Lovely Girl   +  secret

4 Shortcuts to Save Blogging Time

You know those weeks where you're running around so much you barely have time to breath, much less blog? Where dinner consists of a Luna bar and a banana hastily consumed on the way to the subway? This is going to be one of those weeks for me, so you probably won't hear much on this blog or if you email me (don't worry, I'm not dying, I just have a crazy few days coming up). I had this outline saved, so this seems like a good time to use it.

1. Don't moderate comments. Sounds risky, I know, but I tried it when I went on vacation, and it worked out great. No one left offensive or inappropriate comments, and readers didn't have to wait three days for me to slog through my email and approve their comments. Of course, the feasibility of this one will depend on the nature of your blog and the number of comments you get. I've decided to leave my settings the way they are to make it easier for everyone, but if it becomes a problem, I would not hesitate to moderate again.
2. Bookmark interesting articles for later. I could spend hours blog-hopping, commenting, and reading posts about a myriad of topics, but it won't improve my output as a writer or blogger. I try to keep the mindless surfing to a minimum by saving articles that look interesting in my delicious links. I can include these in a future blog post or read them later as a reward for finishing a task.
3. Write posts in advance. On days like today when I'm rushing out the door, I don't have time to wrack my brain for blog post ideas (my muse doesn't work on demand; she's fickle like that). You can write a few posts at once when you have the time, and then spread them out for posting later on.
4. Post via email. Yes, I know that all you WordPress users can publish things years into the future, but Blogger users cannot. I get around this by saving drafts in my email folder, then pressing send when I want to publish. Blogger has more detailed instructions on publishing via email here.

What's your time-saving secret weapon when it comes to blogging? Leave a comment, and tell us about it!