How To Optimize Your Schedule With Batch Content Creation
By: John Teehan
Tags: Work, Productivity, Content Creation, Advice, Writing

How To Optimize Your Schedule With Batch Content Creation

Art by Leni Kauffman, courtesy of blush.design.

It’s not uncommon for content creators to struggle with continuously creating new material. The call for fresh content is always there. If you want to continue generating revenue, it’s that valuable content you regularly provide that forms your brand’s base as a writer, or whatever content you’re selling.

So what to do when the prospect of a daily creation grind starts to get to you? On top of that, what if your daily task of creating new content is interfering with advancement on other, more ambitious projects?

Batch content creation — or “content batching” — may be a solution you’d like to try.

An intro to content batching

In the simplest terms, content batching is sitting down and committing to producing the bulk of your week or month’s content in a single day.

Does this sound familiar? It might.

A common social media hack takes the same approach. That is, to create an entire week or month’s social media content within the space of a few intense hours.

Content batching is the same concept — just on a slightly larger scale.

Different content creators approach this in different ways, but the essence remains the same. Podcast creators will script or record a month’s worth of podcasts at once. A weekly blogger could get the month’s blogging done in a single day, leaving the rest of the month open to other projects. A daily blogger could do the same thing, only applied to their weekly schedule. That still frees up a lot of time.

What can you do with that extra time? You could focus on brand building, or maybe that book you’ve been planning. It’s an excellent time to focus on product launches if that’s your thing, or looking at other income streams for your existing content. By batching your content creation, you gain great potential to expand your business.

Art by Leni Kauffman, courtesy of blush.design.

Planning your content batching

First things first. Pick a day for your content batching session. Whether you’re going weekly or monthly, I’d choose a day in the middle or nearer to the end of the week or month you’re planning your content for. This ensures you have the material written, edited, and pre-loaded ahead of time.

You know your schedule better, so choose which will work best for you. Just bear in mind that not only can you change your approach to content release, but you can experiment a bit as well to see what yields the best responses.

Before your batching session, set time aside to brainstorm your ideas. Even if you only need ten ideas, try to write out twenty. This way, if you get stuck, instead of banging your head against the desk, you can move on to a different, more accessible idea.

If you’re content creation is a bit more involved — such as a video or podcast — make sure your “idea day” is early enough so you can arrange wherever you’re going to need for your batching day. This could include interviewees, video clips, relevant graphics, etc.

It’s content batching day

The biggest challenge you’re likely to face on your content batching day — especially if this is a new process for you — is maintaining focus and avoiding distraction.

The key is being thoughtful about how you set up your work environment.

Always choose a day free of other commitments. For instance, Saturday in our household is family day. This means trips to the petting zoo, visiting playgrounds, walking on the beach, or board games if the weather makes outdoor events too challenging. Therefore, I’d never schedule my content batching on Saturday.

I have sanding commitments away from my home for a few hours (and home office) on Mondays and Wednesdays. Friday is when I do the grocery shopping and other weekly household chores. That leaves me Tuesday and Thursday. I usually schedule my content batching on Thursdays.

Art by Leni Kauffman, courtesy of blush.design.

Your schedule will be different, so plan accordingly.

As for all those other days, I’m still pretty productive, but that work is done in smaller batches spread over the day. With content batching, I’m after a single, committed marathon session with no interruption.

Your setting is important. No TV. No podcasts. Maybe some light music if that helps. Make sure your work area is comfortable and relatively private. Have your lunch or snacks prepared ahead of time.

Right now, write a list of potential distractions and then spend the day or two before your content batching day to do what you can to remove these potential problems or mentally prepare yourself to ignore them.

Finally, consult your list of content creation projects, and get to work. Try to have time limits in mind for each piece of content and set alarms. This will help keep you focused as well.

It may take a few tries

If I had any word of warning regarding this process, it would be that content batching shouldn’t be used as an excuse to let lousy work go out the door. If what you’ve written or created isn’t up to standard, don’t release it into the world just yet. You may need to revisit the piece over the next day or two to revise and refine as necessary.

Over time, you should find that the need to do this will lessen as you become more skilled at creating whole batches of content in one sitting.

Don’t be surprised if your first few attempts at having a content batching day don’t work out as well as you hoped. That’s okay. Any skill takes practice.

If you don’t think you’re quite ready for full-on content batching, try batching your social media for practice. See where your strengths and weaknesses are in the process, and adjust accordingly.

Art by Leni Kauffman, courtesy of blush.design.

The takeaway

By focusing solely on content batching once a week or a couple of days a month, you then have the rest of that week or month to concentrate on additional projects. Instead of dividing your focus every day of the week, you sharpen your focus on specific days for specific goals.

Try to have fun. Don’t look at content batching as a chore or obligation. If you’re creating content, you’re likely doing so because you enjoy it — or at least some aspect of it. Hold on to that enjoyment.

And happy creating!