If you are anything like me, one of the toughest parts about blogging is showing up to write when you are feeling uninspired or suffering from a severe case of writer’s block. One way to keep yourself accountable is to create an editorial calendar. I know for many of you this probably sounds scary and intimidating. But, I promise it really isn’t. Most of us think about meetings and deadlines when you think of calendars. However, an editorial calendar can be a really great to way to organize your ideas, brainstorm new posts, create content bundles and just keep yourself on track and accountable.
A content or editorial calendar doesn’t have to be a fancy tool – like Kapost (it’s a great tool, but may not be affordable for a brand new business), you can create one using a Google Spreadsheet, a Google Calendar or even just in a notebook – handwritten or electronic. The whole purpose is to get yourself in the habit of executing the ideas that you routinely jot down. This will help you be more accountable and post on a more regular basis.
There’s some really, great resources already out there for how to create free, easy to stick to editorial calendars. I’m going to share three of my favorites with all of you guys.
How to create a robust editorial calendar using Google Calendar
If all your meetings, appointments and well life are already all scheduled in Google Calendar, it may make a lot of sense to create your editorial calendar in there as well. Here’s a fantastic guide from the fine folks over at Hubspot for how to do just that.
Jenny Blake’s Editorial Calendar Template
A former Google Employee and now best-selling author, Jenny Blake has created a bunch of awesome life and business templates in Google spreadsheets. Her editorial calendar template is simple, but comprehensive. Download it here.
The Complete Guide To Choosing A Content Calendar
If you are looking for something a bit more robust, this guide from Buffer is second to none. They not only share some tools and plug-ins you can use to create your editorial calendar, but they also go into serious detail on how they organize their content, along with examples from other top-notch companies, including Forbes, WordPress and CoSchedule.