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I am one of the least organized content creators out there. It took me years to realize that for things like “Mer-May” or “Inktober” artists actually create the work in advance and post on those dates…I thought they were making everything the night before or day of…because too often that is how I work! But don’t be like me—be like the organized artists who prep a bit in advance. I’m slow to adapt to content planning and I still like my “off the cuff” style of posting, but even I am working on a loose schedule to try to stay organized and share all of the ideas I have. Content planning is just what the name implies; it involves building a strategy to your content. Having a schedule, working in batches, and having work prepped days or even weeks before you plan to put it live. Think of it like meal prep. You make a list of all the things you want to cook in a week, then you buy all the ingredients you need for every meal, and on days you have more free time you cook more than one meal and freeze it for another day to eat. Instead of running to the grocery store every day you save time by only going once and on days you're especially strapped for time you have a handy meal already in the freezer.
I used to think content planning was counter intuitive to creativity, but I've come to realize it can be very helpful for creatives. It's not a meant to change my content or creative vision, it's a tool to help me share all of the ideas I have.
Content planning is on my mind because we are coming up on a very popular season (especially online): autumn. From colorful leaves to apple cider donuts to everything spooky, this is one of the busiest seasons for many creatives. There’s costumes to make, nostalgic movies to watch, pumpkins to carve, etc. One of the ways to make the most out of this season as a person or a creative is by building a schedule or content plan. Just like you might need to organize your day to fit in work, errands, self care, house cleaning, dog walking, etc—you also need to organize and plan your time when it comes to being creative.
Start simple by making a list of what you want to accomplish or create. Make a note of how long each project will take and when it needs to be done. From here you can start to organize your schedule or build a plan on when to start so that you can finish everything on time. Some people might advise certain apps or journals, but what works for everyone will be different. I do best with a simple to do list and marking my calendar with key “due/live” dates. Having a target to meet helps you set aim and achieve all your goals. As you start to get organized you might even find yourself being more prolific in your work.
All the best,
Rebecca
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