Bookstagramming and Blogging can be overwhelming and discouraging. Unfortunately, I can’t help too much with the discouraging part, but I think I may be able to help with the overwhelming part. In today’s Organization 101 I’m going to give you some tips on how you can keep from getting overwhelmed in your blogging and bookstagramming and all that goes into it. We do these things because we enjoy books and the community so they should be fun not frustrating.
Be Efficient
One of the best things you can do is to use your time wisely. Do you really need three posts when one will do? If you have a bookstagram tour that requires a review, why not also post that review on your blog? Make your tour post, fit into the photo challenge you’re participating in.
Use a Template
I have a template for all of my common blog posts. I really only have to change out a few things, update the links and I’m done. What used to take me an hour now takes 20 minutes max, including review writing.
You can also do this with bookstagram photos. Use the same setup and change out the books and change the angle. Not only will this save time, but it will give your photos a common look. Now I’m not advocating that your photos should all be the same but If you had a few different setups this could work very well.
Say No
This is by far the hardest for me. I get asked to read and review a lot of books and I just can’t. It is better to say no upfront than make a promise you can’t keep. It is okay to say no to things if you are feeling overwhelmed. Maybe that even means taking a break to recharge. What’s important is not to take on too much. Know your limits.
Have a Plan
You don’t have to plan out everything about your posts, but having some sort of idea is extremely helpful if only to narrow down. I love using photo challenges for this. (If you are interested in a posting schedule, check out last month’s post.) Not only do they help me figure out what to post, but they keep me from just posting the same books over and over again. I also have a loose blog posting schedule. Certain days of the week or month are for certain posts. This again helps me figure out what to write about, which for me is one of the hardest things to figure out.
On my blog, I tend to post four to five review posts a week. Which means that I generally read four to five books a week. How do I read that many books and not spend all of my time reading? I set nightly reading goals. I admit I am a fast reader, to begin with, but even still without my nightly reading goal, I would never finish that many books.
Stop comparing
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” I know I’m not the only one who hits some sort of milestone and then looks at someone else and thinks this is fine but this person has … Stop comparing yourself to others, you are not them. We all have lives outside of the community that should come first. Remember this should be fun.