Why every blogger needs a blog calendar
I started my blog with a rough chapter outline, a short list of recipes for each chapter, and the determination that this project, as big as it was, should be fun.
Being strongly determined to have fun might sound weird, but I know myself and I am a perfectionist. I can easily start obsessing about things which started out as “fun little projects,” and before I know, they’re not fun anymore. They’re like a second job.
I was not going to let that happen with this blog.
So I decided not to create a schedule for my blog posting, as many bloggers do. A schedule could easily become restrictive and compulsory. Instead, I would decide what and where to post purely on instinct. I had a running list of recipes. When I wanted to post, I would choose a recipe that sounded good to me at the moment and run with it.
This seemed to be working out great—until Labor Day hit.
The day after, staring at rough drafts of untested picnic salad recipes, I knew I had made a mistake. Summer was over. No one was in the mood to make a fresh corn and lima bean succotash salad anymore. People wanted to get excited about roasted beets and toasted pecan shortbread and roasted beets. I had missed the opportunity to post tons of seasonal summer dishes. Why? Because I wasn’t organized. Because I didn’t have a schedule.
My reasons for not making a schedule when I started the project were absolutely valid. But that Tuesday after Labor Day, I realized that there were many other—just as valid—reasons for creating a blog schedule, reasons I had not even considered—until then. Here are three of the most important!
1. Stay in Tune with the Seasons.
Food is seasonal. Our cravings shift with the temperature and the availability of fresh produce. Following this line of thought, you would think that your own cravings for seasonal food would naturally translate to what you post. But without intentional planning, it’s easy to miss the window of time when certain recipes are relevant. Also, the process of creating and testing recipes, writing an accompanying post, and shooting photographs takes time. When working in the blog world, it’s often not good enough to just respond to the current season. A schedule helps you anticipate the seasonal changes so you can post recipes that are of the moment- when that moment’s happening.
2. Ensure Variety.
You would also think that the natural instinct for balance in diet would cause you to vary the types of recipes you post. But you’re not posting everything you eat, so that’s not necessarily the case. Looking back over my summer posts, I noticed a string of consecutive dinner tonight recipes, two of which had Cajun roots. All wonderful recipes, but one right after another? Anyone following a blog wants to see a variety of recipes featured, not just one type. A schedule allows you to see the bigger picture before you dive in, so you can make sure that you’re constantly mixing it up.
3. Stay on Track.
Serious bloggers post two or three times a week. While this is a ridiculously high rate for an amateur like me, I still think it’s important to post regularly. A calendar where you have scheduled a certain number of posts for each month guarantees that your rate for posting stays semi-consistent . . . or at the very least it lets you know when you are slacking off and need to get back to the keyboard!
I did it. I got out my notebook, divided all my recipes by season, and slotted them into months. In the name of keeping it fun, I’m not going to force myself to stick to the schedule one hundred percent—I already have one job and I don’t need another!—but the calendar does give me a guide and a gentle nudge to stay on track.
It’s also what reminded me that I wanted to write this post.
It’s already doing its job.
Originally posted October 7, 2019.
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