I used to think blogging was simply sitting down and writing a blog post.

It really isn’t.

There is the planning, coming up with ideas, writing, editing, SEO, taking photos, scheduling the post and then, of course, promoting it once it is live. When you add a job, family life and everything else that comes with being a busy mum, finding the time to do all of that can become a little overwhelming.

That is why I plan a month of blog content in one sitting.

Well, technically, planning all the titles takes me about a day. But once that day is done, I have a much clearer idea of what I am doing for the next month.

For me, it makes blogging feel much more manageable.

Why I plan my blog content a month ahead

I publish two blog posts a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That means I need roughly eight blog posts planned every month.

If I don’t plan ahead, I find myself scrambling.

I’ve done it before, and honestly, I don’t enjoy it. When I’m rushing to get a blog post finished, I know I could have done a better job. The writing might feel rushed, the photos aren’t always what I wanted them to be, and afterwards I can feel disappointed with the result.

That is exactly what I don’t want.

I also like having at least a week done in advance. If I know the following week’s posts are written, photographed, SEO-checked and scheduled, I don’t have to spend my evenings worrying about what I am supposed to be publishing.

Instead, I can actually enjoy my time.

And that is one of the biggest reasons I plan ahead. Blogging is something I enjoy, but I don’t want it to take over all of my free time. I want time to spend with my friends and family and to actually do the things I love.

Planning ahead gives me that breathing room.

I start with the titles

When I sit down to plan my month, I don’t start by writing.

I start with the titles.

I usually do this on a weekend at the beginning of the month. I’ll sit at the kitchen table with my spreadsheet, put some music on and start working through my ideas.

I don’t normally sit down with eight fully formed ideas already sitting in my head. I work through them one by one.

Some ideas come from my own life. This is actually where a lot of my content comes from. Something might happen, I might go somewhere, try something, buy something or simply have a thought and suddenly think, “That could be a blog post.”

Other times, I will have an idea sitting in my head for a while before I decide what to do with it.

I also keep a separate list of future blog ideas. There are usually dozens of ideas sitting there, so I am rarely completely stuck for something to write about.

And when I really am stuck?

I’ll ask AI to help me brainstorm.

That doesn’t mean I take the first suggestion and run with it. There is usually a lot of debating, going backwards and forwards and deciding whether something actually sounds like me before I settle on an idea.

AI can help me get started, but I still want the final idea to feel like something I would genuinely write.

I look at the month as a whole

Once I have some ideas, I start thinking about the month as a whole.

I like to look at my main blog topics and make sure I am not filling an entire month with the exact same type of content.

My blog covers the things I enjoy writing about, so I want there to be a mixture rather than eight posts that all feel the same.

I also think about what is happening during the month.

Are there any events coming up?

Has something just happened?

Is there something seasonal that makes sense?

Sometimes an upcoming event will give me an obvious idea. Other times, I might decide that a post fits better after something has happened because then I have my own photos and experience to include.

For example, if I’ve been somewhere or done something that I think would make an interesting post, I would rather write about it afterwards than try to plan everything before I’ve actually experienced it.

That makes the post much more personal.

My spreadsheet keeps me organised

Once I’ve decided on my ideas, I put everything into my spreadsheet.

I keep it fairly simple. I don’t colour-code everything or make it look fancy because, honestly, too many colours just distract me.

My spreadsheet includes things such as:

  • The topic
  • The blog title
  • A description of what the post will be about
  • The date it is planned for
  • Where I am in the process

The description is useful because it gives me a quick reminder of what I actually wanted to talk about when I came up with the title.

I don’t put every little detail into it. I just need enough information to remind me where I was going with the idea.

I also don’t put my focus keyphrase, meta description or photo details into the spreadsheet. I work on those later when I am actually preparing each individual post.

The spreadsheet is really there to help me see the bigger picture.

Then I move everything into WordPress

Once I have my monthly plan, I move over to WordPress.

If I can, I like to get the posts set up and scheduled as early as possible. Having the dates already in place means I know what is coming and I can work towards those deadlines instead of constantly wondering what I should be writing next.

This is also where I have made my fair share of mistakes.

I have scheduled posts for the wrong dates more times than I would like to admit!

When you are scheduling several posts at once, it is surprisingly easy to click the wrong date. So checking the schedule before I walk away from it has become an important part of my process.

I work on SEO while I prepare each post

If you’ve never heard of SEO before, it stands for search engine optimization.

In simple terms, it is about helping search engines understand what your content is about so that your blog posts have a better chance of being found by people searching for that information.

I don’t try to make SEO overly complicated.

I use Yoast to help me work through the basics when I am preparing my posts. It gives me things to think about, such as my focus keyphrase, meta description, links, headings and readability.

I normally decide on my focus keyphrase while I am planning the individual post rather than doing keyword research before I choose every single title.

Sometimes the keyphrase is obvious from the topic. Other times, I need to think about how someone might actually search for the information I am writing about.

But I also don’t want SEO to take over the post.

I still want to write for a real person.

If I write something that sounds unnatural just because I am trying to fit a keyword into every possible sentence, it isn’t going to sound like me.

So my approach is to write the useful content first and then make sure I’ve covered the SEO basics.

The photos are another part of the process

Writing the blog post is only one part of my workflow.

I also need photos.

And this can take much longer than people might realise.

Writing one blog post can take me a day or two, but taking the photos can take over a week.

I don’t necessarily take all of my photos on the same day. Sometimes I need the right weather, the right lighting, the right outfit or simply the right opportunity.

This is another reason why planning ahead matters so much to me.

If I know what I am writing about, I also know what sort of photos I need.

I can plan them instead of suddenly realizing the day before publication that I don’t have anything suitable.

When I am rushed, this is where I notice the difference. I have taken photos in a rush before and then felt disappointed because I knew they weren’t as good as they could have been.

I’d much rather give myself time.

My blog photos and Instagram are separate

My blog and Instagram work together, but I don’t necessarily use exactly the same content for both.

My photos are mainly for my blog, while videos are useful for Instagram Reels.

Once the blog is finished, I can use the content and photos as part of my Instagram marketing as well.

I don’t always plan that promotion at the exact same time as the blog. I usually come back to it later.

For me, it is another example of why having the blog itself organised first makes everything else easier.

I don’t plan too far ahead

You might think that if planning a month works so well, I should plan three or six months in advance.

I don’t.

I actually prefer not to plan too far ahead.

Things change.

Plans change. My interests change. Something might happen in my life that would make a much more interesting blog post than something I had originally planned.

I’ve changed my content plans many times because of this.

Maybe there is a birthday, an outing or something unexpected that happens that I think would make a better post.

I’m perfectly happy to move things around.

Planning a month ahead gives me structure without making me feel trapped by a schedule.

What I have learned from planning ahead

The biggest thing I have learned is that planning doesn’t have to mean making everything rigid.

I still change my plans.

I still have weeks where things don’t go exactly how I expected.

And I still have days when I stare at my ideas and wonder what on earth I am going to write.

But having that overall plan makes those moments much easier to deal with.

I also think it is important to be realistic about how much you can actually produce.

If you are new to blogging, you don’t need to plan eight posts because that is what I do.

Start with four.

Plan one month of content at a time and see how it feels.

You don’t need a complicated content management system either. A basic spreadsheet is enough.

The important thing is having somewhere to put your ideas and being able to see what you are working towards.

My simple monthly blog planning process

If I had to break my process down, it would look something like this:

1. Think about my blog topics
I look at the areas I normally write about and what I want to share that month.

2. Come up with my titles
I aim for around eight titles because I publish twice a week.

3. Think about the month
I look at upcoming events, recent experiences, seasonal ideas and anything happening in my own life.

4. Add everything to my spreadsheet
I include the topic, title and a short description of what I want the post to cover.

5. Move the plan into WordPress
I set up and schedule the posts where possible.

6. Write each post
I work through the content one post at a time.

7. Work on SEO
I choose my focus keyphrase, write the meta description, check my headings, links and readability and work through Yoast.

8. Plan and take my photos
Because photos can take over a week, I give myself plenty of time.

9. Publish and promote
Once the post is live, I can then use it as part of my Instagram marketing.

That is basically it.

Nothing fancy.

Just a spreadsheet, WordPress, a lot of ideas and a little bit of organisation.

Why planning a month of blog content works for me

For me, the biggest benefit isn’t actually having eight blog titles sitting in a spreadsheet.

It is knowing what I am doing.

When the month is planned, I don’t have to spend every week wondering what I should write about. I can concentrate on writing the post, taking the photos and getting everything ready.

It also means I can give each post the time it deserves.

I’m not rushing the writing.

I’m not scrambling for photos.

And I’m not sitting at the kitchen table late at night trying to come up with an idea because I forgot what I was supposed to publish that week.

Instead, I can get ahead.

And when you’re balancing blogging with work, family and everyday life, that makes a huge difference.

You don’t need to plan everything

If you are a blogger who currently plans each post a few days before publishing it, I’m not saying you have to completely change your system.

But if you constantly feel like you are scrambling, try planning one month ahead.

You don’t even have to plan the entire post.

Just start with the titles.

Spend a few hours, or even a day, getting your ideas down. Put them into a simple spreadsheet and see how it feels to have the next few weeks mapped out.

You can always change them.

You can always move a post.

You can always replace an idea with something better.

That is what I like about planning a month of blog content. It gives me structure without taking away the fun of blogging.

And once I have that plan finished, I can get back to the part I actually enjoy — creating the content.

Most importantly, planning ahead gives me more time to spend with my friends and family and doing the things I love.

And honestly, that makes the time spent sitting at my kitchen table planning a month of blog content completely worth it.

 

I share more real-life moments from single motherhood, Ontario adventures, everyday style, food finds, and behind-the-scenes blogging over on Instagram. 

Come say hello: @lifeofgem28 

If you enjoyed reading this blog post as much as I enjoyed writing it, you may enjoy reading one of these other blog posts:

Why blogging is the perfect side hustle for single mums

The Truth About Blogging: The Time, Money, and Work Behind Building a Blog

Trying to Build a Blog While Raising Someone: The Reality of Blogging as a Single Mum