This post was actually going to form part of my tutorials that are going to be released soon but I thought it was a good message to put on here. I get asked a hell of a lot how I do it with a full time job and a young family. I also get a lot of people, even probloggers saying they don’t know how I do it at the rate I do.
Well this post will hopefully outline the way I approach this site, I know I have done a timeline of my typical day, but everyone is completely different and there days are never the same. So hopefully this breakdown will help you produce more in your day, it’s a system that I call SAPAS;
- Site
First things first you have to sort your site out and that means produce your content. Ideally it’s good to have a few ideas in draft that you can just click edit and then finish. I have over 100 draft titles, most with some bullet points and some that are around half written. The rest are just idea titles, which I will be making available for people to use in the up-coming members page.
Now the most important thing of your day is to make sure your site is up to date with fresh content or you have scheduled your post ready to be published soon. If you only have time to do one thing during your day, make sure it is your site. If you don’t make sure your site is tip-top then all the promotion and other work that goes into daily running of your site is pointless, because people will be visiting a site that is starting to get stale.
Now the initial stage of working of the site everyday cost about 1-2hrs in time, that is purely writing content and working on the upcoming posts, tutorials and filming the videos etc.
- Admin
The first bit of admin I do every day is to backup the site, priority get it done. While that is backing up I backup at the server too. Now I know the site has been backed up properly I then reply to all the comments on the site. To me this is massively important, if you don’t give your readers and visitors the time of day how do you expect them to actually give you a second thought, look after your readers.
Once I have replied to all the comments I then log in to my emails and make sure everything is dealt with, delete the spam, reply to any emails that need it, this can be from someone asking for help or advice or myself actually emailing people I know who I think I could help etc. Another thing that drives me mad is when so called social media guru’s never reply to emails, mental.
There can be other tiny bits of admin to do like upgrading your plugins if necessary or shifting through spam to see if there are legitimate comments in there and then mass deleting the rest.
This first bit of admin can take me anywhere between 30mins-2hrs
- Promotion
OK you need to let people know who you are and where they can find you, essentially promotion boils down to all the work you do on the social networks twitter, facebook, digg, stumbleupon etc etc. The most important part of promotion for me is to comment on all the other sites, especially the ones that have a featured post about me or a guest post from me.
The reason I am active on others sites as I am on this one is because of the audience reach. I’ll admit the techniques I talk about aren’t for everyone and I’ll also admit in the same breath my work ethic isn’t for everyone, that said all of this makes me unique and because I am being honest to who I am I can maintain this right the way through my promotion so it’s easy to spot my work.
Promotion also incorporates email broadcasts to my mailing list which I only send on average about twice a week and never hit them with anything other than things on this site, I just don’t go for all that affiliate ”Hey this is really great” kind of stuff, it just isn’t what I am about.
All of this can take anywhere from 30mins-2hrs +
- Admin
Haven’t I said this already? Yeah I have but you have to keep on top of it, keep replying to your comments again, then check your emails. You absolutely need to reply to everything that needs replying to, seriously it’s something I stand ferociously by, no reply-no respect.
The next thing I do is to back everything up again both via the wordpress dashboard then on my server, I know twice a day may seem a bit of an over kill but it needs to be done, even if you are just starting out get into the habit of backing everything up regularly.
Once you have replied to all the comments and emails then you can quickly re-check your social media replies and updates, all of this second batch of admin usually takes me anywhere between 30mins – 1hr
photo credit: Kevin Saff
- Site
Back to site again and start working on some more content, working on adding a bit more to your products or services you are about to release and for me I use this time to actually learn how to write, being dyslexic I’m really working hard on my grammar and vocabulary. The best thing about coming back to the site work again is to work on guest posts and re-searching new ideas and furthering your knowledge so you can pass that on.
I’m a big believer in helping those around you to do what you are doing, as those people around you get stronger so do you and the relationship continues to grow as they get stronger it forces you to get even stronger to maintain that bond. In the military you always taught the rank below you how to do your job, if it hit the fan then could replace you. Now you don’t want anyone replacing you, but by helping everyone you can regardless of background then it forces you to learn more and keep striving to improve yourself so you can improve the quality of work for others.
Second time round all this can be anywhere from 30mins-2hrs+ depending on how long is left in the day.
If you add all the hours up for my system it comes to between 3hrs – 9hrs+, now yes I work an average 12hr day so it doesn’t leave much room for sleep if I do a lot of hours on this site, but I work a lot of this system into my work, you can see my typical day whilst at work here.
Below is a quick video which adds a bit of voice to this post;
What does everyone think?
Please Comment
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I have few drafts too. I have thought of the title and content (not written it). I need to get back to those and write and publish them.
Good to know how you work out. I am a little disorganized. Need to organize myself.
.-= Agent Deepak´s last blog ..Interview with James Richmond – The InfoPreneur =-.
Routine… the trick to achieve many things…. set up a good one and stick to it… clearly you have a good one (combined with plenty of discipline and enthusiasm)
.-= Mick Morris´s last blog ..How to help yourself. =-.
Hey man,
Absolutely right it really helps me
Hi!
This is an excellent brief. I love reading your post. Wish you success.
Regards
Sunny
.-= Sunny Peter´s last blog ..Everyday Business Tips: Encourage Employees to Innovate =-.
Hey Thanks Sunny,
Anything you need just give me a shout
As for the twice-a-day backing up that you do, it might be an idea to get a script for it.. That just runs twice a day, it’ll enhance your already incredible productivity even more.
If you don’t know how to… One of your readers definitely will.
.-= Experimently´s last blog ..Interview with Maren Kate from escapingthe9to5.com =-.
Hey yeah it’s just a fire and forget backup so it’s really easy to do, quite like knowning it’s done rather than rely on something else just in case lol
Hey James
From experience I can tell everyone that backing up is essential! I lost an entire blog once! This is not an experience I want to repeat!
Thanks for the info once again.
Roland
.-= Roland Millward´s last blog ..Why Commenting is Good =-.
Blimely do you know how it happened?
No idea James. It was self hosted using WordPress as I do now and then one day. Gone!! Since then I have been very careful and have the back up service.
.-= Roland Millward´s last blog ..Why Commenting is Good =-.
Do you back it up yourself using a plugin or use a third party?
I use the hosting company to produce a back up which I then download onto my computer and then for extra safety is backed up at Mozy. Can’t be too safe!!
.-= Roland Millward´s last blog ..Why Commenting is Good =-.
Hey James. I am always impressed by what you are doing
It was interesting to get an idea on how you work and what you do. I might have to use a better system to work on my blog.
But I have one question. Do you actually take time to work on products or videos that you plan to sell? Btw. I am writing an ebook at the moment, would you care to check it out and give me some tips when it’s done?! Keep it up brother
Dedication is the key word here if you want your blog to succeed. Maintaining your blog is an absolute must.
I also go through the steps you mentioned, especially backing up your site, which as you know,I learnt the hard way.
To often you see blogs that are so out of date they are almost obsolete, broken links rile me as do no replies from pro bloggers.
.-= Maria´s last blog ..Give Me A Challenge – Inspire Me =-.
Hey maria,
Yeah there is a big backlash going on at the moment from people sick of not getting an answer back from these guys. Ultimately I actually don’t think they will ever lose their crown though because so many people are blind to it
Hey,
thanks for the insight. Jeez, and I thought I was working abysmal online hours. And you manage all this while still maintaining a day job ? Gosh.
But if there’s a will, there’s a will, right
How do you back up your blog ? I just use a simple WP plugin.
I wonder if that’s sufficient.
soon,
Mars
.-= Mars Dorian´s last blog ..Whatever you think, think the opposite =-.
Hey Mars, Yeah that’s how I do it then go straight to the server and back that up too in case of a serious problem.
Damn right brother you gotta go for it man
Eek James,
I need to get in the habit of backing up daily. Thanks for the nugget!
.-= Moon Hussain´s last blog ..My Three Pronged Approach To Creating My First Niche Website =-.
Moon, do it every day at least.
James,
I like your system and it seems to be working for you. Ultimately you can never back up your site enough.
I also agree with making sure that your business or whatever it is people are drawn to is worked with every day if nothing else. Therefore if there’s a few days where things aren’t going to hott, at least you have that still sitting there.
Great post and video also.
.-= Eric´s last blog ..Build Your Blog With Fire In Mind =-.
Hey brother, yeah back ups are so important especially if you get a lot of comments or a lot of content. How’s the start of your week so far dude?
It’s not going too bad actually. Been thinking a lot recently about different things (not just with my site, either) and also am moving this week. Moving to a different side of town actually.
It’ll be a very new experience and I’m not crazy about something such as this so I’ll see how things go and keep everyone posted on my blog.
Actually, that doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea, to write about me moving lol.
Enough about me, how’s your week so far James?
.-= Eric´s last blog ..Build Your Blog With Fire In Mind =-.
Awesome brother being asked for a lot of interviews for magazines and sites so really excited, it’s so strange to be referred to the british answer to Gary V lol
Hey James,
That is a killer schedule but your dedication and hard work are really showing through! I also keep a lot of drafts store in WordPress. I usually go back and add one or two a day even if I only post one new post to my site per day. It helps me stay motivated and energized because I see all of the content that I already have and I know that my site will continue on because there is just so much more information to get out. It is also great for a lazy day or a rushed day to just make a few quick edits on a post, and publish away. Save some for a rainy day.
.-= DJ Wetzel´s last blog ..Saving For Your Goals with ING Direct =-.
Yeah draft ideas are excellent. I’m actually going to release about 90% of these drafts to my members only pages soon. Backing up is really important too. It’s a tough schedule but makes sure everything is done
James,
Thanks for that detail. I never thought about backing up twice a day – or even more than once a month. You do have yourself organized like a business. Serious people will step up.
Hey Ralph,
It’s so important, think about how much content and how many comments would be lost if you lost a whole months work on your site?
James,
I’m with Mick on this one; routine, set up a good one and getting into the flow with all the enthusiasm will make the job a lot easier. You seem to have this off to a Tee, well done to you.
As you know it’s being ready for the surprise, the unexpected that throws a spanner into the works. Not allowing those to affect your routine.
Well done James.
Regards
Paul
.-= Paul´s last blog ..A place for everything and everything in its place =-.
EXACTLY brother you have hit it there matey. You have to be ready to adapt for sure. Being backed up and having posts ready in draft is a real help
I wandered over here before settling down to do some writing. And boy, did I get a kick up the behind. I can’t write any more than this as I need to get back to work and sort my S out first
.-= Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..1 Minute Motivator: The power of one =-.
Good to hear it Eleanor and you are thinking about replying to my reply then don’t and get back to work! ”virtual whip” crack
hey James,
i’ve being waiting for this post and finally you released it. I think i’m so disorganized and even though i can’t fully follow your system, i’m going to make sure i do the most important daily task. I’ve always ignored backups and didn’t know you too give priority on that. From now on i will give it a first thought.
.-= innocriss´s last blog ..Defining Firm Level Entrepreneurship =-.
Yeah totally sort your site out first then everything else is the icing
I agree that all of us have different approaches in making a schedule, but I nonetheless found good ideas in your post, primarily the idea that there is nothing wrong with doing similar tasks twice everyday. It really depends on how much stuff you need to do in that task.
.-= Julius´s last blog ..Closed-Circuit Televisions =-.
Yeah exactly I often go back to a lot of the same work just because so much more has come in
Good stuff James, I like that you are now integrating videos into your posts on a regular basis!
Hey Maren looking forward to your video too
hey james, this one is great. You could make a whole “system” to sell just based on this. great ideas especially about the backups. I have only 2 backups for the 3 months of blogging that I have done. thanks for the info on that and on how to run your site as well as promote. I have been lacking on that lately but traffic is still coming.
Thanks for the heads up, this video looks great!
Justin
.-= Justin Matthews´s last blog ..The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Go. =-.
Hey brother more videos on the way dude. Yeah the system really works, I was think of packaging the whole thing up too
Ok… All I can say is wow. I do appreciate this post. I have been trying to decide lately if I was spreading myself too thin to keep up on my sites and to do any just to them at all. From the time your putting into this site and what you have been able to do with it I would say I have some thinking to do. Great inspiration to get moving on a few choices I need to make.
.-= Jeff´s last blog ..Be A Man =-.
Jeff if you need any help brother give me a shout
Thanks bro. I think its just going to come down to cleaning up list of important things I want to do a little more than I have. If I still can’t get it. I’ll be calling.
.-= Jeff´s last blog ..The Value of You – Guest Post =-.
Thanks for the outline James, I aways start writing form scratch and my ideas do not always flow. I will have to do some brain storming and get more post in draft form.
It really does help Tad even if it’s one or two in draft it takes the pressure off
Make a note of post titles/post topics whenever an idea pops up…I find great ideas even while doing workout…My first job would be make a note of it with a paper and pencil…To my surprise in 10 days I had more than 300 post titles…So this helps
.-= infopediaonlinehere´s last blog ..Google App Engine technologies, Google App Engine SDK, Google cloud computing google app engine =-.
Excellent breakdown of how you run a blog. Gives me a few pointers of what I should be doing. Most importantly is I don’t back up my site…This just gave me a kick in the butt to start doing that.
I might try out your writing the post in wordpress. I like to open up a new word document for each post and write it there. Then cut-n-paste into the site. Maybe I’ll save a little time by trying your method.
.-= Steve Scott Site´s last blog ..Time to Nut Up or Shut Up =-.
Hey steve,
yeah I write my guest posts and tutorials in wordpress too
James:
This is great! Been wondering how you do it. Now I have set of priorities and structure. Thanks for pointing out the need to back up. Honestly I would never have thought to do it.
.-= Ouida Vincent´s last blog ..Robert Kiyosaki versus Suze Orman Smackdown =-.
Yeah it took me a while to figure it all out. if you need any help just shout
Groovy! My wife and I just had a new baby and so obviously my life has changed dramatically. It is harder and harder for me to do it everyday! So, I need to change things a bit. Your post is helpful! Thanks.
.-= Sal´s last blog ..Transmission Repair Cost =-.
Fantastic Sal, boy or girl? Is it your first?
Thank you for this post. I always used to believe that I could never be one of those people. A planner. Making excuses like I get more done when it’s not planned. Now at a ripe age I finally realize that you absolutely have to be one of those people to succeed at whatever it is that you do. This post really encouraged me to go even a step further with that line of thinking. Thank you
Hi Toya,
Glad you enjoyed that post. Stop back soon.
Brandon