Some people plan out their blogging schedule with calendars or perhaps notebooks, or even with computer word processing software. Did you know you could utilize draft mode in WordPress to plan your blog schedule? Yes… you can!
WordPress has the ability to store posts or pages until you either schedule them to publish, publish them, or remove them. The ability to save drafts allows you to come back to your post later and work on it.
So… how can you utilize draft mode in WordPress to plan your blog schedule?
Simple.
Each week, 2 weeks, or month… however you like to plan posts in bulk, take some time to come up with topics to write about on your blog. In your posts area of your WordPress, add a new post. Just start with the topic you want to talk about. You might even just want to go ahead and write a title out. Then, write a brief summary sentence or whatever ideas you want to cover, and save as draft. There is a button to the right in a box labeled Publish, as seen in the screenshot above.
Create as many posts that you wish to cover over time and you can simply go back to write more later. Even if you like to post 2 or 3 times in a day, you should plan your posts like that.
This is a great way for multi-author blogs to coordinate who is writing what. The main editor can remove or talk with the authors to adjust their topic schedule so no one is writing the same thing.
For people who attend events, this method would keep you on target with what to cover on your blog so that the event is fully covered. I have had clients who are fashion bloggers who do this when they attend Fashion Week and other events. I also do this myself.
Aside from covering events, you can use the draft mode as a general to do list, so if you have already scheduled posts, you can always go back and add more topics from ideas that came by on the fly.
Do you take advantage of the draft mode feature in WordPress to plan your blog schedule?
About Nile
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Twitter: wonkiecartoons
says:
Hi Nile… A lot of our blog cartoonists are traveling so we often use this technique and it works well – actually it’s not so much using drafts as the wordpress “published on” feature when writing posts… we basically change the published on date to some date in the future so the content automatically drips out over time.
Wonkie recently posted..Follow the Leader – Photo Caption Contest
Thank you so much! This is a really good feature. Sometimes i have no time. Sometimes i have time for many articles. This seems to be the solution for my problems
This is a great tool that helps me organizing my thoughts in the first place!
Twitter: dougyhunt
says:
A great idea – will start using this from now on. Better than writing it down in this little notepad.
Dougy Hunt recently posted..Cheap Cloud Hosting – Affordable, Fast and SEO Friendly
Twitter: cullensclear
says:
Yes I regularly use the draft mode feature. Great for ironing out any issues with my writing before publishing them. I tend to also use the scheduling mode.
Derrick Cullen recently posted..Free Scrap Metal Collection London
Twitter: techblowup
says:
Yes before publishing the posts we should use draft mode. Nice way to get updated in busy schedule also.
Prakash recently posted..Download Subway Surfers for PC, Android Free
Wow, I never thought to use the draft tool as a scheduling system. I think I will definitely do this in the future. Usually, drafts just sit and haunt me and it’s not clear when I will publish the full blog post. This is better for managing a blog.
Twitter: alifeoflight
says:
I really like the idea of being able to schedule post in advance and it is something I have never understood how to do correctly.
Sometimes I do have tow or three posts that I would like to write at a particular time, and using this simple technique – well, simple if you know how to do it right – is going to help me when I set up more than one post at a time. Thank you for this really simple explanation.
Michael Shook recently posted..Positive Thinking Made Simple
Twitter: hartline22
says:
This is a big help to organize my works. thanks this blog
Twitter: vikramkumar1000
says:
Hey, nice piece of information about blog schedule. This feature is very useful for those times when you are busy for other works except blogging.
Vikram recently posted..Freecultr Coupons Rs.1,000 Discount on minimum order of Rs.3,000
Well detailed. New information for me . Thank you
Helen Wright recently posted..Home
Twitter: basicpctips
says:
Hello Nile,
this is a great informative article for me. i never used this technique before. this post is also very useful for newbie bloggers.
thanks for sharing Nile
Praveen Soni
Praveen Soni recently posted..Samsung Announces yet another Smartphone-Samsung Galaxy Young
Thanks Nile, I didn’t appreciate draft in wordpress until this post. In fact I do not utilize draft for my post.
Matt recently posted..Call Center Job Fair for Feb 2013
Twitter: Mazzastick
says:
Hi Nile,
I actually have a post in draft mode right now. I hadn’t utilized this much in the past but I will definitely use it more often.
Justin recently posted..Brain Evolution System Review
this is very good habit that 2-3 post you will save in draft because when you busy then you regularly post on your blog i like these tips thanks for sharing.
Twitter: zoei_lee
says:
Hey Nile,
I love the draft mode and the scheduling mode feature. It’s a very useful tool to get organised and keep your blog updated. Great post and thanks for sharing.
Cheers~
Zoei Lee recently posted..Choosing the Right Domain Name for Your Business
Twitter: Yourinda
says:
Hi Nile,
thank you for explaining this option in WordPress more.
Even though I had used the draft option before, I had not considered the possibility of using it to plan my posts that way.
Great tip and images to show how!
Much appreciated!
Cheers,
Yorinda
This is a great tutorial!
trisha (mom blogger) recently posted..Take your TV Back with Dish..and iPad Mini Giveaway!
Very informative post. WordPress is such a great CMS for bloggers who sometimes doesn’t have the time finish all the articles. Good thing that there is always a feature that will help all the blogger’s need.
James recently posted..Audiology Marketing Ideas to Get Your Audiology Practice Heard Online
I love the way you can do this in WordPress, have just set up some scheduled blog posts while I’m overseas for 10 days.
Thanks for sharing Niles – a lot of people don’t know you can do that so easily.
Julieanne van Zyl recently posted..Your Internet MLM Business and Going Away
Twitter: abhishek25
says:
your tips are really helpful specially for muliti author bloggers . Thanks for these tips on making best use of wordpress drafts
abhishek recently posted..20+ Best Dofollow Social Bookmarking Sites for PR Boost and Traffic
You really helped me with your tips. Thanks for sharing tips on making best use of wordpress drafts, Good thing that there is always a feature that will help all the blogger’s need.
This post is really helpful many WordPress with multiple Authors
Thanks For Sharing 
Srikanth recently posted..Best Android Tablets Under Rs 5000
nice post ur tip is really helpful
Shahroz Afzal recently posted..Honda sets in motion hybrid automobile reproduction topically
Twitter: GKAdams
says:
Ah! I didn’t know that ‘draft’ was actually on option. That’s good to know. In the past, I would just schedule them for a week or two in advance and then when I got the chance to go back and finish the post, I’d have to alter the schedule again. It was a pain, but now that I know about this new option…it’ll be smooth sailing. Thanks for the tip!
GK Adams recently posted..Monday
Twitter: Recent View
says:
hmm.. you are absolutely correct the draft options is very helpful, specially when you are in hurry but your post is not complete and at that time the draft feature is most helpful. I just save my post in drafts and complete it after coming to home. And yes it also help me to arrange my post in order , when a series of posts are to be published related to a same topic.
Every one must use it to post effective …
Lalit Singh Shahi recently posted..Micromax Canvas HD A116 Full Specifications and Price
Funny that I rarely use draft mode. I often write posts in advance (or write a partial post when an idea hits me); however, I ‘schedule’ them a year out. For example, if I created a new post today, I would schedule it for 2/18/2014. Of course, if I wrote the post in its entirety, I would schedule it a few days out.
Rachell Lavern recently posted..I Cannot Say These 12 Words
Twitter: gregsmokeybowen
says:
Thank You Nile for this post about using Draft mode, to plan a Blog schedule! This is all good information for someone like me, who is pretty new to Blogging…..This information is going to help me keep Blogging fun!…Thanks again!
Gregory Bowen recently posted..What Is Quality?
Aww great!
you made scheduling blog posts on my wordpress blog more easy and schedule.
Twitter: PajnaCom
says:
Hi Nile , I haven’t heard to utilize WordPress drafts feature even before. I love the screenshots guide and I got this one on your blog . This is really very impressive post .Thanks to let me know something new as a newbie blogger .
Nidhan recently posted..TOP 3 BEST BLOG WRITING TIPS FOR NEWBIES
Thanks Nile,
this is a cool option and a great way to keep track of our posts, thank you!
I am looking for a way to transcript my audio clips into short posts if you have a tip on this I will be grateful to learn more.
Thanks!
great tool.i am searching for this tool which help me for draft mode.many many thanks for share this article
Anonymous recently posted..Heavy Industry Expenses
SHORT but comprehensive article Nile,
Thanks for sharing such a great Tip.
Salman Ahmad recently posted..10 Top Paid Brain and Puzzle Games for Android
Twitter: mdlevy2004tx
says:
Thanks for the great info Nile. The draft mode really makes a different to help plan those thoughts for your upcoming post(s). Very helpful! Have a fantastic day!
Michael Levy recently posted..Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way!
Wow thanks for tip—did not even know the draft feature could be used this way. . . .
Gene Call recently posted..Lamplighter Life Choices
Twitter: brotherbillamis
says:
Nile, excellent point to utilize the draft mode. I use it for all my articles and just any thoughts on subjects. Say when I read one of your articles and it inspires me to write my experience on your subject. I make a not of the key elements that influenced me.
I also leave a little article that may need pictures and keep it there while I take my time to find some. Lots of ways to use it and I am happy you gave us the location.
Thanks Nile your really a great resource for usable information and procedures.
William Amis recently posted..Getting It Done Right The First TIme
Twitter: techsparx1
says:
Hi Nile,
thank you for explaining this option in WordPress more.
Even though I had used the draft option before, I had not considered the possibility of using it to plan my posts that way.Great tip and images to show how!
vishvast recently posted..Airtel 3g data plans in delhi
Hey Nile, wonderful piece of information here. I didn’t knew the feature of drafts option in WP but now I will definitely use it.
Pawan recently posted..5 Must Have Gadgets in an Xbox Gamer’s Arsenal
Twitter: WillenaRose
says:
I do use the draft option, and also post dating a post so it will show up in a day or two. But I haven’t used it for actually planning my posts… I use an email draft on my hard drive for that. Having it all there on my blog where I can see it would be more organized.
Willena
Hi Nile,
I use drafts quite often and also the scheduling feature. It is a good thing to use. Keeps me organised and prompt.
Thanks for sharing,
Beth
Beth Hewitt recently posted..Content Content Content
Hi, NIle;
Great tip…I haven’t used it because I was afraid the draft posts might show up for the bots or even viewers if they use the site search. I know when you make a post Private it shows up…Do you know how to stop this and actually keep something private from display if it is marked private? Great to see what a good resource you are for fellow bloggers. Thanks again. Teresa
Teresa Farrell recently posted..Success with Internet Marketing
Hi Teresa! Private posts only show up for people who are logged it. It does not publish out to your feed and anyone on your site will not see it.
Twitter: shamim
says:
excellent tips.draft mode is very helpful and i will try to use this good article
Shamim recently posted..Insurance Mobile Marketing Experts In SMS Advertising
Thanks for the detailed post. I am looking for this info for very long time and happy to see your post. Hereafter I can schedule my post. Thank you once again.
I never thought of using drafts for this reason. Organization is key. I will definitely be using this.
Thanks for posting this. I never used draft mode in WordPress my entire life because I never realized its importance. This post was very helpful!
Cal | PrintingShoppers recently posted..Sample
Twitter: techblowup
says:
It’s good to use draft mode status feature for scheduling our blog posts. This is very helpful and time saving…….
Prakash recently posted..Top 5 Free and Best Virtual Assistant for Android | Siri Alternatives
Twitter: keralpatel
says:
Nice technique. Simple but didn’t came to my mind and when I sometimes feel like finishing off my half blog post I remember that it was on another PC maybe at office.
Keral Patel recently posted..Top Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Webmaster
Twitter: inspireyourway
says:
Amazing technique. I am using wordpress for almost two years and didn’t know about this. I Feel weird. anyway thanks for the share.
Debarshi recently posted..7 Common Mistakes Made By A General Freelancer
WP makes it extremely easy to plan ahead of posting which greatly reduces the stress that sometimes comes with running a blog.
Hadley recently posted..Transform Your Kitchen & Bathroom With Beautiful Hand Crafted Worktops
Twitter: stuffericlikes
says:
Good tip. I typically write a post and the schedule it to post on a certain day. I think that if my readers get used to me publishing each Wednesday and Friday that that is better for them. So if I get reall creative and write 4 post in one day, I’ll spread them out over a couple of weeks.
I like the idea of using the draft feature though. Great way to capture ideas and thoughts and then polish them up later.
Eric recently posted..Canon 60D versus T4i – Two Great DSLR’s
Thank You Nile for this post about using Draft mode, to plan a Blog schedule! This is all good information for someone like me, who is pretty new to Blogging…..This information is going to help me keep Blogging fun!
fitri recently posted..Updated the company name
nice piece of information about blog schedule. This feature is very useful for those times when you are busy for other works except blogging.
Twitter: TheseAreGreat
says:
Wow! This is a wonderful idea and I will use it in one of the blogs I am trying to build up my site, We create and invent products for health and well being. Thank you for this great idea.
Twitter: Rohitkabdwal
says:
very nice article Nile,
the draft mode is a very useful mode of schedule publishing your article into your blog, talking about my self i almost have 3-5 self written articles in the draft so that i could publish them anytime i want..
by the way nice piece of work:)
Rohit kabdwal recently posted..Java: What is Java (basics covered)
Do you know how to stop this and actually keep something private from display if it is marked private? Great to see what a good resource you are for fellow bloggers. Thanks again. Teresa
Twitter: moneyearningway
says:
Hi Nile,
Really a good idea, probably most of the bloggers does not have any idea on how to schedule their blogging works. This might good one for them to make right schedule. Thanks for the update.
Arafath recently posted..Read the Basic Ideas before Investing your Money in Forex Trading
Really very nice post.. Thanks for sharing these wonderful blogging tips. It will surely help me out. keep sharing.
Till now I don’t know that WordPress has this option.Let me check that.BTW thanks for this nice post
Mani recently posted..How To Setup the Samsung Android Mobile for Internet Connection in PC
Surely this option become very useful when we are in busy schedules. Also it helps to make postings at right time intervals. Thank you for sharing such an informative post…
jithin recently posted..How to get back to older composing box in Gmail
Twitter: techblowup
says:
Yes Jithin this option will make our blog updated in the busy schedule also. It’s a good idea to use this feature.
Prakash recently posted..Download Subway Surfers for PC, Android Free
Twitter: mchhimwal
says:
Hi…
Oh Yes, wordpress provides a option of saving your content without publishing it.You said right ,we have to utilize it well.There is no need of another thing for remembering the schedule.
Mahendra Chhimwal recently posted..Best free messaging apps for smartphones
Aside from covering events, you can use the draft mode as a general to do list, so if you have already scheduled posts
Twitter: LatestSongsNews
says:
though it’s a small post but very useful indeed as post schedule is an important factor which shouldn’t be ignored.
Jessie B recently posted..Most Popular Top Wedding Party Songs in 2013 | wedding songs
Twitter: clintabutler
says:
I actually did this when I first started my blog. I knew that I wanted to target a specific set of keywords to drive targeted traffic from the search engines so I picked out 100 of my first blog posts to write. Now I use this feature when I know what I want to talk about, but feel I need to do more research. Keeps me on topic, and I don’t feel like I have to rush to get out content.
Clint Butler recently posted..How To Find Your Tribe Who Will Invest In Your Products
Twitter: santosh29
says:
hello NILE
nice post and thanks for sharing this with us, everyone want to work with a plan and people also use calender,notebooks etc to do the blogging effectively.
thanks!!!
santosh recently posted..Spice smartphone with dual-core processor
Twitter: martydai
says:
I schedule my posts for the week but never thought to use the draft mode to save ideas and topics – I’ll give it a try -
Marty Diamond recently posted..Landing Page Love For Your Social Media Traffic
Twitter: MrSkylaar
says:
Its great idea, however i found that if you are not posting or writing your idea to post, then you forget and that idea goes to waste. Just my personal experience. My ideas need to be put down to be posted next. Im sure though a lot of people use this method.
Jarryd recently posted..Corporate Photography – Experimenting With Natural Light
Hey Nile,
Nice post and Thanks for sharing this post with us. I really like the idea of draft mode in wordpress and yes we can use it when ever we got an idea about our next post but not have proper research about that then we can easily save it into draft.
Sudipto recently posted..Best Android Phone Under 10000
really draft plays a very important role in making the lyf of a blogger quite relaxed n easy.
With it scheduling of the posts can be done n also the raw data for our post can also be saved easily for further use.
Very useful info…keep sharing!!!
Excellent post. You really dialed that in. It’s the simple principles that worked for people that have already been where we are heading and desire to be that we should pay close attention to.Thanks for keeping it real and I always look forward to your next post!
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