Why you need a plan

SHAKING THE TREE #129

Photo by Julia Taubitz on Unsplash

What’s that old saying? Plan the work and work the plan!

If only I’d followed this advice a decade ago.

This isn’t the first time I’ve set up and run an online newsletter.

The last time was back in 2010 and honestly, back then I had no idea what I was doing.

• I had no viable content outline

• I had no solid plan of action.

• I had no real reader in mind.

• I had no content creation schedule in place, other than to post once a week.

Because I had no plan the process became WORK, which made it less enjoyable. Until finally, and after eight months of slogging away and getting nowhere, I began to detest the process.

As the weeks slid by my feelings turned to resentment until finally, and utterly dejected and fed up, and because I didn’t feel I was getting anywhere, I quit.

And after this I wrote next to nothing … FOR FIVE AND A HALF YEARS!

Yes. I know … not good.

It’s only within the last few years that I’ve turned back to writing and it’s only since the beginning of COVID that I’ve finally got my ducks in a row and got my act together.

How did so much go so wrong for such a long time? Well, through a combination of factors really, not least of which was my stupid inability to admit I didn’t know what I was doing and my inability to get out of my own way.

• With no viable content outline I had no direction.

• With no solid plan of action I floundered.

• With no real reader in mind I was writing for everyone (which is never good!).

• With no content creation schedule in place I became totally dejected.

So what’s changed?

Well, now I:

• work to a plan that includes an ideal reader and a set of ideal reader interests.

• write according to a content creation schedule.

• produce material to a set template.

• plan what I’m going to write about so I don’t sound like a complete twit.

For me, setting up a simple content creation schedule has been an absolute Godsend!

Back in 2010 my material was all over the place. I mean, really, looking back, I was a complete mess and a total idiot for thinking I didn’t need to plan things.

But we don’t know what we don’t know when we won’t see it, do we? So, lesson learned.

If you’re just starting out, or even if you’re way ahead of me (because this is only the 4th edition of Shaking the Tree) and you’re NOT working with a plan, I implore you to stop.

And I really do mean STOP!

Please, don’t make the mistakes I made.

There was a time during that five-and-a-half year no man’s land where I thought I’d never write anything ever again.

It was only when I stepped back and re-read the stuff I’d been putting out that I realized how crap my stuff had been.

So right there, I decided that change was only going to happen if I was willing to take radical action.

I archived everything I’d written and I deleted the entire contents of my website!

Every post. Every article. Toast.

For me at that time the ONLY way out was through was via scorched earth thinking.

Since then I’ve found that a content creation schedule has been crucial in terms of being an effective way to stay organized and consistent with my content output.

If you’re struggling right now, here are a few steps to follow when creating a content creation schedule of your own:

1. Define your content goals: What type of content do you want to create? What are your target audience's interests and needs? What do you want to achieve with your content? For me right now, this is through articles. But who knows, a podcast might be on the horizon.

2. Determine your content frequency: How often do you want to post new content? Consider how much time and resources you have available and what is realistic for your team. By getting organized I’ve figured out that it’s possible to post at least once and sometimes twice a week

3. Choose a content calendar tool: There are many tools available to help you manage your content schedule, such as Google Calendar, Trello, or CoSchedule. Choose a tool that works best for you and your team. Personally, I use a simple paper list. It’s old school but it works for me.

4. Plan your content topics and titles: Brainstorm ideas for your content and create a list of potential topics and titles. This will make it easier to plan your content in over several weeks if not months. I’ve created a library of fairly long articles to pull from and that i can edit down into easier to read versions.

5. Create a timeline for each content piece: Determine when each piece of content will be created, edited, and published. Assign specific deadlines to each step in the process. For me at the moment I’m publishing on Mondays and Fridays around noon, Eastern Standard Time in the United States.

6. Assign tasks to team members: Determine who will be responsible for each step in the content creation process, such as writing, editing, and publishing. For the time being, my team is just me, so this isn’t an issue.

7. Review and adjust your schedule regularly: Review your schedule regularly to ensure that it is working for you and your team. Make adjustments as needed to improve your content output. I’ll be doing this in the coming weeks but that will all depend on how things go in the short term.

This isn by no means an exhaustive list, and you might have better ideas. Do whatever works for you.

By following these steps, I’ve set up a content creation schedule that helps me stay organized, consistent, and focused on achieving my content goals.

I simply need to remember to be flexible and to adjust my schedule as needed to ensure that it’s working effectively for my needs and that I’m not setting myself up for failure, or setting my readers up for disappointment.

SUMMING UP … By seeing that I don’t know it all (because back in 2010 I thought I did and obviously I didn’t), I’ve made my content creation life easier, more productive, and less stressful. And along the way, I like to think it’s made me a slightly better writer into the bargain.

As always, thanks for reading.

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P.S. Next time on Shaking the Tree … The power of storytelling