One thing I realized as a blogger early on, was the fact that I was going to have to be organized. The whole theme of my blog is living with intention, so it only makes sense that I had some sort of “intentional” plan to keep track of my blog content!
As I began researching the best way to keep all my blog stuff organized, I was overwhelmed with all the different resources and systems out there being recommended:
- use a to do list type app
- use a spreadsheet
- use Asana
- use Trello
- use Evernote
- use a bullet journal
- and on and on….
Which way would work for me? Now you have to understand that I am a systems kind of gal. I love finding new ways to do stuff. But that sometimes isn’t a good thing. Before I know it, I have multiple “systems” going and nothing is organized where I can find it!
So I took a step back and considered what I needed in order to keep me organized.
What to Look For in a Blog Content System
- Is it sustainable? (Meaning, is this a system/tool that I can continue to use over the long haul?)
- Is it easy to use? (Will I spend more time trying to figure out how to use it, that I never really get to use it?)
- Can I access it any time, any where? (How accessible is this system/tool? Does it take me 10 minutes to find it on my computer, or log into it, or am I limited to just accessing it when I am on my desktop computer or when I have it with me?)
Why Evernote Was the Answer for Me
I have been using Evernote for about five years now and love it! Not only do I use it for my blog stuff, but for my homeschooling records, and my personal records as well. But today I want to just talk about how and why I use Evernote for my blog. So let’s start with “why” I am using Evernote.
I can access it on all devices. This was a big one for me. Many times I found really cool apps I could use so that I could have my lists on my phone and tablet, but there was no way I could access it on my desktop. I like to be able to do most of my typing on the computer, and then just be able to access the content on my tablet and phone for any minor additions or changes. Evernote allows me to access my files on ALL devices! Perfect.
It allows me to type just like a word processing program. Because of my list-making tendencies, I wanted to have a tool that would allow me to make my lists organized and easy for me to use. I like having my sections bolded and underlined, check boxes by my to do lists, etc. Evernote allows for all of that!
I can organize the files (or notes) in folders (or notebooks). With Evernote I can organize all the notes for one year in one notebook. I love this! It makes it really easy to find what I need, when I need it. Plus, at the end of the year, if I want to I can merge all the months from the year into one file and then keep an archive of these for future reference! Love it!
How I Use Evernote to Organize My Blog Content
Below I will walk you through the steps that I take to get my blog content organized in Evernote. Your system may look a little different, but feel free to take my thoughts and make it your own. Create a system that works for you! You will first need to make sure you have a free Evernote account! Sign up here if you don’t!
Create a notebook for the current year. This notebook is labeled with something like, “2018 Blog Content Plan”.
Create a Note for each month of the year. These Notes are labeled with something like, “01 – JANUARY 2018”. The reason I add the number at the beginning is so that I can use the sort feature in Evernote and put my notes in the right order for the year.
Edit each Note to include information I want to track. I go into each Note and add the following sections: Membership Site Content to Create, Blog Posts, Blog To Do Items/Projects, My Products to Promote, and Affiliate Products to Promote.
Start filling in the information on the monthly Notes. Now that I have all my notes created for each month and they are organized under the Notebook for the current year, I am ready to start filling in information.
If you have products of your own that you like to promote at certain times of the year, go to the notes for the month that you want to promote it and add it under the right section.
If you have affiliate products or sales coming up that you want to promote, go to the note for that month and add it under the Affiliates section.
Have some blog post ideas? Figure out what month you want to publish those posts and add them to your Notes!
Need to clean your email list and want to remember to do that a couple times this year? Figure out which months you want to do it, and add that task under your Blog To Do section.
Have a membership site and need to be creating some sort of content on a regular basis? Use that section on your Notes to begin jotting down ideas for content you could create for each of the months.
Continue to add to and update your Notes on a regular basis. When planning out your content, there will only be so much you can plan out ahead of time. That is why you will need to be looking at your Notes on a regular basis to make sure you add necessary tasks to your to do list for that month.
If something comes up that you want to be sure to promote, or you have a guest post you signed up for, or you were hired to write a sponsored post, go in and add these items to your Notes on the right month.
Use the system!
As I close I have one final word of wisdom to share. It will do you no good to create this amazing system, getting all your blog content organized in Evernote, etc., if you don’t even look at it or use it.
The reason I created this system for myself was so that I had everything in one place. No more looking in ten different places to find everything I needed to do or be working on for my blog. It is all in one place now! I go to Evernote and check my monthly Notes often to make sure I am getting everything done.
I encourage you to give Evernote a try and see if this system will work for you!
