How I Stay On Top Of My To Do List As A Travel Blogger - Part 2
Happy Friday, everyone! We’ve made it through the week and the weekend is in sight once more - woohoo. My week has been a pretty productive one which is lucky, as if you read Monday’s post you’ll know that I had lots on my travel blogging to do list. I’ve also spent three days in London for work and have had lots of life admin to get through too, so I’ve definitely been having to use my best organisational tips and tricks.
So, let’s see how I got on with that to do list, shall I?
1) Schedule social media
Scheduling social media has to be my least favourite task, and for that very reason I like to get it out of the way first! I was on an 8am train to London on Monday morning, and I spent the first hour of the trip scheduling away, before cracking on with my day’s work.
I’m a big believer that you should always get your worst task crossed off the list first. Not only will your list seem less daunting afterwards, but you’ll also have a bit of momentum behind you to drive you through the rest of the list.
2) Book train tickets to London
Next on my list was booking our train tickets to London - a task that sounds rather simple, but can actually take a while when trying to line up mine and my husband’s schedules! We agreed on the dates and times on Monday morning before I left for work, and I then used my train journey home to get them booked.
Having our travel sorted has made me feel like I can finally start looking forward to our trip, plus booking in advance with Virgin Trains on the East Coast saved us money too. So much so, we managed to bag a first class ticket for one leg of our trip and it cost less than I usually pay for a normal ticket - score!
3) Do some research for our trip to Barcelona
This task was perhaps the most enjoyable item on my to do list! I really love researching the destinations we visit before we get there as it not only makes me excited for the trip, but it also gives me a stronger sense of the kind of content I’d like to create while I’m there.
Sam and I curled up on the sofa on Tuesday evening, put the Barcelona episode of Travel Man on the telly and flicked through our guidebooks and multiple blog posts. We’ve now got a solid list of everything we want to do while we’re in the city next weekend - I can’t wait!
4) Edit photos from our trip to Liverpool
Editing photos is a task that always takes way longer than I imagine, and I don’t find it super enjoyable either. So rather than sitting down and doing it all at once, I like to break the task up. On Monday I made sure that I transferred all of the photos from my camera to my phone, and then whenever I’ve had a spare ten minutes this week, I’ve edited a photo or two.
I use the VSCO app on my phone to edit my photos, and it makes it super easy to do it on the go. This week, I’ve found myself editing photos on the tube, while I waited for the bus and sitting on the sofa watching The Crown. Breaking the task down makes it less overwhelming!
5) Write 4 x blog posts
The last task on my list was both the most enjoyable and the most time consuming. Writing is my favourite thing about being a blogger, and it’s the thing that makes me want to keep this hobby up no matter how busy I get. That being said, it’s also the task that can’t be rushed!
At the start of every week, I try to look at my calendar and block out any pockets of time where I can spend an hour or so writing. Sometimes I will get two posts written in that time, and sometimes I’ll barely get a paragraph down, but having those chunks of time blocked out helps me get into the zone and get the writing done.
This week, I got up an hour earlier on two days to write, used a lunch hour to finish a post and made the most of Sam being out one evening to power through the rest. Those pockets of time will change every week, but they can always be found if you look hard enough!
So, that’s how I stay on top of my to do list as a travel blogger! I hope these posts have given you a little bit of insight into what goes on behind the scenes of this blog, and hopefully you’ve also gleaned a couple of little tips about how to get on top of your to do list too.
* This post was sponsored by Virgin Trains on the East Coast – however, all views and to do lists are very much my own.