What I have realized over the years is that if I don’t plan ahead and/or use certain planning tools to keep me on track, my schedule for filming and posting videos gets off track. If you can relate, then you’ll like this blog, where I share my favorite planning tools to help keep me on track.

I’m gonna let you all in on a little secret.…

Even though I’ve been in this business for years, I still struggle with filming videos consistently every once in a while. Yep, consistency can be tough, even if you’re doing something you love every day!

An everyday planner

If you’re a person that needs to physically write stuff down to get it done, I highly recommend using a planner. I heavily rely on my Simplified Planner by Emily Ley. As its name suggests, this planner is very simple and gets the job done. There aren’t a lot of fancy features or bells and whistles to distract me, which lets me focus on the things I’m jotting down.

You can block out filming time in your planner and then input it into your calendar on your phone to really hold yourself accountable. That’s what I do with my Google Calendar since it syncs up with my appointment scheduler. I can make sure that no one books an appointment during that time, and I can treat filming as a commitment to my content and my audience.

A project management tool

There are a lot of smaller steps that go into filming and posting videos! To help me keep track of everything I’m publishing and to keep me on task, I like to use a project management tool called Asana.

A project management system like Asana lets me have a workflow that I can duplicate with each video. Much of the process is the same whenever I create and upload a new video, so having a digital workflow in place lets me check off each task as I work through them. Plus, I can use Asana to communicate with the members of my team and get stuff done!

TubeBuddy on YouTube

TubeBuddy is my last big planning tool that helps me create videos. It’s a browser extension that lets you research keywords and look up the search volume for specific video topics. 

TubeBuddy helps me actually plan content since I can see what’s currently trending, what’s really popular on the platform, what’s missing, and so on. I love this tool because I can map out my calendar with specific video topics and figure out what to film next.

Bonus tool: A physical calendar

If you watch the YouTube video on this topic, you’ll notice the calendar in my background, which I always get questions about! This calendar tracks my projects and upcoming launches. I’m a very visual person, so having physical reminders in front of me really helps. Even if it’s not aesthetically pleasing, it’s a very effective tool for me.

On that same note, I encourage you to figure out which tools work specifically for you! If you’re a visual person too, maybe you’ll really like using a whiteboard or giant wall calendar. If you like to write things down, try a planner or sticky notes. Prefer digital tools? Try out different apps! Find tools that work for your style and personality.