Free 2016 Blog Planner includes 35 worksheets to get your blog organized in 2016. Available for download to Google Drive, Microsoft Excel or PDF.
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Free 2016 Blog Planner

Free 2016 Blog Planner with 35 easy to customize worksheets to get your blog organized in 2016. Calendars, checklists, and trackers so you can keep all your blog ideas organized and at your fingertips when and where you need it. Available for download to Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

I’m so excited to bring you my free 2016 blog planner today! As you may or may not know, I’m a total planner addict. I rely on my planner and bullet journals 100% to keep track of every aspect of my life. I use planners to manage my family life, my health and of course, my blog. I also rely on my blog planner to organize my blog ideas and track important information like statistics, passwords and income vs. expenses.

Last year, I created a 2015 free blog planner and the response was fantastic. I’m happy to share with you my updated 2016 blog planner to get you started on the right path toward your blogging goals in 2016. Whether you use my blog planner online in Google Drive or download it to Excel or print, I hope you’ll find it a useful tool to ensure your blogging time is more productive and your thoughts more organized. So let me tell you about the planner I created and the secrets of how to get the most out of it.

Note: This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission to me at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog should you decide to purchase.

The Benefits of an Electronic Blog Planner

After NaBloPoMo last year,  I learned 7 valuable lessons about myself, my productivity and my blog. I needed a planner that could offer these 3 benefits and that’s when I decided to create it myself.

1. Accessibility

No matter where and when a great blog post idea or idea to improve and grow my blog struck, my paper blog planner was rarely nearby. I needed a planner at my fingertips to ensure my idea wouldn’t get lost in the chaos of my day. My blog is my passion. Ideas are constantly whirling around my head, so I needed an easily accessible place to get them all down. So I began using the Google Drive on my smartphone whenever I got an idea I didn’t want to forget. When do I get most of my ideas?

* in the carpool line or walking home from school
* waiting in the doctor’s office or grocery store
* in the shower
* folding laundry
* while cooking

While I could carry my paper blog planner to most of these places, I don’t. My purse is heavy enough already. I could jot it down on a zillion scraps of paper or post it notes but I risk losing it. The Google Drive app captures the idea efficiently and effectively since my smartphone is always nearby.

When do you get most of your blog ideas? Make sure to capture them as they happen so you don’t forget it and keep ideas in one central location so you don’t lose it. 

[bctt tweet=”FREE 2016 Blog Planner that is easily accessible to help you achieve your blogging goals”]

2. Ease of Use

I’m a functional planner. I love pretty planners but I need my planner to corral my ideas and tasks from my racing mind. I’m limited by Google Drive’s font choice which is not stellar, but the functionality and efficiency help me overlook the lack of pretty fonts.

Here are some ways the planner helped me gain efficiency because it’s easy to use: 

* respond in a timely manner to blog tours and guest post email requests since I could access my editorial calendar from my phone
* jot down chats and webinar schedules
* add blog post ideas to my editorial calendar which eliminates the need for the WP Editorial Calendar plugin (keeping plugins to a minimum helps maximize your site’s load speed).

Are you a functional planner or does a decorative planner inspire you more? 

 

3. Flexibility

Have you found perfect & complete “planner peace” for your blog? You know that state of bliss where you have everything you need for your blog all in one place when and where you need it? 

With blogging, best practices, technology and social media are always changing. As bloggers, we’re constantly learning, growing and changing how we work towards our blogging goals and our blog planner needs to be able to change to fulfill our needs.

I found printable blog planners limiting. The planners included sheets that were important to the planner’s creator. But my blog is different, I blog about a variety of topics and found I always needed something more…a blog checklist so I didn’t forget an important step before publishing a post, help remembering to cross-post book reviews, and a stats tracker to see my views and where my traffic is coming from. 

With my free 2016 blog planner, it’s a breeze to add or delete another sheet, column or row to make sure you have what data is relevant to you and your blog.  I gained efficiency by having all my blog data in one place and customized just for me. My free blog planner started as two sheets but easily grew to 33 sheets before I published it last year and I added two more for you this year.

Here’s a few ways I’ customized my planner in the past year: 

* added Notes sheets for each of the classes I took like Pinning Perfect e-course*
* added a blog post index
* added an affiliate tracker

What do you need from your blog planner? What information do you need to track that you aren’t able to? What do you keep forgetting? Start a new sheet, get that great idea down and don’t lose your train of thought.

[bctt tweet=”Get your FREE 2016 Blog Planner that you can customize to your blog’s needs #blogging”]

Peek Inside the Planner

Ready to see what this year’s free blog planner looks like? Well, here’s a peek inside the planner. There are 35 spreadsheet tabs/pages in my free 2016 blog planner.

[bctt tweet=”Peek inside this FREE 2016 Blog Planner with 35 worksheets to get you organized in 2016! #blogging”]

Here’s a breakdown:
1. 12 Editorial Calendars – Monthly View

12 Monthly Editorial Calendars in my free 2016 blog planner. Jot down your monthly goals, important dates & events, blog post ideas, chat and webinar schedules for your blog. Available for download to Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

Type in your overall goals for the month and important dates/events at the top. Enter blog post ideas, chat and webinar dates on the respective day to see an overview of your blog content & schedule for the month. Can’t write what you thought you would or had a new better idea? Just copy and paste your idea to a different day. A separate tab for each month, January – December 2016.

2. 12 Editorial Calendars – Checklist and Social Media Promotion

12 Monthly Editorial Calendars with Check Before You post and Social Media Checklists in my free 2016 blog planner. Don't forget these important steps before you publish a post and cross-posting and indexing book reviews and recipes. Available for download to Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

This version of the editorial calendar allows you to keep track of post title, date, category and status for each post. Do you forget to check SEO, set a nofollow link, a featured image or fix the Facebook image before you publish? I do, so I included this checklist so I don’t forget. Since I am a book blogger, I included columns to cross post my reviews to Goodreads, Amazon and B&N too.

3. Evergreen Blog Post Ideas

Evergreen blog post ideas tracker in my free 2016 blog planner. Keep track of those great ideas that will keep readers coming back to your blog for years to come. Book reviews, recipes, crafts, DIY, home decor, track all your ideas here. Available for download to Google Drive, Excel or pdf.

Evergreen blog posts are those posts that are not time specific and readers can search for anytime. Examples include book discussions, nonsponsored product reviews, recipes, home organization and blogging tips. I used to include an unscheduled draft in WordPress every time I came up with a blog post idea. The problem is if I didn’t write the post relatively soon, the unscheduled draft was pushed down further and further until it falls off the main posts page. Out of sight, out of mind. Instead, by jotting down the idea in my Evergreen Blog Post Ideas Tracker, I can access it anytime I am ready to write and I don’t lose the fabulous idea in the cemetery of forgotten drafts.

4. To Do List

To Do List my free 2016 blog planner. Jot down your blog to do's, maintenance tasks and ideas to grow your blog. Available for download to Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

What would a planner be without a to do list? Jot down those blog maintenance tasks, ideas to grow your blog and things you’ve been meaning to do. I sort mine by how long I think it will take me to complete so when I have a block of time to blog, I know just what tasks I can set out to accomplish.

 

5. Monthly Reminders Checklist

Monthly Reminders Checklist in my free 2016 blog planner. Jot down your monthly blog maintenance tasks like backing up your blog and cleaning up your sidebar. Available for download to Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

A checklist to remember important monthly maintenance like backing up your blog, cleaning up your sidebar and updating your income/expense reports.

 

6. Google Analytics Statistics

Google Analytics Statistics Tracker in my free 2015 blog planner. See your users, sessions, pageviews and top 3 referral sources at a glance each month with this tracker. Available for download to Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

See your users, sessions, pageviews and top 3 traffic referrals at a glance with this Google Analytics Statistics Tracker. Taking some of the key elements from Google Analytics and putting it into a chart form will help you get a better understanding of how your readers find you and what they enjoyed reading during the month.

 

7. Subscriber and Social Media Stats

Subscriber and Social Media Statistics Tracker in my free 2015 blog planner. Watch your subscriber and social media #s grow with this simple statistics tracker. Available for download to Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

Track your blog and comment subscribers and followers on various social media platforms. I’m a numbers gal, I like to see how my readership is impacted from the content, linkups and events I share.

 

8. Income and Expenses Tracker

Income and Expense tracker in my 2016 free blog planner. A simple tool to track income earned and expenses paid during the year to get an overview of your income/loss. Available for download in Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

Track blog income and expenses in one place and get a general idea of your blogging net income/loss. You still should hold onto your paperwork to substantiate your income and expenses but this tracker gives you a simple overview of estimated net income or loss on your blog.

9. Password Tracker

Password tracker in my 2016 free blog planner. Keep this password tracker updated for those hard to remember passwords that need to be changed frequently. Available for download in Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

I made this primarily to be printed. While much of my blogging information I am ok with being on Google Drive, I do not want my passwords on any sort of cloud. Still the tracker is here to print because it’s near impossible for me to remember all my passwords.

10. Linkup Party Schedule

Linkup party schedule in my 2016 free blog planner. Track when your favorite linky parties go live and the requirements for participation with this handy linky party schedule. Available for download in Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

Are you a linkup fanatic like I am? Linkups are great ways to get new readers to your blog and share your content with a new audience. Jot down the info regarding your favorite linkups including host URL, type of linkup (ex. recipes, books, general), the time the linkup goes live & duration and any restrictions or requirements to complete. I have taken the liberty (aka shameless plug) of adding the Small Victories Sunday linkup I host as examples because I would love to have you link up with us!

11. Posts Linked Up

Posts linked up tracker in my free 2016 blog planner. Keep track of which parties you linked up your posts to and which earned features. Available for download in Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

Do you forget what post you linked up where? Or when a post earned a Featured Blogger spot? Use this tracker to indicate which posts you’ve linked up with which parties and when Featured Blogger awards are earned.

12. NEW! Notes Page

Notes page in my free 2016 blog planner. A simple notes page to jot down chat , webinars or class notes with a space for the source or event so you don't forget. Available for download in Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

A simple notes page to keep track of ideas discussed during chats, webinars or classes. I added this to my planner during Pinning Perfect and figured you could use them too. Add as many as you want in the electronic versions so all your info is in one place.

 

13. NEW! Blog Post Index

Blog Post Index from my free 2016 blog planner. Maintain a handy blog post index so you know where to find your posts and help you ensure consistency in assigning category and tags. Go through old posts and mark if any need to be updated. Available for download in Google Drive, Excel or PDF.

During one of our Small Victories Sunday Linkups, Krafty Owl shared Why You Need a Blog Post Index. I thought this was a useful tool especially as I’m going through old posts and making sure categories and tags are consistent and seeing which ones need updated photos and writing. So I added a blog post index to my personal blog planner and thought you’d find it useful too. I think this sheet is better for those using the planner electronically on Google Drive or Excel since it’s easy to copy and paste a URL into the spreadsheet.

Get Your Free 2016 Blog Planner Now!

The best part is that this planner is it is free, my gift to you. Subscribe now and the links to the Google Doc, Microsoft Excel and PDF versions of my 2016 blog planner will be sent to you in my welcome email.

You can save copies to your computer and customize the Google Doc and Excel versions for your blogging needs. This planner is for personal use only, please do not mass distribute or sell without permission.

I will be updating this planner and making subscriber exclusive printables throughout the year so stay tuned, you don’t want to miss any of them!

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Looking for more great planning and organizing printables for your blog or home? Be sure to follow my Planning & Organizing board and Blogging Tips board on Pinterest!

 

 

All Linked Up

This post linked up with Mommy Monday Blog Hop , Inspire Me Monday, Best of the Blogs Linkup, , Motivation Monday LinkupMerry Monday Linky Party and SITS Girls DIY & Recipe Party.

What is important to you in a blog planner? What tools do you find most helpful?

129 Comments

  1. Pingback: FREE 2016 Planners
  2. Wow! This is the most thoughtful Google doc for bloggers that I’ve encountered. Thanks for the work and for sharing!

    Us dis-organized types really benefit from organizational smarties like you. 😉

    I look forward to using it.

    1. Thank you so much Marnie, I’m glad this is a help to you. I love creating spreadsheets to help me organize my chaotic thoughts and thought others might benefit too.

  3. LOVE, LOVE these, Tanya! I’ve seen dozens of these planners, and this, by far, is the best! I cannot wait to start using them. I need to make a good one for Fibro awareness month events, posts, and other activities. Thank you!

  4. Wow I love your blog, and the planner is impressive. I tried to subscribe but nothing happens when I hit the subscribe button. Help! I love your planner. Thank you!

    1. Hmmm, mailchimp shows you subscribed Dec. 15th. You should have gotten a welcome email in Dec with the links to the printables. If you can’t find it, let me know which version of the planner you would like and I will email it to you. Thanks for the compliment and for subscribing Vivian!

    1. Thanks for bookmarking. Yes, you I knew you could add different fonts. I did that with last year’s planner. I think the end user has to have the same font installed or it won’t look the same. I’ve been playing with Google fonts for my new blog design. What are your favorites? Thanks for the tip and stopping by!

      1. Oh, you’re probably right about them needing the same fonts. Even different browsers will display fonts differently and only some PDF readers will download the right fonts. I’m a big fan of simple clean font’s that are commonly available so you won’t find me complaining about easy to read fonts. On the other hand I’m the person who would be happy to download a specific font or two for a pretty planner to render right.

  5. What a great idea! I must admit I don’t usually plan my blog much at all but this year I’ve got so many ideas for my blog floating around that I am having a hard time figuring out when I’ll get to them and trying not to forget them all in the meantime!

    1. Sounds like me, I always have a zillion ideas and it’s sometimes hard to focus or remember that great idea I had. I’m glad you find my planner useful. Hope you stop by and share some posts with our Small Victories Sunday Linkup.

  6. What a great resource! I’ve tried so many paper planners for my blog but none have seemed to work out for me..maybe digital is the way to go. I’ve subscribed to your blog and I can’t wait to try the blog planner out! Thanks for creating it and sharing! 🙂

  7. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I certainly need some more organization in my life. 🙂
    I pinned this to my Blogging Tips, Tricks and Freebie board. 🙂
    XOXO

    1. Well I hope this planner helps you figure out your system. It’s great once you’ve achieved planner peace and feeling productive is the best! 🙂

  8. I like the section that lets you jot down your Evergreen Blog Post Ideas. That’s something I would benefit from instead making a titled blank Word document and usually forgetting about it.

    1. Thanks Yona, I tend to blog a lot of events, weekly linkups and menu plans that I needed this to get down those evergreen ideas that are timeless and keep readers coming back. Thanks for downloading.

    1. So glad to hear you can find something to help you in my planner. There’s so much more work involved with blogging than I ever thought. It was hard to keep track of everything so I had to make this to help.

    1. Me too, I corral my ideas into the online planner and then transfer the tasks into my paper planner when I plan my week on Mondays. I use both electronic and paper for now. Thanks for stopping by, hope you find it helpful!

  9. This planner looks amazing, Tanya! I have been struggling between paper and electronic, but nothing I have has been working for me. This looks like it has everything I need, and I love that I can add to it as needed. THANK YOU for sharing this freely! I shouldn’t tell you this (shhh!) but I think I would pay for this! 🙂 Now….I need to figure out how to use Google Drive…

    1. Thanks so much Wendy. It’s quite a compliment you’d pay for it. I love to be able to share them for free since I know I love and appreciate all the free resources I’ve received over the years. My little way to help fellow bloggers. I use this with my paper planner. This corrals everything for my blog and then I write in tasks, chats and posts in my paper planner on Monday mornings when I do my weekly planning.

      1. Hi, Tanya! I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been using this planner for a few days now, and it is really working well for me! I cannot thank you enough for sharing this. I knew in my head what I wanted, but just didn’t know how to get/make it/figure it out. Again, thank you!

        If you are interested, I co-host #ThePinterestGame, and this would be a great pin to enter. We would love to have you join us with such a quality post. 🙂

        And thank you again…I’m going back to planning now! 🙂

        1. Oh I’m so glad the planner is working well for you. I’ve had a difficult day with getting new internet service so this is music to my ears. I love to help others any way I can. I entered a couple pins in your Pinterest Game for this week, thanks for invite, I love Pinterest linkups.

          1. Oh, great! I’m glad you entered! (And oops, you can tell I haven’t done my hosting duties for this week yet, haha!) Sorry you’ve had a frustrating day — hope all is resolved soon. 🙂

  10. What an awesome blog planner. I currently do mine as a Spreadsheet in Google Drive, but it isn’t a very versatile one, so I’m really looking forward to seeing yours 🙂

    1. Oh great Julie, my planner started as something simple just for me but it was so easy to expand and figured it’d be useful to my fellow bloggers too. Tell me what you think when you’ve had a chance to try it out. Thanks for subscribing and sharing!

  11. Brilliant organizational tips you’ve got there, Tanya! Certainly handy for just about anyone. Thank you for your kind sharing! 🙂

    -dee

  12. Wow, these are amazing tools, truly awesome kit of planning aids that I can imagine purposing for many different types of blogs. If I used even a subset of these, I know I could keep details in order and maybe generate more ideas. I hope to have more steady blogging time this upcoming year, so I appreciate your super organizational mind at work, and your generously sharing this!

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