It’s 10 o’clock, you’re winding down for the evening then all of a sudden it hits you.

‘I didn’t post today.’

The shockwaves of emotion can be felt to the bone

Okay… thats a little bit excessive but have you ever been in that position?

Exhausted with the constant strain of pumping out content that never seems to end!

In the fast paced world of online content creation, every day counts.

In this game, consistency over the long run is key, and creating your content in a rush is one of the worst spots to put yourself in.

When you're in a rush to create content, it can be tough to produce high-quality work that engages your audience, and YOU.

What happens when we do this?

Poor Quality Work

When you're trying to create content quickly, mistakes can happen. Typos, errors, and a lack of coherence can make your content seem unprofessional and can actually hurt your credibility.

Inconsistency

It's tough to maintain a consistent publishing schedule when you're rushing to create content on the spot. This will make it harder to build an audience over time and keep them engaged.

Burnout

Constantly rushing to create content can take a toll on your mental and physical health. We have all heard of and most of us have experienced Burnout.

This is inevitable if you are always trying to tread water by keeping up with posts on a day to day basis. It can also negatively impact your creativity and motivation.

Lack of Creativity

When you're in a hurry, it can be tough to come up with fresh ideas and creative approaches to your content. This can make your content seem formulaic and unoriginal.

To avoid these struggles before they arise, its important to plan ahead and give yourself enough time to create high-quality content that will actually provide value to your audience.

Creating a buffer with our content can easily get us out of this sticky situation.

Now we understand all the reasons why you don’t want to be rushing your content, let’s figure out how to get a handle on things.

The Content Creation Loop

The ideal timeframe for scheduling content will vary depending on the type of content, the platform it will be published on, and your overall content strategy.

However, as a general guideline, I recommended clients to schedule content at least

1-2 weeks in advance as a personal brand

1-2 months in advance if you run a service or product business.

Now this next bit is something you are going to have to experiment with for yourself. I don’t know your current content creation capacity but here is how I break out of my loop.

1. Set a Goal

What platform are you going to create on?

• Pick one to start and scale from there

How many posts are you going to create?

• 2 weeks of content or a months worth.

Write down the number of posts you will be creating.

[For a quick breakdown of the posts for each platform you can check out last weeks article on Tackling Content Creation]

2. Work Backwards

Now that we have the number of posts we want to have pre-made before we start publishing it’s time to do a little life math.

How long do you think you will need to create the content?

• Keep in mind, it always takes longer than you think.

If you are in the midst of working a full time job, supporting a family, and have 1,346 other life responsibilities. You may only be able to allocate a limited amount of time for your content creation.

Remember we are trying to create a loop big enough for you to repeat.

Bare this in mind when moving to the next step

3. Set a Deadline

Its time to set a publishing deadline - SCARY I KNOW!

• You have your posts

• You have the time you can allocate to create them

From there you can figure out and set your first deadline.

If you’re still sat there thinking HOW?! - I’ll be honest, the first time you do this you are probably going to get it wrong as you are working off your best guess. But you have to start somewhere.

So complete the below:

By x date → I will have x number of posts created and scheduled.

If you are working on personal content these dates can seem daunting as they are self imposed.

I have found looking at ‘my work’ as if it was for a client has helped to stay away from the slippery slope of content creation anxiety which makes me push back deadlines on the basis that ‘it’s not ready’ or ‘I didn’t have time’.

4. Test It Out

At the end of the day this will be a process of iteration, and life has a funny way of interfering with our best laid plans.

We also have a tendency to over estimate how much we can get done in any given time block of work.

The idea here is to give yourself enough time to repeat the process before you run out of scheduled content.

Whether that takes you 2 weeks or 2 months is completely dependent on your schedule.

At the end of each loop you will want to review your process comparing what you planned to what actually happened.

That way moving into each next cycle you can you can adjust your schedule accordingly and over time steadily increase the amount of content you are creating as you get into the swing of things.

Google Calendar is your new best friend!

The most underrated FREE productivity tool right at your disposal.

When figuring out your timeline, open your calendar and fill in all your existing commitments.

• Work

• Family

• Social plans

• Upcoming travel dates etc…

Once that is all filled in you will easily be able to see where the spaces are left to allocate your content creation work.

Block off the time in 30-90 min blocks and get to it!

There are a few key reasons why I emphasise scheduling your content in advance.

Consistency

It ensures that you stay on track with a publishing schedule, which will help build trust with your audience, keep them engaged and grow your account over time.

Time Saving

By batch creating and scheduling your content in advance, you can save time in the long run and avoid last-minute scrambling.

Strategic Planning

It allows you to plan your content calendar strategically and ensure that your content aligns with your overall direction. Guiding your audience in a non needy way to the products and services you offer.

Flexibility

It gives you the flexibility to make any necessary adjustments or edits before publishing, ensuring that your content is high quality and relevant to your audience.

Improved Productivity

Once you get a hang of your content creation loop you will be able to reduce the time and effort required to maintain your content. This allows you to focus on other areas of your business or organisation.

If you are constantly working In your business when are you going to find the time to work On your business?

Ultimately, the most important thing is getting your content calendar in place with enough lead time to ensure that you can keep publishing high-quality content consistently without burning out.

If you’re still struggling to create your own content creation loop and stick to it, shoot me a DM and let’s have a look at how we can adjust your plan.

Maja Howard