[FAQ]

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to become more consistent with my blog this year, and I keep hearing that having a content calendar is absolutely essential. The thing is, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed about how to actually start one from scratch in 2025.

What’s a practical process for this? How do you typically brainstorm topics, decide what to post and when, and what key information do you include in the calendar for each post? I’m also curious about what tools people prefer – is a simple spreadsheet good enough, or do most of you use a project management tool like Trello or Asana?

Any tips on building a system that actually works would be greatly appreciated!

[Jeff Bullas]

Creating and managing a content calendar is a fundamental practice for any serious blogger. It transforms your blogging from a reactive hobby into a strategic operation, helping you to be consistent, organised, and focused on your goals.

The process can be broken down into a few key steps. First, you need to define your content pillars or main categories. These are the core 3 to 5 topics that your blog will consistently cover. This ensures your content remains focused on your niche and builds authority in those specific areas.

Second, you should brainstorm a list of potential blog post ideas that fall under each of your content pillars. Think about the common questions your audience asks, the problems they face, and the keywords they might be using in search engines. Keep this as a running “idea bank” that you can pull from at any time.

Third, you need to choose a tool for your calendar. This does not need to be complex or expensive. A simple spreadsheet using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel is perfectly adequate for many bloggers. Alternatively, a visual project management tool like Trello or Asana, both of which have excellent free plans, can be very effective for tracking the status of each post. The best tool is simply the one you find easiest to use consistently.

Fourth, you can begin to schedule your ideas onto the calendar. Decide on a realistic posting frequency for your blog, for instance, once or twice per week. Start populating the calendar with your post topics, aiming to plan at least one month in advance if possible. When scheduling, consider any relevant seasons, holidays, or industry events.

For each entry in your calendar, you should include at least the planned publication date, the working title of the blog post, its current status (such as ‘Idea’, ‘Drafting’, ‘Editing’, or ‘Scheduled’), and which main content pillar it belongs to. You can also add other useful details like the primary target keyword for SEO, notes for the call-to-action, and ideas for social media promotion for that post.

To manage the calendar effectively, treat it as a living document. It is not meant to be rigid, so be flexible enough to move posts around if a more timely or relevant topic arises. Review it regularly, perhaps once a week, to track your progress and plan your upcoming tasks. Using the calendar to “batch” your work, for example by dedicating time to outlining several posts at once, is also a very efficient way to work.

A content calendar is a simple but powerful tool. By defining your topics, brainstorming ideas, choosing a simple tool, and scheduling your posts, you create the structure needed for long-term blogging success.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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