5 Rituals For Bloggers
Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess
We always write about, “how to be more productive,” “how to write more blog posts in a shorter amount of time (hint, an editorial calendar)” or “where to find blogging ideas.” There are times when you simply need to get up, get away from the computer and take care of yourself and other tasks that aren’t blogging related. Gasp!? I know!
Here are five rituals for bloggers that just might make you happier, healthier and more productive:
- Take a day a week to reflect and plan for the week ahead. Whether you plan your week on a Sunday, a Tuesday or a Friday, it’s the planning that is a crucial ritual for bloggers to undertake. Look at your editorial calendar. Make note of any meetings, whether face-to-face or by phone that you need to accomplish. Write down all of the upcoming weekly tasks; this is a great way to let you see what you have ahead of you, notice whether you’re missing anything, and to also help you make certain you are chipping away at your blogging goals.
- Spend one day a week clearing our your virtual and physical clutter. Empty the email in box. Clear off the top of your desk. File your paperwork. Toss if if you don’t need it. Act on it. Rule of thumb is to only touch an item one time — whether virtual or physical — once you touch it you should act on it, file it or trash it.
- Get out of the house. Have dinner with a friend. Reconnect with a family member. Attend a networking event. Go to a blogging conference. Attend a trade show. Sit in a coffee shop with your laptop or a notebook and get some work done. Resist the urge to hop on wifi when you’re at a coffee shop and concentrate on tasks that you can complete without the aid aka distraction of the internet. The idea of this is to get out of the house and get refreshed – this is crucial for those of us who work from home. Without exposing yourself to new people and ideas you will become stagnant and your writing will suffer.
- Be healthy! Take a walk. Eat a salad. Incorporate fewer processed foods into your meal planning and more fresh fruits and
veggies. Taking care of your physical self is critical to your life in general and your mental health as well. If you are a writer (like I am) it’s easy to get up in the morning, plop myself down in front of my computer and then realize that the day has passed and I haven’t gotten my 10,000 steps in. Lose your sedentary ways — your dog will thank you for it! - Take a day and just unplug. Tell your Facebook friends that you are going offline for 24 hours. Do you really need to see what someone had eaten for breakfast or read about the fight a friend is having with a co-worker? Chances are, the answer is no. Going on a 24-hour fast from your electronic devices and your social media pages will be difficult at first — believe me, I know. It took me a few weeks before I could truly unplug and realize that even if I signed off for 24 hours, the world would still keep spinning! I do come back from my 24-hour self-imposed exile feeling refreshed, relaxed and ready to take on the new day!
What rituals can you incorporate into your daily and weekly blogging routines that could make you more productive, healthier and happier? I’d love to hear them!
(Photo Shutterstock Dog relaxing on massage table)
(Photo Shutterstock Kitty on pillow)
