I don’t wanna spend my life jaded, waiting
To wake up one day and find
That i let all these years go by wasted

The other day I listened to Wasted by Carrie Underwood.

It hit me hard.

It also prompted these thoughts on how not to waste your time blogging. I hope you find them not to be a waste.

1. Plan Regularly

Regular, smart planning is the single best way to ensure that you don’t flush a ton of blogging time down the pooper.

I like to take a few minutes at the start of each blogging day to plan what to do, when and for how long. I also start each week and each month with brief planning sessions.

A little planning can go such a long way toward eliminating regret.

2. Spy on Yourself

Planning without review is wasteful. So after you make plans, keep close track of your blogging activities.

Hold yourself accountable for what you do with the time that is given to you each day. Ask yourself: “How could I have made better use of my blogging time today?” And: “How will I do better tomorrow?”

Remember: When performance is measured, performance improves; when performance is measured and evaluated, the rate of improvement increases.

3. Find Your Smelling Salts

One time I snorted a petri dish of ammonia on accident. Hit the floor pretty quick. But I’ve never forgotten the powerful effect.

Everyone has something that galvanizes them even on the limpest of days. Find your smelling salts and smell ‘em when frittering or malaise threaten to destroy your effectiveness.

One of my smelling salts is music – so much so that I often can’t help but include songs and lyrics in my blog posts or Twitter updates. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped myself from wasting time in my blogging just by hearing or remembering a powerful song.

What’s a smelling salt for you?

4. Want not, waste not

I am a voracious reader. I also get easily distracted. This is why I try never to visit Digg unless my blogging work is truly done for the day. Ah, probably shouldn’t have included the link. Oh well.

Control your desires and appetites and you’ll have a much easier time avoiding waste in your blog-related activities.

For example, social media websites can be a great place to network with your target audience and promote your blog in a natural way. However, it can be tempting to lollygag on the intertubes while your blog itself waits for your attention.

If you find yourself wasting time doing things you want to do rather than things you have to do, limit the time you spend on those activities.

Structure your activities so that you are less likely to encounter potential time sinks. Don’t write your posts when people are likely to call you. Don’t sit facing the fridge when you’re starting to get hungry. Etc.

Think about it: The less you want, the less you waste. It’s not always best to approach blogging that way, but it’s worth some pondering.

If you want better results from your blog, want less and do more.

5. Caballero no más

This incredible Spanish phrase basically equates to “cowboy up” or “just do it” in English.

I once lived in Perú. There I often had jobs that were demanding and tedious.

Sometimes a forced smile and a firm “caballero no más” were my only way to maintain the stubbornness I needed to git ‘er done.

So when you’ve got a lot of blog post writing to do or an email inbox busting at the seams or a nasty blog design problem, grit your teeth and say, “caballero no más.”

And then ride fast against the wind.

Where All This Leads

Introspection lies at the core of the Visionary Blogging mindset.

The more you think about how to use your time well, the more likely you are to enjoy your blogging and become a successful blogger.

As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. Thanks Henry.

Nothing brings remorse and misery faster and harder than the realization of wasted time.

Few (if any) bloggers know this better than I do. I have killed so much blogging time that it’s a wonder if I’ve got any eternity left.

But you can always learn from your mistakes. And that is never a waste.

You can never undo or redo. But you can – and by using the advice above, I hope you will – learn and eliminate waste from your blogging.

I don’t wanna keep on wishing, missing
The still of the morning, the color of the night
I ain’t spending no more time wasted

Your Turn

What other techniques or tips do you know about that can help bloggers save time and make good use of their blogs? I would love to hear your experiences and insights.

Photos by SuperFantastic, numberstumper, heureux, love, katie, superfem, Curious Expeditions

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