New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop - Blog Calendar

A couple of years ago, I participated in the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop and I have to say it was a great experience.  I learned a ton and I definitely saw my blog grow after the experience.

Now a new group of bloggers are participating in 2016 and they are being led by 3 great bloggers.    

Yvonne at QuiltingJetgirl 

Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs

 Stephanie at Late Night Quilter

 

To show my appreciation for all those who shared with me, I thought I would pay it forward by sharing how I keep organized and on top of my game when it comes to my blog.  It is quite simple - I have a blog calendar and I use it religiously to ensure I am on track.

One of the most important things to do when you want to grow your readers is to get it out in front of a lot of people.  That means linking up with other bloggers. There is a pattern to link ups, which I have tried to illustrate above.  Sundays you can share your new stash, Mondays are for design walls, mid-week provides lots of opportunity for work in process posts and Fridays are for finishes.  Places to link up your scrappy projects bookend the week quite nicely.  There are even places to link up tutorials and tips on Tuesday and you can share your free motion quilting skills on Thursday.  Why do you want to know all this?  Because you want to plan your posts to coincide with all these great parties.

I plan my blog posts about a month ahead of time.  I organize my finishes for Friday and my Scraps for Sunday and then try to post at least one more time mid week.  I use a simple calendar I can print off on my printer and then manually write what I plan to accomplish (in pencil so I can stay flexible).  I then use this schedule to make sure I have projects completed and photos taken before I sit down to write the post.

In the past, I was always rushing to get a post written, the last to link up just before it closed and probably writing some not very good content.  Sadly, I was missing exposure to a large audience before I got in the habit of using my calendar to my advantage.

I now have a plan that helps me stay on top of things.  I even have a coding system that helps me know which posts still need work.  If I have everything together and photographed for a post, it gets a pink check.  I can also write in those monthly links I don't want to forget about and any other notes I want to remember.  By the end of the month, my calendars are pretty messy.

So there you have it...this calendar is one of my secrets to getting so much done.  

It may not be for everyone but it has sure helped me.

To visit all the new quilt bloggers participating in this years blog hop, simply visit the three hop hosts (found at the top of the post) and they each have a list of the bloggers they are leading.  During the event, there will be guest bloggers sharing tips and a few giveaways for even more excitement.  It is a great place to find new friends and learn some new tricks.

You can find many of the great blogs I regularly link to on my right hand column.  (By the way....Don't forget to share your scrap projects here on Sunday!)  If you know of a great place that isn't listed, feel free to mention them in a comment.