I’m going to start this blog with a note of importance: whether you use a physical notebook or electronic, find whatever method works for you. Using both physical and electronic notebooks works for me well but might not for you.
I’ve been writing content on my own site sporadically on and off since I started as a Virtual Assistant and the biggest challenge I always found was not the scheduling of posts but never remembering what topics I had written about previously and what ones I wanted to cover in future.
This is where the idea of a system of notebooks came from.
Notebooks Plural?
Yep, plural.
Before now, I would flounder when it came time to write. Now, however, I usually run two physical notebooks and one electronic one to ensure that I continually have content to write about, exactly what I want to write about and previous topics.
Notebook One
This is my brainstorming and recording ideas book.
Basically, I spend half an hour coming up with ideas based on topic I want to focus on every couple of weeks.
Then in the meantime, I also carry it around with me to networking events, to business meetings and client meetings. It goes with me when I take the train into town, when I go on holidays. It travels everywhere with me.
Why?
Because inspiration strikes at the weirdest times, and I want to make sure that I have this notebook on hand. It’s especially useful after networking and meetings as I can jot down the questions I was asked about during the time at the events. It helps to keep a flow of content ideas on in front of me.
Notebook Two
This is where I further the ideas in notebook one. I use blog skeletons to help flesh out ideas and keep the idea strong in my mind.
Why?
You might have multiple questions written down that can all go into one blog post – so the skeleton helps you to piece it together as to the questions you want to combine.
You might have ideas for one big topic specific to an event you’ve got coming up; filling in the skeleton allows you to ensure that when you get to the stage of covering the idea, that you remember what you wanted to cover within it and why.
Blog Skeleton?
A blog skeleton gives you the support you need for your content.
It gives you a means of fleshing out an idea; ensuring that you can look at the idea and be able to write about it regardless of how long a time has come between you having the idea and writing it.
Electronic Notebook
Since I started using this in addition to the other two, I’ve really come a long way with planning and writing.
In the electronic notebook, I keep a record of the topics written and when they were posted. I use a calendar so I can see which months I want to focus on a specific area within my business, and I can work out how long ago I wrote about a particular topic.
This way I can ensure it’s spaced out, I don’t duplicate too regularly and I can always look at the titles and then consider when I need to revisit a particular idea and concept because the way it’s been done previously has changed.
Does it Actually Work?
For me it does.
I also use a similar concept for my clients that I write content for, however; this is a modified and slightly simplified version.
I have enough ideas recorded for weekly blogs for months in advance, and it’s continually being added to.
The first brainstorming session I did, I came up with 57 topics.
I whittled them down to planning a few months of content at once. However, those topics have enough details in the skeleton that regardless if I post them in the next three months, six months, and this year or next, I will be able to remember why I thought it was worthwhile.
Does this seem like a lot of work to you? Speak to me about outsourcing your content now!
Like this post? Pin it!
