How to Create a Foolproof Blogging Workflow

A blogging workflow is a system that you create for yourself to track and manage your business. This includes anything from back-end tasks to content creation. By creating a foolproof system, you can make consistent progress on the things that matter most!

Many bloggers enjoy the idea of setting their own goals, processes, and schedules. However, it’s possible to take these perks of blogging and end up spinning your wheels without much to show for your time. A blogging workflow can bring clarity to your tasks and help you prioritize the processes that keep your business running.

You may not know exactly where to start – we’re here to help! Establishing a workflow is a very important step in your business that you don’t want to overlook. A little extra planning upfront will reap tremendous rewards in your blog and business.

Benefits of having a workflow for your blog

There are so many behind-the-scenes tasks that occur before – and even after – you hit publish on your posts! Whether you have extra hands helping you out, or if it is just you, there are huge benefits in having a predictable blogging workflow that maximizes your time and ensures all the things happen between ideation to publishing.

Even if calendars and to-do lists aren’t your thing, you’ll quickly experience the benefits of having a system in place that offers structure AND some breathing room in your day-to-day operations.

With an established workflow:

You can focus on the tasks with the most impact
You know exactly what must be done each day – in sequential order
You reduce stress and mental load by having a documented system
You can batch tasks to maximize mental focus and creativity
You can track and measure meaningful metrics and the success of your business
You can outline tasks to outsource to a virtual assistant or other service provider
You can work ahead as far as you like, enabling you to build in breaks and flexibility

Sounds pretty great, right? Let’s get started!

How to get started creating a blogging workflow

If your wall is covered in sticky notes or you are surrounded by scribbled to-do lists, it’s time to create a workflow! Take a deep breath and get ready to “brain dump” and streamline a process that keeps you on track to reach your goals.

1. Take inventory of your time.

Start tracking what you do each day on several “normal” workdays. Write everything down – whether on paper, a calendar app, or through timers, and get as specific as you can! No one else has to see your time audit, but this daily log will help you see where you are truly spending your time and where you can make changes.

2. Determine what is most important.

These are the goals or tasks that you absolutely must check off your to-do list regularly. These should also be the items that have the greatest impact on your business.

For example, do you want to grow your email list by a certain percentage? Knowing what will contribute to this is key. You might determine that it is most essential to devote time and energy to creating quality lead magnets, rather than customizing your WordPress theme.

3. What do you have time for now?

In the same vein, what can wait? It is rarely possible to do ALL things well as a solopreneur, or even if you have a few team members behind the scenes! Decide what you actually can do in this season and know that it’s okay to table some things for later.

If your goal is to increase blog posts to a certain number per month, then maybe you will need to wait to focus on growing a social media account. Or, maybe you want to send weekly newsletters, but realistically you can only send them monthly. That’s okay!

image of office with bookshelves and desk, person walking by

4. Decide where to outsource.

Sure, you could DIY all the things that can come with a blog such as website maintenance, content planning, keyword research, photography, editing, email marketing… we’ll stop there!

Even though these facets of blogging as a business can be so rewarding, at some point you have to decide if your time (or sanity) is worth the investment to outsource. If you love the writing aspect of blogging, but always get bogged down in administrative details, then maybe hiring some help from a virtual assistant or other service provider could help you enjoy the business you started in the first place.

Check out our podcast episode with Allie Stewart on knowing when to hire in your business!

5. Document your process.

Start documenting your processes one step at a time. Once you have one process down, move on to the next one. There’s no need to get it all perfectly documented the first time – you will continue to establish your workflow!

person arranging sticky notes in order on chart paper

As you track your steps, zoom out to see where adjustments need to be made. You might also find similar tasks to group for efficiency or even steps that can be eliminated. Set up your steps in a project management tool to have a hub to reference and repeat the process.

6. Build habits.

Once you’ve taken time to see what matters most and outlined the essential steps in your processes, it’s time to make this system a habit! Commit to using your documented process every work day that you can for a set amount of time. Continue to track your time as you practice your system to see what is working and what isn’t.

7. Revise, revise, revise!

After giving your system some time, take a step back and evaluate it. Are you accomplishing the most essential tasks on a timeline? Is your system serving your business?

Take time to continually revise your system until it is working smoothly and helping you achieve the work that you set out to do. Quarterly check-ups on your business might work well!

Tools to use in your workflow

Level up your workflow by choosing some tools for ease and efficiency. There is no shortage of digital options! We highly recommend choosing a project management tool that can serve as a one-stop hub for content planning and priority scheduling.

Most online platforms and apps offer free trials and tutorials so you test out the user experience before committing to a paid account.

We love using ClickUp and highly recommend it to both new and established bloggers! Inside ClickUp, set up a simple workflow to get started, or import templates that are customized to your needs. Click here to check out our free blog workflow template.

More resources

To learn more about establishing systems and maximizing productivity in your blogging workflow, listen to some of our podcast episodes! Each episode is full of practical tips and inspiration to help you achieve your blogging goals.

Looking for more resources to establish your workflow? Find more topics on the blog or connect with us on Instagram at @sparkmediaconcepts