Organization Matters – How to Organize Your Content for Productivity and Efficiency

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You may not realize it, but how you organize your content creation process makes a huge difference in your productivity. A simple example of this is the person who sits down in the morning to write the day’s blog post. They have no idea what they’re going to write about, what the goal is, and where they’re going to get their information. The blog post takes much longer than it should to write.

Conversely, the business owner who has an editorial calendar that includes the topic idea, a brief outline, monetization strategy, goals, and a publication date will likely be much more productive.  Organize your systems well enough and you can still procrastinate on your content, write it the day it’s due, and still only spend a few minutes on the task.

 

#1 Editorial Calendar

calendarA simple editorial calendar is a list of the dates you want to publish each piece of content. You can create an editorial calendar for the week, month, quarter, or even an annual calendar. You can create it on a simple calendar tool like Microsoft Outlook or Excel or you can use project management software like Basecamp to establish deadlines. And if you enjoy pen and paper, then grab a printable calendar.

You can take the basic editorial calendar and make it more useful by adding the following information.

  • Article Topic
  • Key Points/Outline
  • Data/Information Resources
  • Monetization strategy
  • Goals for content
  • Call to action
  • Embedded links
  • Template/format

The more you can predetermine about your content, the easier it will be to write it. When you have the topic, structure, research and goals identified, it can literally take you just a few minutes to create your content.

Let’s talk a minute about monetization. Each piece of content that you publish whether it’s PLR, Video, or content you’ve written should have a goal. What do you want it to achieve? What do you want readers to do?

In many cases, you simply want people to read the content and click on a link to make a purchase or earn you a commission. You want to monetize the content. There are many different ways to monetize your content. Plan ahead and you can craft your content to fit your chosen monetization tactic.

  • Ad Placement – You can use various plugins or widgets to integrate advertisements right into the body of your content. For example, EmbedAds, http://wordpress.org/plugins/embad/, is a WordPress plugin that gives you control over where and when your ads are displayed.
  • Promotional Offers – Does your content lead into a click to a sales page or a promotional offer? You can include that offer right in the closing of your content or create your own promotional advertisements or messages and embed them with a widget or plugin.
  • Subscription – Do you have a membership site? If so, you can motivate subscriptions by providing a teaser or a portion of an article and making the rest of the content available with a paid subscription.
  • AdSense – Google’s advertising plan for publishers, https://www.google.com/adsense/, is still alive and strong as a monetization model for many online businesses.
  • WordPress Plugins – There are also plugins you can install on your WordPress site that identify keywords and attach relevant links to those keywords. Skimlinks, http://wordpress.org/plugins/skimlinks/, and Amazon Auto Links are two examples of this type of monetization plugin.

Not all content needs to be monetized. However, it is an important consideration when you’re planning your content, choosing your topics, and establishing goals.

 

#2 Note Taking Systems

9-research-toolsTools like Evernote and OneNote have already been discussed. These tools allow you to

  • Save your ideas – for example a brilliant content idea that came to you during your morning walk
  • They can be accessed anywhere – Evernote and Onenote both have mobile applications that link to your account. No matter what device you’re using to take notes and capture ideas, you can access them from one single account.
  • Search by Keyword – Note taking tools make it easy to find things fast. You can search by keyword, tag or even printed and handwritten text inside images. No more shuffling through papers on your desk to find your lists and ideas.

Note taking applications aren’t for everyone. If you find yourself using pen and paper more often than a device, that’s fine. The important step here is to create a system that works for you. Some people find a three ring binder is the perfect system to take and organize their notes.

 

#3 Project Management

11-project-managementIf you utilize contractors, for example ghostwriters, editors, graphic designers or virtual assistants, then a project management system will be valuable for you on many levels. There are both free and paid Project management tools.

For example, Google Drive can be used as a project management tool. It has a calendar and document system that you can share with specific people – even if they don’t have a google account or Gmail address.

There are also WordPress plugins for project management. For example, WP Project Manager, http://wordpress.org/plugins/wedevs-project-manager/, lets you assign projects, create lists and milestones and upload files.

Basecamp is an online project management and collaboration tool, http://basecamp.com/. If you’re looking for a tool to help combine communication and project management with your contractors and you want to organize your content, a project management software or service can be a big help. You can use the milestone feature to schedule content creation and publication. You can upload relevant documents, for example, your outline and monetization tactic, for each piece of content. And you can use the system to document your results as well.

Create an organization system that supports your personal work style. You may enjoy organizing everything digitally or you may have a file cabinet that Martha Stewart would be proud of. A system must support you to follow through and actually use it.  And that brings us to the last step in the content process – publishing.

Publishing Your Content – What is the Last Step?

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Once you’ve gone through the work of creating your content, the next step is to make it available to your audience. It’s time to publish. In general, the publication process doesn’t take too long. However, there are a few time-saving tips you can embrace here as well. Heck, every minute you save is a minute you can spend doing something else for your business or for yourself.

 

#1 Use a Plugin

There are WordPress Plugins that take the work out of uploading and publishing content. Some work like a content management system and create custom field types. Your content is automatically optimized and organized on your site by type. Ultimate CMS, http://wordpress.org/plugins/ultimate-cms/ is one example of a content management plugin as is My Content Management, http://wordpress.org/plugins/my-content-management/.

SEO plugins help you optimize the content for search engines. All in One SEO, http://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/ is a popular WordPress plugin.

Additionally, there are plugins like APLC Speedy Publisher, http://contentrix.com/aplc-speedy-publisher/254 that make it possible to upload several articles or posts at once.

Plugins can make the data entry aspect of content publishing much more efficient.

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#2 Pre-Schedule

WordPress allows website owners to pre-schedule their content. This means you can upload a month’s worth of content in one sitting and be done with it. Of course, this means that you need to have a content plan and have written your content in advance. It may take a little time to adopt this type of content writing and publishing system. However, once you make it part of your routine you’ll realize how much time you can save. The next challenge will be to decide what you’re going to do with all that free time.

#3 Outsource It

Once the content is created, you can outsource the publishing to someone else. In fact, if you have a skilled virtual assistant, you might hire them to edit, format, and publish your content. This gives you the free time you need to brainstorm, plan, create and enjoy the profits.

Ideally, publishing your content will be the step you spend the least amount of time on. Explore the technology available to reduce your time and effort.

So, What’s The Last Step?

The last step of the content process is to test and track your results. Not only do you want to create systems and use analytics to track the success of each piece of content, you also want to test and track your content process.

Track the time it takes you to brainstorm, write, research, and publish. Look for ways you can optimize your new systems to save even more time. Remember, each hour you cut can be an hour spent making money or pursuing other interests.

Content is so important to a business, but publishing it shouldn’t be a chore. With a little planning and using techniques and tools that support you and your business you can make quick work of writing and publishing your content.

Bogged Down By Content Research? 6 Tips to Make the Process Fast and Painless

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Let’s be blunt here for a second. You can waste tons of time researching your content. In fact, it’s not uncommon for someone to spend twice as much time researching for their content than writing it. That’s precious time. Time you could be spending doing something much more fun and interesting.

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#1 Write First, Research Later

One common suggestion is to write your content first. Write what you know and say what you want to say. As you’re writing your content, whenever you come to a point where you want to insert a statistic or share data, highlight it. Continue writing.

Once you’ve finished the piece, then hit the search engines and find those key data points you want to share. This helps you save time because instead of looking for random information, you know exactly what information you need to search for. You’ll spend a few minutes researching instead of a few hours.

 

#2 Find and Bookmark Key Resources

Depending on your niche, there are likely a few reputable resources you can turn to. For example, if you’re in the nutrition industry, then you might turn to Harvard’s Health Letter for information. If you’re in the dog niche, then perhaps you turn to the American Veterinary Association or Cesar Millan. Identify your key sources and bookmark them. This makes it very easy for you to locate information from trusted resources.

 

#3 Use a Search Friendly Browser

Some web browsing tools are easier to use than others. When you’re researching online try a few tools. For example, if you often use Chrome, then try Bing or Firefox. Use a browser that allows you to open multiple tabs. This makes it easy to find, and keep, the information you need.

 

#4 Note Taking Software and Applications

9-research-toolsDo you have a system for organizing your research? Consider using a tool like EverNote, https://evernote.com/ , or Microsoft’s One Note, http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/. These tools make note taking and research easy. You can also use them in combination with your topic brainstorming sessions.

For example, as you’re making your list of content topics for the month, you can also identify key sites for information and even outline your content in the note taking application. Technology can make the content creation process streamlined and efficient.

 

#5 Source Your Information

Always give credit where credit is due. For example, as you’re writing your article on puppy care, if you use data from the American Veterinary Association, then source it and let your readers know where you found your information.

As you’re researching for your content, take notes on the relevant and useful information and don’t forget to note where you found the information. Then, you can be sure you’re linking to the appropriate website or person and it makes it easier to go back to verify the information.

Research doesn’t have to take long. In fact, ideally it should only take a minute or two per content piece. Organize your favorite sites, document your sources, and research only the information you know you need to save the most time. Speaking of organization, your systems are an important element of success.

How to Write Quickly – Get Your Thoughts and Ideas onto the Page and Published In Less Time

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How long does it take you to write a blog post or article? For many business owners, the answer is an hour or more. Yet an experienced writer can write three quality blog posts in the same amount of time. It’s not because they’re better writers. Rather, it’s because they have embraced writing systems and practices that support productivity.

As you read through the following ideas, know that not all of them will work for you. However, if you’re able to embrace just a few of them, you’ll cut your writing time down significantly.

 

#1 Work in Batches

blogJoe is a business owner and writes all his own content. On a productive day, Joe can write four or five blog posts in an hour. The trick that works for him is to focus on writing his content in batches.

For example, he might spend an hour writing reviews. Later, when he sits back down to his writing desk he might focus on writing a handful of tips articles.

There are many reasons why this system works. One of the primary reasons is that the batch approach doesn’t require Joe to shift focus. In his case, each article in a batch has the same basic format. He can approach them almost as if he’s writing from a template.

Batching content by format isn’t the only approach you can take. You can batch by topic or subject matter as well. For example, someone in a coaching niche might focus on writing motivation content for the first hour. When they return to their computer they might shift gears and focus on writing a few how to stay confident articles.

 

#2 Set a Time Limit and Goal

timerAnother common practice is to set a time limit for your writing session. Give yourself an hour to write and set a goal. For example, if you’re writing a report, then maybe you want to have three pages completed by the end of your hour.

Once the hour is up, get up and take a break. Nothing slows down the writing process faster than forcing yourself to sit at your desk and write until you’re bleary eyed and exhausted.

If an hour seems like too long, set a timer for twenty or thirty minutes. Experiment and find a length and goal that works for you.

 

#3 Outline First

5-outlineYou can make writing a speedier process by outlining the content first. You don’t have to get too detailed with your outline, unless you want to. What’s most important is to identify the key points you want to make in your piece. That generally includes your subtitles and bullet points.

An outline helps you stay focused on what you want to say. You may likely find that you don’t pause to determine what you want to say next because it’s already outlined. You can flow from one point to the next without stopping.

 

#4 Templates

If you tend to write similarly formatted content, consider creating templates. For example, a review article or blog post will likely have a recognizable structure. You can visit the reviews you’ve already written and published and use them to create a template for future reviews.

The same is true for how to articles, tips articles, and lists and so on. A template approach means you simply have to fill in the blanks and can really speed up the writing process.

 

#5 Eliminate Distractions

social media 2It’s tempting to sit down in front of the television at night and work on tomorrow’s blog post. However, it’ll take you five times longer to write that blog post than if you wrote it without distractions.

You see, contrary to what many people have been taught, multitasking really isn’t possible. Each time you pull your eyes away from the television to write, you have to shift focus. It may take an entire hour to write an article if you’re distracted. Sit down in a quiet place and it may take you a mere ten to fifteen minutes.

Distractions aren’t always on television. Consider the following and ask yourself if they’re distractions for you:

  • Email
  • Social media
  • Music
  • Phone
  • Family members
  • Chores

You may find that the longer you sit at the desk trying to write, the easier it is to be distracted. The next tip may be a perfect solution for you.

 

#6 Write When You Can Focus

6-focusAre you a night owl? A morning person? Chances are there is a time of day that you feel more focused and productive. And there’s a time of day when all you want to do is take a nap.

The ideal time to write is when you feel focused. That might be first thing in the morning if that’s when you’re most alert. Get to know your personal productivity patterns and schedule writing time when you’re more likely to be successful.

 

#7 Be Opportunistic

Are you having a creative day? Are you feeling inspired or motivated to write? Seize those moments and capitalize on them. Those are the days when content will flow freely and you’ll be able to write quickly.

Even if you don’t “need” to write, allow yourself the opportunity to get ahead on your content. Or create something extra. Additionally, if you find you have free time during your week, and you’re feeling productive, use it to create content. Be opportunistic.

 

#8 Write Now, Edit Later

7-opportunityDo you find yourself rewriting the same sentence several times because you’re trying to make it grammatically correct? Do you use spellcheck more often than the “enter” key on your keyboard? If this sounds like you then you may benefit from trying this tactic.

Write your entire piece of content without editing anything. Let all those red lines under misspelled words sit there without being corrected. Don’t run to your thesaurus or your Chicago Manual of Style. Just write.

Once the content is completed, then go ahead and start the editing process. Use your spellcheck. Fix awkward sentences and format the content the way you want to.

The reason this approach works is simple. Each time you halt the writing process and edit, you’re stopping the thought flow. When it’s time to return to the writing process and putting words on paper, you have to shift gears again. It may not seem like the shift in focus is significant, however it does slow you down.

Give it a try. You may be surprised by how quickly you are able to write content when you don’t stop to edit. In fact, you may need to experiment with several of these tactics to find the strategies that work best for you. For example, you may find that outlining your content actually slows down your writing process because you feel too restricted. Conversely, you may also find that working in batches cuts your writing time in half.

Because content often needs to help establish credibility and authority, it’s important to take a look at the content research process. This is where many people lose precious time.