Let’s be sincere — rising on social media whereas working full-time (and nonetheless making an attempt to relaxation and reside life) isn’t any small feat.
There have been seasons after I promised I’d put up day by day. I’d open Buffer, make a phenomenal calendar, and inform myself this might be the month I confirmed up constantly. After which… work obtained busy. Or I hit a artistic wall. Or I simply didn’t really feel like saying something in any respect.
From chats with fellow creators and Buffer teammates/neighborhood, I do know I’m not alone on this — it’s a reasonably common expertise.
The reality is, rising on social media doesn’t require you to be on-line consistently, it simply wants a system that works in your actual schedule. Not the one you want you had. The one with back-to-back conferences and 30-minute artistic home windows.
Over the past six months, I’ve examined completely different posting rhythms, tried three scheduling workflows, and at last landed on a system I can keep on with — no stress, no burnout.
Step 1: I picked a tempo that labored for me
The most important fable I needed to unlearn was that consistency meant posting day by day.
That recommendation is all over the place, and it can work for some folks. However for me, making an attempt to put up every day whereas working full-time was a quick monitor to burnout. This occurred for just a few causes:
- If video was concerned, I used to be naturally a bit slower at creating since I gravitate extra in direction of textual content.
- Making an attempt to put up a video day by day additionally meant that the standard wasn’t at all times the place I needed it to be.
- Weeks the place I didn’t have any “buffer” content material (which I’ll clarify in just a few steps) meant that I used to be creating on the fly and publishing.
I spent extra time feeling responsible about what I didn’t put up than celebrating what I did.
So I ended chasing quantity and targeted on what I may truly maintain. As soon as I gave myself permission to put up much less, I confirmed up extra — as a result of I wasn’t setting myself as much as fail.
Lately, I intention to put up 2–3 instances per week throughout LinkedIn, Threads, and (sometimes) TikTok. Typically it’s extra, typically much less. However I’ve discovered a baseline that feels doable, and that consistency is what has helped me develop.
Rising on social media doesn’t imply it’s important to overexert your self within the course of. A repeatable system shall be higher reward than stops and begins. If as soon as per week is all you’ll be able to handle proper now, that’s nonetheless progress. The secret’s constructing a rhythm you’ll be able to sustain.
📝 Over to you: What’s your very best posting tempo — not the one you want you had, however the one that really suits into your present week?
Step 2: I discovered content material pillars in my every day life
Earlier than I constructed my present system, I used to overthink what to put up. I’d stare at a clean display screen, making an attempt to provide you with one thing intelligent or scroll-worthy out of nowhere. It felt like creating in a vacuum, and it made all the things more durable than it wanted to be.
Lately, I begin with what’s already taking place in my life.
I take a look at what I’m engaged on, what questions maintain developing, and what I’d naturally speak to a good friend about. That’s the place my content material pillars come from — not a technique template, however actual life.
Proper now, mine embody:
These concepts evolve with me and provides me artistic lanes to remain in, so I’m not reinventing the wheel each time I put up.
If “content material pillars” feels too formal, simply assume: What are three stuff you do or take into consideration typically? That’s your place to begin.
📝 Over to you: Record 3 stuff you do usually or take into consideration typically. These are most likely your content material pillars — even in the event you haven’t named them but.
Step 3: I captured concepts on the go (not simply at my desk)
Most of my greatest put up concepts don’t come after I’m gazing a clean doc — they arrive whereas I’m strolling to the shop, scrolling by means of social media (and bookmarking attention-grabbing posts), or speaking by means of an issue with a good friend.
So as an alternative of forcing creativity right into a time slot, I constructed a behavior of capturing concepts wherever they truly occur.
Right here’s what that appears like:
- I jot down concepts or hooks in my Notes app, or file a fast voice memo if I’m out
- If I’m working in Buffer, I drop messy concepts into the Concepts tab (even when they’re half-formed)
- I loosely tag by format (video, textual content), platform (LinkedIn, Threads), or pillar (like “content material ideas”) so I can discover them later
It’s not an ideal system, however it means I’m by no means ranging from zero. Even one line with an concept is healthier than a clean display screen with none.
📝 Over to you: Decide one place to seize your concepts this week — Notes app, Google Doc, Buffer’s Concepts tab, no matter works. Keep it up. That small behavior will prevent later.
Step 4: I created content material in pockets of time, not lengthy periods
There’s this concept that content material creation wants a protracted, quiet morning, the proper software stack, and deep focus.
That’s hardly ever my actuality.
Some days, I get quarter-hour between conferences. Different days, I’m drained however nonetheless wish to keep constant. So as an alternative of ready for excellent situations, I began utilizing the time I truly have — small home windows scattered all through the week.
Right here’s what that appears like:
- I draft put up outlines whereas beginning my day or winding down
- I collaborate with an AI software to assist form concepts after I’m caught or low on artistic vitality
- I batch-schedule content material after I’m feeling productive — however I don’t power it after I’m not
Some posts come collectively in a single sitting. Others reside in Buffer as tough drafts till I’m prepared to shine. Both method, I’ve given myself permission to construct steadily — and that’s what retains me constant with out burning out.
📝 Over to you: Block off half-hour this week to stipulate just a few posts. Don’t intention for excellent, simply get your concepts down. Your future self will thanks.
Step 5: I constructed a “mini buffer” for low-energy days
Even with a strong system, there are days after I simply don’t have it in me to jot down, movie, and even assume creatively. That used to derail my posting rhythm. Now? I plan for these days prematurely by preserving what I name a “mini buffer”. (Pun meant!)
My mini buffer is a small stash of low-effort content material I can flip to when vitality is low, however I nonetheless wish to keep seen. These aren’t high-concept or extremely produced — they’re fast to complete, simple to put up, and nonetheless aligned with my voice.
Right here’s what’s normally in mine:
- Quick reflections I can share with out a lot enhancing
- Templated graphics
- One-liner insights
- B-roll or visuals I can repurpose with a voiceover
I consider these as posts I may hit “publish” on with out hesitation — even when I’m drained, touring, or simply not feeling it. They maintain the momentum going, even after I’m not at 100%.
📝 Over to you: Begin constructing your mini buffer. Create 1–2 low-effort posts this week — a quote, a screenshot, a note-to-self. One thing your future self can schedule quick.
It’s not about doing extra — it’s about doing much less, extra reliably
I used to assume that rising on social media meant hustling more durable — displaying up every day, chasing each development, and pushing out polished content material on repeat. However that wasn’t sustainable, and it undoubtedly wasn’t working.
What truly helped me make progress? Constructing a system that revered my time and vitality.
Now, I create briefly bursts, reuse what I have already got, and maintain just a few backup posts prepared for low-energy days. I don’t put up day by day, however I put up usually. And that’s made all of the distinction.
The change that led me to this course of wasn’t tactical however emotional. I ended measuring success by how a lot I posted and began measuring it by how repeatable it felt.
So in the event you’re busy (which, let’s be sincere, most of us are), right here’s your reminder: You don’t have to develop a 3-month-long content material calendar or rent assist to remain seen. You simply want a system that makes it simpler to indicate up in your phrases.
If you wish to save the system in your personal use, right here’s a grab-and-go guidelines. Decide one concept from it to do that week. Set your individual tempo. Seize just a few concepts. Construct your mini buffer. No matter you select, maintain it gentle, repeatable, and rooted in your actual life, not another person’s schedule.
☐ Select a posting tempo you’ll be able to truly keep on with. Decide a frequency that matches your actual week.
→ Instance: “I’ll put up twice per week — as soon as on Wednesday, as soon as on Sunday.”
☐ Decide 2–3 content material pillars primarily based in your actual life. No have to invent new matters. Begin with what you are already doing, studying, or serious about.
→ Instance: 1) Distant work life, 2) LinkedIn monetization, 3) Profession ideas for entrepreneurs
☐ Seize concepts as they arrive (not simply whenever you sit all the way down to create). Select one software to log sparks: Notes app, Buffer’s Concepts tab, or a operating doc.
→ Immediate to strive: “What stunned me in the present day?” or “What would I inform a good friend who’s simply beginning out?”
☐ Define posts briefly bursts. Use 10–20 minute pockets of time to jot a hook and a couple of–3 bullet factors.
→ Instance: Whereas having espresso, draft a tough put up in your Notes app — no have to excellent it.
☐ Preserve a mini buffer of 1–2 backup posts. Save low-effort content material for the times you’re drained or uninspired.
→ Instance: A one-liner, quote graphic, or screenshot with a brief caption
☐ Let instruments do the heavy lifting. Use Buffer to tag concepts, set up by platform, and schedule posts prematurely.
→ Tip: Batch-schedule as soon as per week so you are not scrambling every day.
