When I first started blogging, I felt completely overwhelmed by the amount of things I needed to do to make my blog what I wanted it to be.
I looked at my blank webpage and couldn’t even imagine all the effort it was going to take to fill it with blog posts, images, and more.
Now, years later, I’m astounded by what can happen if you just put in a bit of effort to your blog every week.
Having a weekly schedule is one of the #1 things I can attribute to my blog’s success and I would recommend it for all bloggers, especially those just getting started.
In this post, I’ll share a little about the importance of having a weekly blogging schedule, and then I’ll share my exact weekly tasks to help you build a weekly schedule of your own.
The power of systems
Before we get into my weekly tasks, let me share a little wisdom from one of my favorite (and completely life-changing) books, Atomic Habits by James Clear.
In his book, Clear writes, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
James Clear, Atomic Habits
This quote really resonated with me and transformed the way I approach my blogging journey.
When you think of yourself as a blogger, you start to adopt the habits that align with that identity. These habits, when practiced consistently, will compound over time and lead to incredible growth.
Having a weekly blogging schedule is one of the best systems you can implement. There are so many benefits to having a weekly blogging schedule including the following:
- Consistency: Regularly working on your blog ensures steady progress and helps build a loyal audience.
- Efficiency: Knowing exactly what to focus on each week saves time and reduces overwhelm.
- Motivation: Checking off tasks each week gives you a sense of accomplishment and keeps you moving forward.
- Focus: A schedule helps you prioritize important tasks and avoid distractions, ensuring you’re always working on what matters most.
Just imagine the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel as you check off tasks each week, knowing you’re steadily working towards your blogging goals.
So, embrace the identity of a blogger. Start small, create a system that works for you, and watch how your efforts compound over time.
Now, let’s get into the exact tasks that are part of my personal weekly system, so that you can start building yours!
My exact weekly tasks as a blogger:
Let’s get into it!
These tasks have helped me stay organized, consistent, and motivated. Feel free to adapt this schedule to fit your own blogging journey.
Write at least two new blog posts
As you may have guessed, the most important task for bloggers to do every week is write new blog posts. When I first started blogging, the general consensus in the blogging community was that you should write at least 2 blog posts every week.
I decided I liked that rule and I stuck with it from the very beginning. At some points, I was able to stretch myself to write 3 posts.
But having just a bare minimum goal to always work towards every week led to a feeling of accomplishment week after week that kept me going.
This task has always been priority number one— even if I had to skip other tasks on this list during a busy week, I tried my best to just write.
I would highly recommend you set this goal for yourself if you are trying to grow your blog. Some tips to help you succeed:
- Set aside a large block of time in the week to write as much as you possibly can. Then, do the editing, formatting, and publishing later.
- When starting out, work on blog posts that will be formatted similarly so that you can become more efficient with your writing.
Update one old blog post
As your blog grows, updating old posts becomes just as important as creating new ones.
I try to update at least one old post every week. You probably don’t need to start doing this until at least 6 months of blogging or longer. But after that, do not underestimate the importance! You’ve put a lot of work into your posts, even old ones, so it’s important to continue to get some value out of them.
When it comes to what posts I need to update, here are some things I look at:
- Can I add more ideas to a top performing post? For example, upgrading “50+ Halloween Costume Ideas” to “70+ Halloween Costume Ideas”
- Does any seasonal content need to be updated so that it is still fresh and relevant?
- Do any of my posts contain outdated information?
- Do any of my posts contain broken links?
Then I select a post and go in to update the relevant sections.
I like this task because it takes wayyy less time than writing a whole new post, but can still help grow your blog.
Create Pinterest pins for both new and old posts
The next thing I do is use Canva to create Pinterest Pins for both my new and old posts. I’ll try to create at least 10 Pins for each post, using different templates, colors, fonts, etc.
This is all in the spirit of experimentation— I want to see what performs well on Pinterest so that I can do more of that in the future.
I do this for both the two new posts I have written, and also create some “refreshed” pins for old posts. To select the older posts I want to make Pins for, I look at the following information:
- Any seasonal events coming up in the next 2-3 months? (I start creating Halloween pins in July)
- Any posts that have really high RPMs? I’ll create new pins to promote these posts to drive more traffic to them
In the beginning, I’d recommend you aim to create pins for at least your new pins every week. Publishing your posts to Pinterest to drive traffic is just as important as writing them in the first place.
Schedule pins for at least a week
Once I’ve created pins for my posts, I’ll schedule them on Pinterest so that they automatically publish throughout the week.
To do this, I use Pinterest’s built-in scheduling tool that comes with your free business account. TBH, I find it very easy to use so I don’t feel the need to buy any additional software for this!
It lets me bulk upload and edit pins, as well as schedule up to 100 at a time.
Having your pins automatically post throughout the week is sooo much easier than publishing them manually every day, so I would highly recommend doing this on a weekly basis.
Alternatively, some bloggers just do this once per month using a scheduling software like Tailwind.
Research posts for the following week
Once I’ve tackled all my blog & Pinterest content for the week, I start thinking about the following week.
Primarily, I use Pinterest Trends, TikTok, and Autosuggestions to get ideas. (I cover this in my free 6 day blogging course if you want to learn more).
I’ll come up with 2-3 post ideas and write them on my to-do list for the following week right away. I also keep a long list in Notion of other posts ideas I have if I’m ever short on inspiration.
This may seem like a simple thing, but deciding what I’m going to write about in advance really helps me with consistency.
I find that I’m much more likely to get my 2 posts for the week done if on Monday morning, they’re already on my to-do list waiting to be written.
Update any WordPress plugins
A small bit of maintenance, but super important. When I log in to WordPress, at least once a week, I’ll go in an update any plugins that are out of date.
It takes like 5 minutes max but can help protect your site from security issues due to your plugins, so definitely do this.
My only tip would be to do this right when you log in to WordPress, before adding any new blog posts. Reason being is if there are any errors due to the updates and you need to revert your site from a backup, you won’t lose anything you’ve just created.
Analyze my Google Analytics and Mediavine dashboard
Every week, I take a look at my site analytics on both Google Analytics and Mediavine just to see how things are doing and help inform my strategy moving forward.
This is what I look for:
- Any anomalies in traffic I need to further look into? (could indicate your site being down, problems with a particular post, etc.)
- What pages are performing the best or growing quickly? (Maybe I want to write more content like these posts)
- What posts have the highest RPMs? (How can I get more traffic to those posts?)
- What pages have the highest engagement times? (What is it about them that is keeping readers around longer?)
Blogging is all about continuous growth and improvement, and in order to do that, you need to take a close look at what is working and what is not.
Whatever analytics and ad software you have, it’s so important to constantly analyze and learn from.
Set & achieve at least one “stretch goal” for my blog
I always try to set one “Stretch goal” for my blog every week, but I don’t always achieve it. A stretch goal is a goal that you will try to get done, but you’ll still consider your tasks complete even if you don’t.
I love stretch goals because they give me something to work towards when I feel I have extra energy to do more on my blog for the week.
It’s also a great opportunity to work on more future facing or strategic work for your blog.
Here are some examples of stretch goals based on ones I have used in the past:
- Apply for an affiliate or ad program
- Write 3 modules in a course you are launching
- Re-do my homepage
- Develop an email strategy
These can really be whatever you feel like the next steps for your blog are outside of writing content.
Even if you only do stretch goals every few weeks, they will go a long way over time!
How I break up my tasks through the week
That’s everything I do in my blog for the week! Setting up similar tasks and goals for yourself is one of the simplest things you can do to help grow your blog over time and ensure you are spending your time doing the right things.
One of the things I love about blogging is that I can work on my own schedule— so I don’t always do these tasks on a particular day of the week or anything like that. I love the flexibility!
However, I do tend to loosely follow a schedule that looks something like this:
I follow this loosely because it works well with my life outside of blogging, but I would recommend you create your own based on what will work best for you!
How I manage my tasks
I’ve gone through several task management systems in the past, but truthfully, what works best for me is just a good old to do list. I write out the posts I will write, my other tasks, and stretch goals and check them off one by one as I accomplish them.
It’s as simple as that!
You got this!!
I know firsthand how overwhelming blogging can feel, especially when you’re just starting out. But trust me, having a weekly schedule can make all the difference.
By breaking down your tasks into manageable chunks and creating a routine, you’ll find that what once seemed impossible becomes totally doable.
Remember, the key to success is consistency and perseverance.
So, grab your favorite planner, put on some cozy socks, and start mapping out your weekly blogging tasks. With a little bit of effort each week, you’ll be amazed at how much progress you can make. 🌸✨