Do Not Just Blog, Blog Efficiently!

Be More Efficient

So, you are a blogger? Are you blogging in your leisure time or doing it to earn some serious income?

In any case, you will not succeed! Nothing can help you succeed — no costly courses, no e-books, no Gurus, nothing!

Why?

Because you blog! That’s what millions of other people around the globe are doing. Every blogger out there is your competitor! You spend one hour daily on your blog? There are many who spend more! You update your blog daily? There are many who update more frequently!

Then how can you succeed?

Simple! You have to blog with more efficiency.

What Is Efficiency?

The ratio of the output to the input of any system is called efficiency.

When you blog, you are the system. Your time is the input. And output? It can be anything! Money, appreciation, recognition, you name it!

To get maximum output, you have to be more efficient. In this post, I will discuss how you can get maximum output for all your efforts.

The First Step: Focus

Let me begin with an old Indian tale.

Once upon a time, five princes were receiving education in a gurukul (school). One day, their guru (teacher) decided to test their archery skills. Guru placed a toy bird on a tree and called the princes. He told them about the test and called the first prince.

He asked, “You have to shoot the bird’s eye. But before you shoot, tell me. What do you see?” The prince replied, “I see a tree, a toy bird and the sky.” Guru asked him to wait.

Then, the second prince was called. Guru asked the same question. The prince replied, “I see a green toy bird and a tree.” He was also asked to wait.

The third and fourth princes replied similarly. Guru did not ask any of them to shoot.

Now, the last prince was called. Guru asked the same question. The prince replied, “I see only the bird’s eye.” Guru asked him to shoot and guess what, the shot was perfect!

You should be focused like the prince. Do not pay attention to anything else. Just keep focused on your target, and your work will be half done.

Finding a Target

Before starting, you have to decide what you want to achieve. You may want $1,000 per month, leave your day job or buy a new house! Just decide on your target and stay focused. Think of the happiness you and your family will get when you achieve your goals. (But avoid day dreaming! That will be a waste of time.)

Staying Focused

Staying focused is a difficult thing. When blogging, you need focus the most when you are writing. Here are some tips you can use to stay focused when writing:

1. Go Full Screen. Even a small notification can distract. So, why not go full screen? All the browsers have a full screen mode. If you prefer an online editor, go to it and press the F11 key to switch to full screen mode.
2. Disconnect. It may be better to switch off your internet connection. You can use a capable offline editor like Windows Live Writer or BlogDesk for writing and editing. Barebone editors like Q10 and Dark Room can also prove to be useful.
3. Forget. Forget about the real world for a while. Just think about the article. You can try to write at night when no one is around. Listening to music is another good technique that I prefer.

The Second Step: Execution

Execution is next in line. You know the target and are fully focused on it. However, you have to execute your plans well.

For this, I recommend using To Do lists. In the beginning, it may be hard to stick to a schedule, but once it becomes a habit, it’s not that hard.

To make sure you follow that schedule, you have to make good and effective to do lists.

Try to make lists in advance. This helps you form the habit of following a schedule. Second, spend time on these lists. Never make such a list in a hurry. (You'll seldom follow it, believe me.) At the end of your work day, take 10 to 20 minutes to make a list for the next day.

Select a good service to help with your lists. Some free services that offer to do lists are:

1. Remember The Milk: With Remember the Milk, you can manage your lists not only online but also offline. You can also get iPhone and Android apps to access it when on the move.
2. To Do List: Another capable service. However, it is only web based. It offers a bookmarklet that lets you access your tasks from any site.
3. Ta Da List: Ta Da List has a very simple and effective interface. Like Remember the Milk, it can be accessed from an iPhone.

The second thing is to make Mind Maps. I covered Mind Maps in a previous post, How To Organize Ideas And Save Time. Since then, I have discovered a new software called Xmind that has more features and is very easy to use (and of course, good looking).

Next, you should also take notes when researching for posts. Yahoo Searchpad and Google Notebook are two great services for taking notes. However, if you need to access the notes offline, it is better to use a simple text file or Opera (which has a notes feature).

Final Step: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

You will be very disappointed if you follow all these steps for a week or two and forget after that. That will not help much. Remember, repeat and self analyze to improve your efficiency even more.

What tools do you use to be more efficient? Do share in comments.

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