How to Create More Content in Less Time
I know how stressful and time consuming it can be to write new content.
Between your blog, email, social media posts and all of the other content that you have to create it can take up a majority of your time each week.
Not only do you need to consistently create new content, but then you have to schedule it, create graphics and even promote it.
I want to stress though that your goal isn’t to just pump out more and more content.
You need to make sure that your focus is still on creating quality content that is valuable to your readers.
Since I can’t give you more time (wouldn’t that be amazing though!) I am going to share with your some of the things I do to create more content in less time.
Before you write any new content though you need to take the time to figure out what blog posts you should write.
You don’t want to waste time creating content that no one will read.
It has taken me years to get to a point where I feel like I have streamlined my content creation process.
The tips below will help you to have a more efficient content creation process for your blog.
How to create more content in less time
#1 - Use templates
This is by far one of the BEST things I have done to be able to create more content in less time.
I started using content templates a few years ago for both of my websites and it has made the writing process so much smoother.
Not only can I write more in less time, but I now have a process to follow that guides me as I create new content so I don’t forget any of the steps that need to be done.
I personally use Asana for my content templates because it allows me to systemize my blog posts.
In Asana, I have a project called Content and then I created a template with all of the tasks that I do while creating a new blog post.
I have sections for:
Before Writing
Writing the Post
Scheduling Post
Follow-up Post
Each of these has a series of tasks that I will complete when I am writing a new blog.
This makes it so easy to add deadlines and assign tasks that need to be done.
Each time I am ready to write a new blog post all I have to do is go into Asana and duplicate the template.
To make your own content template, make a list of all the tasks you do when writing a new blog post.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Research
Outline post
Write post
Edit post
Create graphics
Create lead magnet
Add in links
Finalize post
Schedule the posts
You can add these into your own template in Asana, or just create a checklist for yourself.
That way, you can follow the same content creation process each time you are ready to write new blog content.
I also make graphics templates for all of my blog post images using Canva.
All I have to do is go to Canva and copy the template I created for my Pinterest images and then change out the headline to git with my new blog post and I am done.
#2 - Batch tasks
Anytime I can batch my tasks together I save so much time. One thing I like to do is batch the writing process.
It makes creating content much less overwhelming.
Batching just means grouping like tasks together. You batch several different tasks together on your schedule to help you save time.
What I do is I will look at my content calendar and see what my upcoming blog post topics are and then create an outline for each one.
Instead of sitting down and writing the whole thing at one time, I will create several different post outlines.
I have found that I am much more creative when I make an outline and then come back to it when it is time to write.
This will also help to save a ton of time because you can follow a blog post outline - headline, intro, main stories/ideas, conclusion, call-to-action, content upgrade, etc. All you’ll have to do is fill in each of the pieces of the structure.
So I will batch this step of the process.
This works really well for my blog post graphics. Instead of just making them individually for each post. I will spend about a half an hour creating all of the images for my upcoming posts.
I like to batch the entire content creation process. I don’t get as distracted because I am not moving from task to task.
Batching is very motivating for me because of all the progress I make with each set of tasks.
Related: How to Batch Content
#3 - Use a content calendar
One of the best ways to write more content in less time is to have a schedule you can follow so you know exactly what you need to be doing,
I love seeing my entire month of content mapped out on a content calendar.
This helps me to stay organized and on track.
Once I have it all on my calendar I can then go back and add in deadlines for completion to hold myself accountable.
This is especially helpful if you feel like you don’t know what to blog about.
Having a content calendar is powerful because it takes the guesswork out of knowing what to write about.
You already took the time to research and plan the topics. All you’ll have to do is follow it.
Check out how to plan a year worth of content in an hour so you can create a content calendar for your blog.
#4 - Plan ahead
In order to have enough time to create all of your monthly content, you need to actually block off time in your schedule.
If you don’t you will never get around to writing new blog posts.
I used to be so guilty of making a to-do list and just putting write a blog post on it.
What would happen is I would continuously push this task back day after day because I would always run out of time.
I’ve learned that in order for it to happen, I have to plan ahead and schedule time in my calendar.
Go to your calendar right now and block off a couple of hours to create new content.
You don’t want to get caught up in the stress of writing a blog post the night before you wanted it to post on your site.
Once you get into a routine you will start to see that you can easily get ahead on your content because you MADE time to consistently write new content.
#5 - Use a timer
Using a timer helps me to write more content in less time because I stay focused on the task of writing.
I personally use Toggl to track my time for all of my blogging tasks, but when it comes to writing a new blog post I will allow myself a certain amount of time to just write.
When the timer goes off, I will stop and take a break. This is similar to the Pomodoro Method.
Doing this allows me to just write in the allotted time I gave myself without switching between tasks.
Then, I will take a small break and come back to it.
Seeing the amount of time I have left on the timer pushes me to keep writing instead of procrastinating and thinking that I can just write it later. Or, stopping and getting distracted scrolling through Facebook or Instagram.
I have also found that I can write so much more content when I am free of distractions. For me, I am much more creative when I take my laptop outside of my office to write new blog content.
It’s all about finding what works best for you. I hope you will try one of two of the things on this list to try so you can start to write more content in less time. It’s all about consistency so figure out small ways that you can cut back on time.
Comment and let me know what you do to streamline your content creation process.