How to organize your blog’s editorial calendar

how to organize your editorial calendar / a thousand threads
I’ve gone through a lot of different types of editorial calendars. Lists, yearly calendars with just a quick overview, monthly planning alongside the rest of my work… but it’s only recently that I’ve found something that really works.

Of course, I share this with the caveat that this is what works for me. Everyone is a little bit different. But what I’ve found is that there are a few very specific (very detailed) things I need to keep an effective editorial calendar.

1 // It needs to be separate from the rest of my work. Even from my blog-related appointments.

For a long time I tried to keep everything together, and it was just too easy to let the editorial planning fall by the wayside.

2 // It needs to be all-inclusive.

That sounds like a contradiction, but what I mean is that everything involved in my editorial planning needs to be contained in one place. That means the brainstorming, the scheduling, and the planning.

First, I’ll brainstorm a list of posts based on a pre-set list of topics. Then I’ll use that list to fill in my calendar, and adjust the topics accordingly. Last, I’ll plan when any prep for a post needs to take place. Scheduling is only half the battle, after all.

3 // I still need a to-do list and an appointment calendar.

Such is my busy life and obsessive compulsive planning problem. The editorial calendar happens in Google Docs, the appointments are recorded in my Google Calendar, and the to-do list is updated in TeuxDeux.

Technically, I love to keep a paper planner… but I’ve finally given in to the fact that they’re just too much to carry around.

And if I can’t carry it around, it’s not any use.

Here’s an example of my own editorial calendar for November.

It’s pretty rudimentary, but it works just perfectly for me. And I’m so excited that I’ve finally found something that does that I just had to share.

Photo via.

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