Browsing Tag

organisation

Blogging

Organising Your Review Pile

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Something I’ve struggled in the past with is reading books in time for publication date, and being able to talk about a book as soon as the day of publication. Usually my review pile stacks higher and higher and eventually it becomes way too big too manage. This year, however, I’ve worked out a system to get me more organised than ever before.

Step One: Designate your review books their own section on your bookshelf

Before I’d chuck all of my review books onto my main TBR pile and it got SO confusing. Visibility is key to organisation when it comes to your review pile, and once I cleared space for my review books it became so much easier.

In my case, I’ve got two sections for my review books: published in 2015 and not published in 2015. This means that I know which books I’ve missed from previous years that I can slowly catch up on, and I can still check up on the books that are yet to be published.

Step Two: Organise your books into order of publication

I first set out all of my January books into a pile and organised which would be published first during the month and so on. Once January was finished, I could move on to February and it was a gradual process to make sure I had them in exactly the right order. Goodreads is a great way to find out the exact dates, and you can also check on press releases if you received one with the book!

Step Three: Constant upkeep.

It’s no good organising it once and then leaving it! As soon as books drop through my letterbox, I first add them to my haul pile and then once my book haul has been recorded, I’ll add them to my review shelf. Upkeep is such an important step in being organised!

How do you organise your review pile?

Blogging

Blog Organisation

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Whilst I think of myself as incredibly disorganised, I’ve often been told that I am, in fact, organised. When it comes to blogging, there are a few things I do in order to make sure I have control over all of the upcoming things on my blog.

Notebooks, notebooks and more notebooks

I have thousands of notebooks where I write down all of my blog post ideas, schedules and plans. I find it much easier to get ideas from my head on to paper than to write them down electronically, and I can arrange things easily too. Even though many of my notebooks are incredibly messy, I love seeing the progression from post to publish. It’s amazing how a tiny scribble can turn into a full-fledged post!

Calendars

Having some form of calendar or diary to write a schedule into is organisation at its best. Without mine, I wouldn’t have any idea when to put posts live and it’s also handy for blog tours, projects and Twitter chats. I know people who use Google Docs as a good calendar; I prefer to write big monthly calendars onto an A3 piece of paper, but I do occasionally use the calendar in my phone.

Bulk taking photos

Whether for the blog or to post on Instagram, I love taking advantage of a sunny morning and taking photos all in one go. Then I can edit them later and they’re ready to upload!

Time management

Spend one day a month focusing entirely on your blog, an afternoon a week commenting on blogs, or a weekend scheduling posts. Time management is key when blogging! Whilst Twitter is fun, it’s not always productive. Allocate yourself a set time, turn off any distractions, and get your blogging done!

Do what’s best for you

Create your own routine and figure out how you work best. Don’t force blogging or it will come across in your posts! Organisation is something all of us lack at times, so making sure you know when your productivity levels will be highest will hugely benefit you.

How do you make sure you stay organised?