Five Steps to Have Your Blog Run Without You Over The Holidays

Photograph by Natalya Zaritskaya on Unsplash

This can be a visitor contribution from The Suitcase Entrepreneur, Natalie Sisson.

December is a particular time of the 12 months. It’s a time for reflection, for planning and for new beginnings.

It’s additionally a superb time to do some critical (however enjoyable) overhauls of your current weblog and enterprise, in time for a contemporary begin within the New Yr.

Extra importantly, it’s the proper time to make sure that whenever you go to take your a lot deserved break day, all that onerous work you’ve poured into your weblog and on-line enterprise in the course of the 12 months doesn’t simply fall over in a heap.

I’m speaking horny programs and good future planning right here.

So let’s get began we could?

Based on City Dictionary the time period Xmas Trimmings refers to:

• something used or serving to brighten or full;
• an accompaniment or garnish to a important dish;
• items lower off in trimming, clipping, paring, or pruning.

So how does apply to our each day work?

• What initiatives are you going to finish earlier than the 12 months finish
• What are you able to polish up, adorn and ‘giftwrap’ that already exists
• What are you at present doing that you may add to with a bonus, or accompaniment that can solely make it much more engaging to your viewers
• What are you able to cease doing, eliminate or clear up as you see out 2021?
• How are you going to put the ending touches on the work you’ve accomplished and can do?

I’m going to take you thru every of those so that you’ve got 5 steps and actions to work on this month, and when you’ve accomplished them, you’ll really feel like a rockstar and waltz into your vacation with zero to fret about….a minimum of that’s the plan!

Step 1. Have a look at what initiatives you need or want to finish

Bear in mind in January whenever you checked out your grand plan for the 12 months forward and felt all of it was potential? Yeah that plan….did you check out it lately? If that’s the case how a lot of it did you obtain?

In the event you’re like 99% of individuals, I’m guessing round 1/fifth truly acquired achieved, maybe much less.

Unhappy however true, we aren’t superhuman, which is why in our overzealous rose tinted glasses that we placed on at New Yr, we expect this 12 months will likely be completely different and we are going to obtain the whole lot.

So, if you happen to nonetheless have vitality to burn, and a want to extra this month than you’ve gotten in your complete 12 months, I urge you to have a look at which of these initiatives you CAN truly sort out earlier than 12 months finish?

• Which of these initiatives have you ever merely been procrastinating on?
• Which ought to have by no means made the listing that you may scratch utterly?
• Which might be fast wins that might truly make a giant distinction to your 12 months finish financials or sense of accomplishment?

These are the initiatives you wish to give attention to, drop the remaining. And I’d advise to choose simply 1-2 to be sincere. Why? As a result of in round two weeks your time is not going to be your personal anymore. It would get overtaken by events, mates, household, vacation distractions and planning.

So be real looking. Your time is proscribed and valuable.

Then take motion:

Take the chosen few initiatives, put them in your planning/ productiveness software of alternative.

(I extremely suggest Asana and that you just learn The Ultimate Guide on How to Use Asana to Become a Productivity and Task Management Genius.)

Map out a end date, and work backwards from there with all of the little duties and issues it’s important to do in an effort to make this venture a actuality.

Get an accountability associate, or guess a pal that you are able to do it. Make the stakes excessive in order that you’ll completely commit to creating it occur …or inform your youngsters you didn’t purchase them any presents since you misplaced a guess – your name.

Take each different to do listing merchandise OFF your plate, and put it on another person’s – ideally a digital assistant or workforce member, or rent in a contractor to complete up these pesky but essential duties which were in your to-do listing since September.

Step 2. Polish up, adorn and ‘giftwrap’ what already exists

This step is my private favorite. I’ve lately launched my new model identification and relaunched my web site. This train in itself was a superb train in seeing all of the alternatives I’ve been lacking on my weblog and in my enterprise.

As I went by all 110 pages on my web site to see if, actually, they had been crucial, I acquired to return by years price of initiatives, merchandise, programs, or initiatives I had launched and see which of these may very well be resurrected from the previous.

I imply why reinvent the wheel, if you happen to already had a reasonably superior automobile that was working for you? You simply must carry out the newest mannequin that’s slicker, quicker and extra environment friendly, proper?

The identical goes for all these weblog posts you’re sitting on. Go to Google Analytics and have a look at the highest 10 weblog posts that carry you essentially the most visitors. Spend a wet (or sunny) afternoon at your favorite location, going by them and seeing:

• What you’ll be able to replace copy/ content material clever
• What name to motion it’s essential embrace
• Some other posts you’ll be able to hyperlink to inside your weblog
• What alternatives are there to make some cash – from your personal choices or these of associates

Then do an superior spherical up publish in your web site on the highest 10 weblog posts you to learn earlier than the 12 months finish (I’d steal my very own thought!).

Now have a look at which of these weblog posts, or movies, podcasts, workshops, webinars or talking occasions you’ll be able to repurpose into one thing contemporary and worthwhile, however in a special format.

You’ll be able to flip audio into written content material, video into audio, video right into a mini course, emails right into a weblog posts, webinars right into a eBook….the listing is limitless!

And all of this current ‘stuff’ you’re sitting on and have now polished up and reward wrapped, now makes for an superior…..

Step 3. Add an attractive bonus or accompaniment in your tribe

Yep, bonus or accompaniment in your group and prospects. In the event you ran a weblog problem and other people liked it, now you get to observe up with a ten Web page eBook that covers off on the details of that problem that they’ll purchase as a present for themselves or for a pal for Xmas – helpful!

Or you’ll be able to launch a pre vacation information of superior which is a collection of your finest bonuses (that you just’ve simply uncovered in your spring clear up) that has given you a complete new lease of life, and additional income, for the vacations and into 2022.

It is best to contemplate writing a weblog publish or recording a video or audio spherical up of your favorite:

• Books you’ve learn in 2021
• Podcasts you pay attention to every week
• Finest TEDx talks you’ve seen
• Coolest instruments you’ve introduced and love
• Finest programs or software program that’s modified your enterprise
• Reward concepts for Xmas associated to your enterprise
• 3, 5, 10 or prime 100 belongings you’ve discovered this 12 months

That’s a bonus that can simply carry on giving!

Step 4. Cease.  Consider. Motion.

On condition that the above three steps are all about taking motion and gaining huge momentum heading into the vacations, you additionally want to contemplate what you will cease doing to suit this in.

What are you going to maintain, eliminate or clear up too?

That is the proper time of the 12 months to undergo your on-line and offline folders and type out what the heck you’re hanging on to these information, movies, pictures, pictures, unread books, half shaped concepts or junk for?

Critically all that stuff clogs up your house, and your mindspace too. I’m a minimalist at coronary heart and fairly organized, however even I’ve amassed extra ‘stuff’ then I must.

As I drop utilizing Dropbox, and switch the whole lot over to Google Drive this month, I’m comfortable to report I really feel lots lighter, freer and much more organized as I delete and trim the quantity of issues I’ve been storing, that has no enterprise being in my enterprise – if you happen to get what I imply.

What are you going to systemize?

That is additionally a good time to have a look at all these information, paperwork and begin creating horny SOPs – that’s normal working procedures. Which is a flowery approach of claiming placing collectively a doc that states precisely how a process or course of needs to be accomplished, step-by-step.

The purpose of this, even when it sounds tedious is, that subsequent time you go to format, edit and publish your weblog publish simply the way in which you love to do it in 17 steps….you’ll be able to delegate it utterly to somebody instantly, over the vacations or within the New 12 months, who following your SOP, ought to be capable to do it simply the way in which you prefer it.

Then think about what it would really feel like whenever you’ve created SOPs for the highest 10 duties that you just do each single day in your enterprise, and the way a lot freedom you’ll have whenever you hand these over, protected within the data that you’ve got programs that work FOR you when you’re on vacation (and on a regular basis).

Step 5. Put the ending touches in your 2022 12 months

By now you need to be reaching for the champagne or that therapeutic massage voucher you’ve handled your self to, as you’ll be in critically nice form, or getting near having a vacation prepared enterprise and weblog.

And never only for this era, however without end extra. Certain you’re going to need to work at it, and hold sorting, streamlining and trimming. However it is going to be price it, and it’ll additionally get simpler the extra readily you do it.

Which leads me to placing the ending touches in your 2022 plans. What higher approach to do that than to plan out your complete Editorial, Content material and Advertising and marketing Calendar for the entire of, or a minimum of the primary three months of 2022?

You can use my FREE Editorial Calendar template here.

Which will sound daunting, however because you’ve already accomplished steps 1-4 you’re already forward of the sport, as a result of by all of your sorting, sifting, analysing and cleansing up, you must know now what your viewers and prospects actually need.

So now you get to flesh it out right into a full calendar so that you just really feel tremendous organized and in management for the 12 months forward. Then you definately put that into Asana or Trello or a large wall calendar, and also you delegate.

Sure you type out who the heck goes to work on making that occur when you’re off on vacation.

Flip to these SOPs you’ve created, to the onerous work you’ve simply accomplished to complete all these initiatives, to overturn all the good sources and content material you’re sitting on, and put somebody to work who can provide you all of your Christmases directly, with a giant fats purple bow on it!

I share how to do that in my free video coaching Reclaim 10 Hours a Week and Double Your Revenue.

This publish was first printed on Dec 6, 2016 and up to date Dec 2, 2021.