I’ve discovered recently that a mere 3 blogs has been taking up most of my day. So I’ve been looking for things that will help keep my blogs from being a huge time sink-hole. I’ve found some great ideas. Some of which I already knew, others which are new to me and going to be a great help!

• Plan Ahead
  As of this week, I’m writing ALL my blog posts for About Blogging and Bitter Women in one day. This leaves the other days open for commenting and networking.
• Use a Feed Reader
  I can’t tell you how much time this has saved me. I used to spend hours and hours going to a couple dozen blogs that I wanted to check daily. With Google Reader, I can check over a hundred without having to do anything. And with this Google Reader Firefox Plugin , you can see how many unread items you have in Google Reader without having to change pages. Read my article about Choosing an RSS Reader .
• Read Less Often
  You don’t have to read every blog you visit every day! Consider visiting twice a week, and make a bookmark if you find something interesting and return on your writing day. This doesn’t mean read less. I still stand by my earlier statement that you must read more than you write. But you will use your time more efficiently if you do it in one sitting, rather than doing it in small increments throughout the day.
• Post Less Often
  I’ve done a little experimenting with the timing on my blogs, and have found that no one really minds if I don’t post 7 days a week. I’ve decided to post 5 times per week and skip weekends. My readership goes way down on the weekends, and I find that if I post on Saturday and Sunday, those posts are often ignored. I’m not sure, by the way, if this means that my readers have a life and spend the weekends with their families, or if it means that everyone blogs at work.
• Write Shorter Posts
  If you can make your point in 10 words, don’t take 10 paragraphs. Nobody minds shorter posts.
• Check Stats Less Often
  It’s easy to get addicted to checking your stats, especially early on when a spattering of new traffic is exciting. But recently I realised I was often checking my stats several times a day. Do it no more than once a day, and see if you can ween yourself down gradually to once a week. In truth, constant stat checking is nothing but a distraction! Same goes for checking earnings! If you find you absolutely cannot stop yourself from checking your Google earnings, or you find it inspiring to see the amounts stack up, then consider the Firefox Google Adsense add-on which will show you your earnings without you having to take time out.
• Scan Articles With a Critical Eye
  Ask yourself are you reading an article/blog? If you’re looking for a place to comment for the sake of leaving a link, let yourself scan, and don’t get sucked into reading an entire blog just because it’s interesting. See the next point for further explanation…
• Fun vs. Work
  If you find a blog you love and a blogger whose articles you can’t resist, that’s great! But don’t tell yourself you’re “working” when you go there and fritter around for an hour! Do visit friends’ blogs. I have a list of them that I enjoy visiting daily. But…. I had to remind myself that’s for FUN TIME and not WORK TIME.
• Take Time Away
  Yesterday was a Sunday, and I decided to go completely unplugged. No computer and no video games all day! With three active blogs going, it’s hard for me to take time away, but in truth, I came back feeling more refreshed and inspired than ever, with ideas bubbling away in my head.

What are your thoughts?
What are your techniques for saving time?
Other Resources:

• Top 5 Uncommon Timesavers for Bloggers
• The 10 Minute Daily Guide To Building Your Social Profile

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