blogs. You can still get traffic without having a lot of content, but you cut your chances considerably.
Which can be a problem when you equate “quality” with “perfectionism”.
“Quality” does not mean “perfect”
I remember talking to a blogger who felt that everything he wanted to say on his blog had already been said by him or someone else. And so they began to rethink everything they had written. “Is it good enough? Will it stand out from what other people say? Will it be different from what I said earlier? “
To the point where they weren’t producing any Content.
As you can imagine, this has reduced the chances of their posts being found by search engines, social media shares, links from other blogs, etc.
Which is not a good strategy in terms of building traffic.
Yes, quality surpasses quantity. But if you don’t produce any Then really limit yourself to content, especially if you are using a monetization model that is heavily traffic-dependent like AdSense.
Schedules and deadlines
So it seems that schedules and deadlines can be helpful (by pushing you to post regularly) and hindering (by pushing you to post content before it’s done). But if you don’t have it, it can also help (by giving you time to create quality content) and hindering (by getting away with not posting anything).
So which one is it? Should you use it or not?
It depends on who you are and what stage you are at with your blogging.
Some people find deadlines incredibly motivating. A friend of mine is a journalist and she admits that without her editor’s deadlines, she would not have won some of the awards she received for her work.
Her editor gave her a really tough deadline for a piece and made it clear that there would be consequences if she didn’t stick to it. This upcoming deadline gave her an adrenaline rush and panic that sparked her creative engine. And the piece she wrote won a national award.
As much as she dislikes appointments, she knows they are good for her and help her produce her best work. As Thomas Carlyle would say, “No pressure, no diamonds.”
However, deadlines do not affect everyone. For some people, it just clouds their minds and stifles their creativity. Here’s what George RR Martin, who wrote Game of Thrones, said about the deadlines:
“I’ve never been good with deadlines. I wrote my early novels myself. Nobody knew I was writing a novel; I didn’t even have a contract. “
Having no deadline gave him a sense of freedom wherever he could create. That probably explains why he struggled to write the latest Game of Thrones volume when he did did have a deadline.
In extreme cases, deadlines can panic a person so much that they are effectively paralyzed.
If this sounds like you, creating an editorial calendar might not be a good idea.
How do you feel about schedules and deadlines? Do they keep you moving or do they send you on a tailspin?
A double-edged sword
Or maybe you are like me and many other people who, depending on the situation, find them both a help and an obstacle.
There were certainly times when deadlines were my friend. Without my editorial calendar and the deadlines it contains, there is no doubt that I would not have produced nearly as much content as I have published over the years.
But there were also times when an impending deadline caused far more panic than the situation justified. I started focusing on the deadline instead of the work, creating content that I wasn’t happy with.
I still think it’s a good idea to have a schedule, whether it’s a full editorial calendar or whether you just promise yourself to write something every week. However, don’t use one if it makes you feel uncomfortable.
It’s a schedule, not a contract
If you to do Decide to create a schedule. Remember, this is not a legal contract that will throw you into jail if you miss a week. If you need more time to work on your post, there’s nothing wrong with posting it a little later than planned. If you’re afraid of having to post every week, try going back to once every two weeks.
And if you need a break, that’s fine too.
At ProBlogger, we’ve changed our release schedule a lot over the years. And we announced some of these changes to our audience, but not all.
As I said before, there are no rules about how often you should post new content on your blog. This is a great way to create a schedule that suits you, your blog, and your life. Don’t feel compelled to post something every week just because other people are. They do not know what their circumstances are. A team of ghostwriters may be working for them. Just find a balance between quality and quantity that suits you and your lifestyle.
Another way to look at deadlines
If the mere thought of creating a schedule makes you nervous, think of deadlines as goals instead. This can help you stay on track without feeling pressured. I want to publish a new post every week. But if I don’t, it won’t be the end of the world.
And no one else needs to know what your goals are. If you plan to post once a week but it takes more than a week to complete each post, you are the only person who knows about the discrepancy. Everyone else will just think that you are writing on a 14-day schedule.
What is your current position on schedules and deadlines?
Are you currently using a schedule to create appointments for yourself? Are you going to start doing things differently after reading this post? Let us know in the comments.
Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash