New bloggers have all the spice and heat to churn out posts like no tomorrow. However, veteran bloggers can be a weird lot – speaking for myself. Before WordPress updated to 2.3, all the drafts you had were displayed for you. All you needed to do is select one of the drafts out to continue your post.
But I learned the hard way of ignoring your drafts for too long later ending up notable to complete them. Simple reason is you’ve lost the idea or the drive when it first came to you. Therefore, I deleted 4-5 blog post drafts I had initially wanted to publish. And these were created much longer than a month ago.
It’s really a waste to throw out an article like that out the window. But you just can’t help it because if you forced yourself to complete it, it’ll not end pretty. When you read your draft again (which I highly recommend), you’ll notice the flow is lost. While you’re swimming down the river suddenly a salmon swims by you and suddenly slaps you in the face.
Creating blog drafts in preparation for your automated WordPress blogging is a good idea. However, procrastinating in completing the drafts will hurt your blogging strategy.
It’s literally challenging enough to come up with new content especially if you’re a niche blog. That’s why I’ve now added an additional point to my blogging strategy. Which is to publish all my drafts in one week from the time I started writing it. Managing such a schedule isn’t easy but blogging consistently ain’t either.
Therefore, it’s time to do some ‘spring cleaning’ for your blog. If you noticed blog drafts older than 1 month, delete them – unless at the spur of the moment, you feel like finishing it. If you have drafts older than 1 week, decide right now if you want to continue to publish or delete it.
The funny thing about people is we are all natural procrastinators. Discipline to manage ones self comes with training I would say. That is why ultimately, stop thinking you’ll complete it by some other time or saying I will get back to it.
If you want to finish it, set a goal or deadline for yourself. Else, just don’t look back and delete the incomplete blog post.
Simple question: How many drafts do you have lingering in your blog now?
[tags]Wordpress, blog strategy, blogging strategy, blog drafts, automated blogging[/tags]
I never keep a post uncompleted and then complete them at a later time because I know what you have mentioned above will definitely happen. Hence, if I know that I won’t be able to finish it at this session, I rather choose not to blog them and blog them at another time.
Heh! So far, I have never have any uncompleted blog post. ;)
Wah, so discipline! And I meant it as a good thing. I’d normally complete mine if I don’t wander off anywhere. But the moment I leave the draft, other ideas come to me and later the draft I started is lagging behind. :P