Why You Should Use an Editorial Calendar
After yesterdays post regarding tools I can’t live without, I received a flurry of emails asking me to expand on the concept of editorial calendars. As a busy blogger I appreciate my editorial calendar because it enables me to organize my projects, see what’s coming up, and plan topics in advance. Hopefully I’ll answer some of your questions and what I don’t cover, the rest of you can fill in.
What is an Editorial Calendar?
An editorial calendar helps you to plan ahead, especially if you handle multiple projects. By logging in each day’s projects and topics you can see “at a glance” what your day will be like. By scheduling your activities, you plan time for each task and balance your duties a little better.
How Does an Editorial Calendar Work?
Here’s what I do. At the beginning of each week I plan out my week. For each day I write in a planned topic for each of my blogs. Now, some days something comes up or I think of a different topic (like today). In that case I just schedule the original topic in for one day during the next week. So I my calendar I have a space for each blog, next to each space I write in the topic. For the celebrity blog which is sort of a full time gig, I write in the hours, since those posts can’t be planned. Then I schedule other blog posts either between celebrity blogging or to post ahead over the weekend.
Where Do I Buy One?
I use a huge office calendar I found at Staples. I know others who use Outlook or an Excel spreadsheet. You can buy one or make one, whichever works out best for you and your budget.
Why I like Using an Editorial Calendar
- I can schedule posts ahead of time.
- I can plan topics ahead of time - eliminating writers block.
- I can plan my time accordingly.
- I get my life back.
- Plan holiday posts way in advance.
Since I started organizing my blogging using an editorial calendar, I find myself finished for the evening at 8:00 instead of working into the night. Knowing when I’m going to post and why I’m going to post has been such a time saver.
Do you use an editorial calendar? If so, what do you use and how does it work?
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Saturday, February 16th, 2008 at 12:30 am under
Hi Deb,
I use an editorial calendar to help plan ahead too. I like the one Shaunna Privratsky describes over at Writing for Dollars at Create Your Own Editorial Calendar. Since editors plan about 6 months in advance, this helps me to submit timely article ideas.
Thanks for all of the great ideas.
February 16th, 2008 at 12:54 amI used to use a large desk version, but that no longer suited my purposes by the late 1990s. I use Yahoo! calendar because it allows me to move projects from day to day (if something gets delayed).
I put personal items on their, too, as does my wife. If we don’t, we tend to have conflicts. I put items on there as soon as I learn about them, even if they are months ahead.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:01 amI use Apple’s iCal. Because writing changes so frequently, I’ll print out a month and pencil-in additions or strike deletions. Going totally digital (using just a computer file or an online calendar) doesn’t seem to work for me.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:09 amI started using an editorial calendar when I started a second blog. At the time I didn’t call it an editorial calendar (didn’t even realize what one was, in fact), but it kept me organized.
I use Outlook for mine, and keep separate ones for each blog and personal, and well as one mash up of all of them. Depending on what I need to look at, I bring up the appropriate calendar.
The calendars are also helpful for me in making sure that I continue series, and to make sure that I’m not overdoing it on one topic. So I also use it look back as much as planning forward.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:44 amI’m on a Mac. I use iCal. I also use FlexTime for certain projects. They keep me on top of my projects.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:59 amI’ve had any empty calendar sitting here since the holidays. Your post put me on track, I’ve just put in the first 4 entires for next weeks posts.
Thanks
February 16th, 2008 at 2:14 amI use Windows Calendar to plan each week. I put personal and professional stuff in there so I don’t have any conflicts with my husband’s schedule. I also have a monthly planner that I carry in my purse. I transfer all information that I gather throughout the day (doc appointments, meetings, etc.) to Windows Calendar.
Keeping a calendar helps me balance the professional and personal parts of my life. It keeps me from feeling like I have to work until midnight to stay on top of things. I finish my true workday around 5 p.m. so I can get dinner started, do some laundry, and attend my workout classes. I do some “light” work (accounting, job search, etc.) in the evening if my husband is grading papers or watching TV.
I am sure my tidy schedule will go kaput once we have kids, but I’m enjoying it right now!
February 16th, 2008 at 3:14 amI do the same thing, but on a big whiteboard in my office. The principles are all the same, but I like the flexibility and tremendous visibility - I can’t get away from it, so I can’t miss a thing!
The software/hardware you use isn’t that critical, but there are a few basic principles. Deb outlined them well. I do have a smaller pocket calendar for longer-term scheduling, but first thing Monday everything in it for that week goes on the Board!
February 16th, 2008 at 4:01 amI recently started using a Google speadsheet. I’ve been able to organize posts better, especially when I am doing a series on a single topic.
February 16th, 2008 at 4:50 amFunny, as I read your description I realized that I use the social work equivalent of an editorial calendar to keep track of all my active cases. But it never occurred to me to apply this method to my writing - DUH!
Thanks for the great tip. I always look forward to reading your blog.
February 16th, 2008 at 5:10 amIn a former life as an editor, I planned magazine editions months ahead - sometimes as much as an entire year. Easier for the as team to sell ads when the advertisers know the topics.
I have no idea why I haven’t applied this to blogging, but it fits perfectly. Thanks for the kick in the rear!
February 16th, 2008 at 9:55 amI bought one of those huge calendars from Staples to keep our family organized . . . now I’m tempted to buy another to keep my career organized.
I use a daytimer, but it isn’t as efficient as I had hoped. I tried using a notebook for topic organization, but that left me feeling more disorganized than when I started. LOL I’m going to try this method. Thanks for picking it apart for us!
February 16th, 2008 at 7:28 pmOh, organization? That’s helpful???
Seriously, I am a little OCD, but making the decision to use one thing or another boggles my mind. But okay, I do see the plus side of the calendar, and the weekend is gloomy and dreary–might as well put my time to good use and try to catch up with you organized folks.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:24 pmFor me, I don’t see the point of an editorial calendar. At least not used the way people here are using it. I have two calenders where I record all my deadlines. I start on gathering interviews as soon as I get the assignments. Then I put together a weekly and daily to do list to keep me on track. I don’t blog for pay and I rarely query, so I do need to plan ahead for ideas.
February 16th, 2008 at 11:52 pmHi, Deb!
I also think that a calendar is very helpful to writers. That’s why I publish the Bylines Writer’s Desk Calendar. Not only does it show a week at a time, but each week also features a short essay about writing, which hopefully will inspire writers to keep writing, even on the tough days.
Bylines has pages on goal-setting, and how to break down annual goals into smaller monthly goals. Included in Bylines 2008 is a submission tracker, which writers can photocopy and use to track the queries, articles, and manuscripts they send out.
Bylines has many additional features, from a listing of “literary holidays” to celebrate, to daily listings of birthdays of famous authors, pages for tracking writing-related expenses, checklists for keeping up with a writer’s office tasks, and more. Check out Bylines at www.bylinescalendar.com.
Sorry for the “ad,” but I totally agree that planning ahead, and setting reachable goals can really help a writer to accomplish much more during the year. And by keeping the info in a planner, later you can look back with satisfaction and see how far you’ve come during the year.
Also, Bylines accepts 53 new essays about writing each year. We don’t pay much yet, but we are a paying market. Check out the submissions guidelines on the website.
Thanks!
Sylvia Forbes, publisher
February 17th, 2008 at 8:42 amBylines 2008 Writer’s Desk Calendar, the essential Tool for Writers
www.bylinescalendar.com
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February 17th, 2008 at 10:52 pmIt’s funny I have been thinking about this lately, but haven’t quite gotten around to it. I have wanted to make a yearly plan that sort of goes along with a magazine format (seasonal, holidays, etc.) because I write for print as well. For the daily detail stuff - I have been using a large desk calendar with appt slots for each day. I’ve been slotting out my time and checking off each ‘assignment’, but now I can’t wait to go that step further and pencil in what I’ll be writing about. (Sunday is week-planning day!) I think especially for web writing and blogging, the better we plan, the easier it will be to cross-link our work. Thanks for the tips!
February 18th, 2008 at 3:53 am[…] Why You Should Use an Editorial Calendar […]
February 18th, 2008 at 11:32 amFor a while, when I had quite a few writing projects going on, I used www.iprioritize.com — just their free service. It’s more a tool to keep track of deadlines than an editorial calendar, but I found it helpful. You can set up drag-and-drop “to do” lists in different categories.
February 18th, 2008 at 2:25 pmThanks for the tips, Deb. I started using a small desk calendar last month (small desk, small calendar), and I’ve been using different colored pens for different types of work: red for copyediting, green for writing, purple for personal. Yes, I have OCD. I had been thinking about switching to something electronic, but for me it would probably be just one more thing to play with. It’s nice to know that there are successful writers still using paper methods like mine, but I’ll check out some of the electronics mentioned in your other comments.
February 18th, 2008 at 9:29 pmSabrina,
Google Calendar also offers a color scheme — different colors for different calendars.
February 19th, 2008 at 8:50 pm