Herding (Idea) Squirrels
I’ll admit, I’ve never relied on an editorial calendar before. I’m more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-capris kinda gal. Which leaves me putting out a lot of fires–sometimes with my capris–and living from one opportunity to the next.
Last month, I had a moment of clarity in the midst of a cacophony of ideas and projects and deadlines that were consuming my brainwaves. What if, I thought, there is a way to harness all of this energy and do a better job of connecting with food bloggers at the same time?
Enter: the editorial calendar.
It’s early in the process, but I can already feel the structure paying off. By reviewing three months at a clip, I can not only prepare individual articles and give voice to ideas that have been rattling around in my skull, but I can also instill a “narrative arc” in my work. Plus, I’ve significantly reduced my stress level, as I no longer have to keep track of the widows and orphans in my head. They have all been given a home on my calendar (except for those that ultimately didn’t fit, to whom I can now gracefully bid adieu). Case in point—some of this post was written back in September, making it much easier to put together this month’s newsletter.
Sometimes it’s difficult to choose between what’s urgent (email, a ringing phone) and what’s important (planning, re-energizing). My editorial calendar is not only important in helping me achieve my professional goals, it will also be a useful tool for helping me decide going forward whether other opportunities and situations are urgent or important. The more I can focus on the important, the bigger strides I will take toward achieving my goals.
I’m sure over the next few months I’ll unearth even more benefits to implementing an editorial calendar. Until then, I’m curious: do you use one? Why or why not? I’d love to learn from you.
I love this idea, seriously. My to do list is a mess and could use some organization.
I write one every month, but not sure that’s the same as “using” one–often things get changed around, I get too busy to post all the topics I’d planned for, etc. But it’s still a great guideline.
I’m with Ricki–I create an editorial calendar, about every quarter, but I don’t always do all that I plan to. Sometimes, ahem, I just don’t get to the posts. And sometimes I’m inspired to post about something other than what I’d planned. But it serves as a useful tool to look ahead and try and take advantage of what’s coming down the pike. It also means that I’m not waiting for inspiration in order to post!
I’m a fan of lists, endless to do’s and even more lists. I couldn’t blog without my editorial calendar! It lets me organize myself, see what recipes are coming up, making sure they are varied posts weekly. I write it out at the beginning of each month and set blog posts 3-4 times a week, depending on how busy the blog is that month. So when someone contacts me wanting me to share “something on my blog this week”, it rarely happens because all the available spaces are set up and taken by then. It’s a life saver!
I try to do an editorial calendar based on what my readers want to see on my blog posts. I’ve learned to observe what posts get high hits and try to give my friends more of what they keep coming back for. That said, the editorial calendar is done for a 2-3 month period, by season or holiday events coming up. I’m also mindful that I get readers from all over the world, and try to be true what I’ve always promised to bring them : Filipino & Asian home cooking all year round.
[...] for handling my projects, ideas and leads. Some of this falls to my editorial calendar and "herding (idea) squirrels," and some of it is the tangible, concrete work of [...]