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CITRUS WRITES


Professional Copywriting and Content Strategy

Organization and Productivity

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4 Ways to Produce Better Content (In Less Time)

Does it feel like you’re spending all of your time coming up with ideas, staring at a blank computer screen, or struggling to create content for your blog? You aren’t alone. Writing may never become easy, but there are ways to make it less painful. Maybe it’s time to streamline your process and put your productivity pants on. Here’s how.

Better Content

Come Up With a Schedule, and Stick to It

If you don’t have an editorial calendar, now’s the time to create one. I like using google docs because it’s easily share-able, but it’s more about finding a program that works for you. Essentially, any calendar I create looks something like this:

Content Calendar Example
The first thing I do is work through the year and make note of any significant holidays that will drive content (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter). You should plan on publishing related posts 3-4 weeks prior to the given date — then feature at the top of your page and promote. Fill in the gaps from there. If you can, try to work a month or two out. Sticking to a schedule doesn’t mean you’re taking you’re creative process and chucking it — it just means you’re working to be more efficient. Block off few hours a week when you’ll focus on writing, and carry a notebook for those times when inspiration hits you.

Focus on Creating Evergreen Content (and Repurpose It)

Yes, every so often there will be a great news story that’s the perfect basis for a post. But as a time-strapped blogger you should focus on creating content that’s always relevant — also known as “evergreen” content. Think “how-to guides” and checklists. Depending on your niche you may want to cover “5 Timeless Plants for a Stunning Garden,” or “10 Tips That Will Help You Get Out of Debt Faster.” What’s the benefit to evergreen content? You can continue to promote it via social media long after publication, you can link back from newer posts, you can feature at the top of your blog, you can update and refresh the information, you can use it as a basis for slideshows or videos…The possibilities are endless — and one post can provide you with more mileage than anything super specific.

Crowdsource Your Audience

Have you ever thought about asking your network for help with a post? At GoGirl Finance we once asked our audience “what piece of financial advice would you give your 20-something self?” We reached out on social media — specifically Twitter — and were able to curate a really great sample of responses. We were then able to pull the tweets using a program called Storify. By embedding the code from Storify directly into WordPress we created a pretty nifty post that was also visually appealing. Bonus: sometimes you’ll get a response that will tweak your creativity — and provide you with a few content ideas. Super bonus: you can tag responders and encourage them to share via their networks — and increase your reach.

Get Visual

I’m not one of those people who is great on screen — but that may not be the case for you. If you’re comfortable getting in front of the camera, I say go for it! Not into recording your own content? (Don’t worry — some of of just aren’t!) Consider embedding a relevant link — you can also approach the original publisher about cross-promotion. Posting anything visual gives you a break from the grind of pushing out posts (and your traffic will thank you — video posts also help to increase user engagement).

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5 Ways to Tackle Your To-Do List in 10 Minutes (or Less)

It’s been close to six years since I started working from home as a copywriter and content manager. It’s also been seven years since becoming a mother. I’ve fit the majority of my virtual career around school, nap, and television hours (a deadline’s a deadline, and sometimes a girl’s got to do what works). Still, I’m happy to say that I’ve been pretty productive — even more so when there’s a lot going on. It wasn’t always that way.

Fact: If there’s one thing that forces you to become a better time manager, it’s parenthood. But that’s not to say everyone else can’t learn a few tips from the moms (and dads!) out there. Here are five of the best ways to plough through that to-do list with the limited time you have.

Tackle To-Do List

List the Quickest (Shortest) Tasks First

What’s on your list today? Take the easiest, shortest tasks and put them at the top of the page. Have ten minutes? Get something done. Pay a bill, send that email you meant to, THEN CHECK IT OFF. Feels good, right? Productivity can have a snowball effect — the more you get done the more you want to get done. So instead of sitting on the couch, look what you did. BOOM.

Carry Your Priorities With You

Depending on the day — or the time — your priorities change. Over the course of twelve hours you’re probably pulled in 12 different directions. You may have a pressing deadline, homework to get through with the kids, or an important phone call to make. I get it.

We all live the same twenty-four hours in a day, and most of us have too much on our plates. Too much! Take five minutes in the morning and plan out your day (again, I get it. But do the best you can). Will there be a few minutes when you’re waiting for a train, sitting (parked) in your car, or planted on the bleachers watching swim practice? Make sure you have what you need with you — whether that may be your computer, or even just a notebook. When you’re able to make the most of your downtime it’s a win all around.

Get Rid of The Distractions

Let’s say you’ve found that perfect pocket of time…and you’ve got the perfect ten minute task. Then, the phone rings. When you’re trying to be productive in a short amount of time it’s so critical to keep the distractions out. It seems obvious, but that may mean turning off your ringer, putting on headphones, hanging a DND sign around your neck, signing completely out of your social media. Whatever it takes. You want to effectively get through a task — right? So you’ve got to focus on just that — the task at hand.

Do One Extra Thing Before You Go to Bed (Just One!)

I’m sure you’ve seen enough articles telling you what you should be doing before bed to prepare for the following day. Disclosure: I’m a huge proponent of making lunches the night before, clearing the sink, and folding laundry. I’m also dead tired by the time 9:30pm rolls around. If getting it all done seems overwhelming, choose one thing that seems manageable and focus on that. Pay a bill, clear the sink, or set a timer (for ten minutes!) and catch up on a few extra emails. After a couple of days see what else you can get done in limited time. Your process will become more efficient as you start to make it a habit.

Reassess and Revise

Before bed is a great time to take stock of how you did. Revise tomorrow’s list, move those easy tasks up to the top, and cross off everything you were able to get done. Most importantly, give yourself a pat on the back.