If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Photo by aussiegall

I was wondering what blogging/productivity subject to tackle today, when I saw a meme over at Real Life. Sarah tagged everyone who read her post, so I thought I’d participate with 7 tools I use for Productivity.

To be productive, you don’t really need an elaborate system, but the proper tools can help a lot. Here are some of my favorites.

1. A small notebook. I keep a small notebook in my purse at all times. I also leave a little notebook laying on my desk at home. Whenever I come up with an idea for a great blog post, I write it down. When I think of something that I need to do later, I write it down. I don’t worry about categories, neatness, organization or anything else. I just write down my ideas. That way I know I’ll remember them later.

2. A Purse Sized Calendar. I also take a calendar everywhere I go. I write down every appointment that I make while I’m in town, so I can transfer it to my home calendar later. I also write down any commitments from my home calendar on my purse calendar. That way when I’m setting up my daughter’s next orthodontist appointment, I don’t have to guess whether March 4 is a good day. I know.

3. Google Calendar. I love Google Calendar! I write down future events that I will need to be reminded to do. Every week on Wednesday, I’m supposed to email our Sunday School classes prayer requests to the whole class. When I found that I was beginning to forget, I put a recurring event on Google Calendar and set Google Calendar to remind me every Wednesday morning. It’s hard to forget to do something when you have an email reminder in your inbox. I’ve used Google Calendar to keep track of coupons, saving me money.

4. Backpack. I just love Backpack! It is very handy for keeping master “to do” lists. I have a page for each of my blogs with master lists of things I need to tweak in my blog design, post ideas, applications I want to review for my blog, and goals for the year. I also keep a master list of things I need to do around the house. (Don’t laugh….I just started) And don’t worry. Lists are private, unless you choose to share them.

5. Gmail. Gmail has quickly become my favorite email program, and I’ve used almost all of them…outlook, hotmail, yahoo, various webmail applications…and I always come back to gmail. I like that it’s web-based, because I frequently use two different computers, and I hate not being able to check my email. I also like the conversation view and the search feature. Whenever I need to revisit an email conversation, I just do a search for the email, and the whole conversation comes up.

6. A Timer. I’ll say it. I hate to clean the house. Can I hear an Amen? I didn’t think I was the only one. I’ve found a timer to be good motivation. I picked up this idea from Flylady, who says you can do anything for just 15 minutes. And you know what? She’s right. When I have an unpleasant task to do, I set my timer for 15 minutes, and I work as hard as I can. Then I give myself a short break to check my email, my blog, or my favorite message boards, and then I get back to work for another 15 minutes. Works like a charm.

7. Del.icio.us. Yep. A social bookmarking site. I honestly only started using this a couple of weeks ago. A fellow blogging friend mentioned that he used del.icio.us for long term, rarely used bookmarks, and I thought I’d give it a try. Now I’m addicted to del.icio.us. (I’m lynnae71 if you want to add me to your network) I added the bookmarklet to my toolbar, and yesterday when I was tweaking the theme on Being Frugal, I’d come across web pages that I knew I’d need for reference later. I just quickly tagged them in de.licio.us, and they were there waiting for me when I needed them. I was also able to pare down my google bookmarks to only sthe stuff I use really often. I can finally find all of my bookmarks again!

What are your favorite productivity tools? Please share in the comments. And if you want to play along with the 7 Things Meme, write a post telling us 7 things about yourself, and then leave a comment!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Photo by tanakawho

One of the most frequent questions people new to the world of blogging ask is “What is RSS?” Big orange buttons, saying “Subscribe” are found on nearly every blog, but unless you know what RSS is, you won’t know what the orange button is for. And a lot of times new bloggers don’t know exactly how to make RSS work for their blogs.

What is RSS? RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. In a nutshell, RSS is a way for people to read regularly updated content (like blogs) without having to visit the actual website every time.

How does RSS benefit blog readers? If you’re a big fan of blogs, like I am, keeping up with all of your favorite sites can be difficult. RSS makes it a little bit easier. First, you need a feedreader, which is basically an aggregator for the RSS feeds that you read. For beginners, I recommend Google Reader, which is free and also easy to use, especially if you are already used to the gmail format.

Follow the directions to add feeds to your reader. Then whenever you have a moment to read your blogs, you can just log in to your reader, and all of the latest posts will be there waiting for you. But watch out! Blog feeds can get addicting! I currently follow 117 blogs in my reader!

How does RSS benefit bloggers? The biggest benefit to bloggers is making it easier for your readers to read your posts. As with anything in life, making your blog easily accessible will attract more readers. I highly suggest running your feed through Feedburner (also a free service), because Feedburner lets you see how many people are subscribed to your blog, and it also offers ways to make your feed even better.

The partial feed vs. full feed debate. There is a lot of disagreement amongst bloggers as to whether offering a full feed is better, or whether offering a partial feed is better. Some of the arguments I’ve heard in favor of partial feeds is that it encourages people to click through to visit your actual site and comment, and that it’s harder for other sites to steal your content if you offer only a partial feed.

However, I strongly favor offering full feeds. The main reason people subscribe to feeds is to streamline their blog reading. It defeats the purpose of a feed if the person still needs to visit the actual blog to finish reading. I find that when I’m reading feeds, if I have something to say, I will click through to comment, even if the entire content is available in my feedreader.

If you want to offer full feeds and still encourage commenting, Feedburner offers a tool called Feed Flare that will let you place a link to your comments at the bottom of your feed. I’ve been using Feed Flare for a while now, and I’ve found that it works pretty well.

As far as stealing content goes, I don’t think there’s any really good way to prevent it. I put a copyright notice at the bottom of all of my feeds, but sometimes it’s still taken. And I’m not willing to take full feeds away from my readers, just to fight content theft.

One final note to bloggers. I recommend subscribing to your own feed. It’s a good way to make sure your feed is updating when you post and making sure your feed looks good in a feedreader.

Do you use a feedreader? And which do you prefer? Full or partial feeds? If you have suggestions that I haven’t mentioned or if you have any questions, feel free to share in the comments!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

One of my goals this year is to create some sort of system or schedule for my blogging.  Right now I spend a lot of time wondering what I’m supposed to be doing and not enough time actually doing it.  In order to create a schedule, though, I need to be aware of all the tasks that go with blogging.  Here are the tasks that come to mind.

Brainstorming ideas for posts.  I try to keep a running list of post ideas in Backpack.  I have a page for each of my blogs, and I keep a list called “Post Ideas” on each page.  Right now my lists are pretty short, as I haven’t dedicated enough time to thinking of new ideas.  Another thing that I’m starting to do is carry around a small notebook, so when an idea hits me, I can write it down.  What I really need is some sort of recording device, as most of my ideas come to me when I’m driving.

Researching posts.  I honestly don’t spend a lot of time on this task.  Both this blog and beingfrugal.net are very much based on my experiences, so that’s what I draw from.  But every once in a while I write something that needs a little research.  I tend to research as I write my posts.

Writing posts.  I like to write my posts at night after the kids are in bed.  It’s one of two times during the day when I have uninterrupted time (the other time being at 5:30 in the morning, and my brain doesn’t function well enough to write then).

Editing posts.  Confession time.  I don’t edit much.  I read the post once and call it good.

Finding pictures.  I like to put pictures in my posts, because it breaks up the page a little, making it easier to read.  I usually find my pictures on Flickr, thanks to a post I read at Skelliewag.org.

Responding to comments.  I like this task, because I can just pop on the computer for a couple of minutes to respond to comments.  And comments are the best part of blogging, too, don’t you think?

Working on the back end of the blog.   I don’t enjoy this very much, but it’s necessary to make sure I’m updated to the latest version of Wordpress, that all of my plugins are up to date, the information in my sidebar is current, and the list goes on.  I hope to keep a running to-do list of things that I need to be doing on the backend of my blog, so I can just look at the list and work on it in little chunks of time.

Social Networking and Visiting Other Blogs.  I love this part of blogging.  Right now my favorite social networking site is Stumbleupon, but I’m active on several other networks, too.  My most recent discovery is Twitter, though I’m not sure I completely understand it yet.  If you’re active in any social networks, feel free to add me as a friend.  Links to all of my profiles are on my About page.

Whew!  Those are all the tasks I can think of offhand.  Did I miss anything?  How do you organize your blogging time?  Or don’t you?  Feel free to share in the comments!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

When I started blogging back in May, I never knew I’d enjoy it so much.  I also never figured it would be as time consuming as it has become.  Lately trying to juggle my family, my home, and my blogging has become a challenge.  I think it’s a challenge I’m up for though, with a little bit of organization.

I find that when I’m trying to attend to blog business, it’s easy for me to get distracted by forums, social networking, researching things that really don’t need to be researched right away…and the list goes on.

My blogging goals this year are going to be focused on increasing my productivity.  By the end of the year, I want to accomplish the following things:

• Consistently have posts written a week in advance.  This way I won’t be in trouble if my family gets hit with an illness, or I have an inopportune case of writer’s block.
• Map out a general schedule for posting.  I’ve got that covered on this blog.  I’m still flying by the seat of my pants at beingfrugal.net, though.
• Create a comprehensive to-do list for blogging and systematically work my way through it.  This list will include guest posts I need to write, work on the back end of my blogs that needs to be done, topics I’d like to cover, books I’d like to read & review….you get the picture.
• Develop a schedule for dealing with blogging activities, so I know I’m dedicating enough time to all the different tasks that go with running a blog.  No more sitting at the computer wondering what I’m supposed to be doing. 

These goals are going to be a challenge for me, because I’m not much of a planner.  I really need to get organized, or I’m quickly going to find myself overwhelmed with everything I’m trying to accomplish!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I entered a contest a Girly Blog Designz to win a custom theme. I made it to the final round, and the person with the most votes wins!

Don’t worry, I love this theme. What I actually want to do is use this same theme, but I want to add a second sidebar. And since I have no idea how to do that, it would be great to have someone else do it for me!

So, I’m begging all of my readers to go vote for me HERE. All you have to do is leave a comment on THIS POST (no anonymous comments allowed), and tell Heather that you think I should win the custom theme.

Thanks!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I have been blogging so much lately, between this blog and Being Frugal that I’m realizing I need a day off. With that in mind, I’m no longer going to be posting on Sundays. That means I won’t be posting my Praying Through the Week post any longer. Don’t worry…I’m still praying. Just not taking the time to write out my prayers. And if you have a prayer request, do feel free to contact me. I will pray for you.

So have a blessed Sunday! Enjoy God and enjoy your families! See ya back here on Monday!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

It’s finally time for Tip or Treating! Are you as excited as I am? Let’s get started!First the rules. If you want to play along, either write a blog post with your best blogging tip, or a post saying something nice about a fellow blogger or commenter. Link back to this post, so others can play along if they like.Don’t have a blog? That’s OK. Just leave a blog tip here or leave a nice comment on someone’s blog. If you comment on someone’s blog, make sure you come back here to tell me where you commented, so I can enter you for the drawing.

What’s the drawing for? A slightly used, but in very good condition copy of Clear Blogging by Bob Walsh. There are a lot of good blogging tips in this book. Very appropriate for Tip or Treat.

On to my tip. My best blogging tip for a successful blog is to get to know other bloggers. Making friends with other bloggers not only makes for a more successful blog, it makes blogging more fun.

How do you get to know other bloggers? Comment like crazy. Not spammy comments, but well thought out comments that add to the conversation on the blog. If you have a question, ask. If you have an answer for another commenter, answer.

Another great idea is to participate in carnivals, memes, and other goings on in the blogosphere. Some of my favorite events are the Wrapped Emotions prompts, Works for Me Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, the Carnival of Family Life, and the Mothers and Daughters blog carnival.

Social networking sites are also a lot of fun. The most community oriented social networking site I’ve come across is Cre8buzz. I think it’s about to go public, but if you want to join and find you still need an invitation, contact me, and I’ll set you up. I also like Stumbleupon, MyBlogLog, and Blog Catalog. Try out a few sites, and find a couple that fit your personality. Interact with others. You’ll find that people are checking out your blog in no time.

So there’s my tip. What’s yours? Or what treat (in the form of nice words) do you have to say about a fellow blogger? Write a post, link back here, and come back to sign Mister Linky. I’m going to close the entries for the drawing at midnight PST tonight, but feel free to keep tipping and treating as long as you like.

I would love to give you the code for the banner, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out how to post it so it actually works. That would be a great blog tip to post….how to post code in a blog post without turning it into a picture. For now feel free to copy the picture to your own computer if you want to use it. I’ll post the code a little later if I figure out how to do it. Or if someone else is nice enough to tell me how.

1. Kandy

2. boomeyers

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I’ve been short on time this week, so this is an easy special edition of Linky Love.  From time to time I get emails looking for blogging advice, so I thought today I’d link to my favorite blogs about….blogging.  These are blogs I read almost every day….or at the very least, skim through once a week.

• Problogger.net - It’s a blog about making money on your blog, but there is a lot of excellent advice about blogging.  I never miss a post.
• Skelliewag.org - I’ve recently discovered this blog.  Skellie writes often about site simplicity and making your blog user-friendly.  She even did a review of beingfrugal.net for me, and she really helped me improve my blog.  I have yet to implement some of her suggestions over here.j
• Blogging Basics 101 - This blog is written by Shannon of Rocks in My Dryer and Chilihead of Don’t Try This at Home.  I like this blog, because it covers the very basics.  It’s not as intimidating as some of the more well known blogging blogs.

I know this isn’t a lot of links this week, but once you start reading these blogs, you won’t be able to stop.  Trust me, you’ll be busy for a while.  So read and enjoy, and learn how to make your blog better.  Just don’t come back and point out all the shortcomings of my blog. 

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

This week Problogger.net is celebrating it’s 3rd birthday by giving away $54,000 worth of prizes! Now that’s my kind of birthday party! It will be going on all week, so make sure you check it out!

For the latest contest, we’re supposed to give blogging advice. I’ve only been blogging for 4 months, but I have learned a few things that might be useful to people who are trying to get their blog off the ground.

First, post frequently. It helps me to set up a posting schedule. I’m still working that out on this blog, but over at Being Frugal, I post a challenge on Mondays, about frugality on Tuesdays, about Debt Reduction on Wednesdays, try to do a Review on Thursdays, and another post on Frugality on Fridays. I always do a link love post on Saturdays and a passage from the Bible on Sundays. It really helps me to think up post ideas when I have a subject matter in mind.

Respond to people who comment. I usually respond in the comments section, but sometimes I’ll send out an email. People like to know that you read what they write. So let them know.

Comment on other blogs. When you comment on another blog, the owner of the blog will frequently click back to your blog to see who you are. And sometimes that person will become a faithful reader. Being active on other blogs also helps develop a sense of community amongst bloggers. This is especially important in the mom-blogger crowd, it seems.

Participate in Carnivals. Some of my favorite carnivals are the Mothers and Daughters Blog Carnival, the Carnival of Family Life, and Works-For-Me Wednesday. If you haven’t participated in a carnival before, try it! It’s lots of fun. You write a post that fits within the subject matter, and then you submit it either through the Blog Carnival page (or Mister Linky in the case of WFMW). The carnival host then posts all the links, and you can visit the different blogs to read all the posts. And people will come to visit your blog, too! When you get brave enough, you can volunteer to host a carnival. I hosted my first carnival last week!

The most important thing is to have fun. If you don’t enjoy writing and don’t enjoy your subject matter, you won’t enjoy blogging very much. But if you enjoy what you’re writing about, and you enjoy interacting with your readers, you will be motivated to post more frequently, and your blog will continue to grow.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

My friend Kandy at Ramblings of a Redneck Woman was surfing blog sites today, and she came up with a challenge.  She challenged me to find 3 random blog sites and post about them.  I used StumbleUpon to find my random posts.  Do you know how much I love StumbleUpon?  A whole bunch!  It’s a fun tool to use, especially when you’re bored.  If you’ve never heard of StumbleUpon, Mamablogga gives a great rundown of how it works.  If you’re a member of StumbleUpon, look me up and add me as a friend.  I’m Lynnae over there.  Actually, I’m Lynnae everywhere, since that’s my name, but Lynnae is my username at StumbleUpon.

On to the challenge.  The first blog I stumbled was A Happier Girl.  She posted a great picture of letters she cut out of scrapbook paper to make a Happy Birthday sign.  The letters are beautiful!  What a great idea!  I’ve bookmarked that blog to check out further when I have more time.  It looks like a great read.

The second blog I stumbled was Real Life.   The same Real Life that’s on my daily blog read list.  I just love that blog.  You can just feel Sarah’s love for Jesus in the posts she writes.  I’m glad StumbleUpon is giving her some love.

Finally, I came across The Joshua Fund, a blog dedicated to helping Christians bless Israel and the rest of the middle east.  There’s an interesting post about Christians in Iran.  I’m always fascinated by what is happening in the middle east.  I’m glad I found this blog.

So there you have it.  My three random blog finds.  I tag anyone who’s interested to play along!  Start stumbling!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!