How to Store Your Blog Post Ideas The Right Way
Remember that moment when you decided to start keeping track of your blog post ideas? Now it’s time to turn that commitment to yourself into action. Learning how to store your blog post ideas effectively and creating your own storage system can seem overwhelming at first, but I promise you’ll be surprised by how simple it can be.
By the way, if you haven’t read my earlier blog post in this two-fold series, I encourage you to read that post first: The Most Important Reasons Why You Need To Store Your Blog Post Ideas.
Think of this system as your content vault – a place where every spark of creativity is safely stored and ready to become your next great blog post. Whether you’re managing a growing blog or just brainstorming your first ten blog posts, having a reliable way to capture and organize your ideas will transform your content creation process from chaotic to streamlined.
Let’s build a system that works for you, not against you. Ready to get started?
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How to Quickly Capture Blog Post Ideas
Ever notice how blog post ideas pop up at the most unexpected times? Maybe you’ll think of a brilliant idea during your morning coffee or while taking your dog out for their final walk of the day.
For me, they surface when I read other blog posts, during talks with friends, and even when scrolling through social media. But it’s always at a time when I’m not at my desk.
That’s why our first step in learning how to store blog post ideas is setting up quick capture methods that work anywhere, anytime.
Digital Tools
Your smartphone is your best friend for capturing ideas on the go. Use a note-taking app that syncs across all your devices. The key is choosing one that opens quickly and requires minimal clicks to start writing. Think about Microsoft OneNote or Google Keep, being two free options. Of course, there are also apps like Notion and Trello, for example. Keep it simple, just type in your main blog post idea and a few quick bullet points that pop into your mind.
Traditional Methods
Sometimes, old school works best. Keep a small notebook in your bag or pocket. The beauty of pen and paper is that it never runs out of battery. Plus, studies show we remember things better when we write them down by hand. The key is to make sure you transfer these notes to your digital system during your daily review. We’ll talk about that later.
Emergency Captures
What about those moments when neither phone nor notebook is handy? Use voice memos while driving or walking. Send yourself a quick email. Even a napkin will do in a pinch – just make sure you have a system for collecting these emergency captures later.
Remember, quick capture is just the first step. The goal isn’t perfection – it’s making sure no brilliant idea slips away. In the next section, we’ll explore how to organize these captures into a robust digital system.
Your Digital Organization Setup for Blog Post Ideas
Now that you’ve captured your ideas, let’s create a powerful system to organize them.
Airtable Base for Blog Post Ideas
I’m an avid user and big fan of Airtable. I use it to keep track of my blog posts, for my analytics and admin, and to track my Pinterest pins. My beloved Second Brain is built in Airtable as well. Safe to say, I love Airtable!
For me, my Airtable base has become the heart of my blog storage system. It’s my answer to the question of how to store blog post ideas. It can be the answer for you, too.
After you have signed up for Airtable (which is free, by the way), the first thing you need to do is set up your Blog Post Base for your ideas. Here’s how to build out that base further:
Fields and Views Create these essential fields in your blog post table:
- Title (for your blog post ideas)
- Category
- Notes (for those brilliant details you don’t want to forget)
- Possible publication date (if you know this already)
- And maybe status tracking (draft, in progress, published)
Once you are ready to work on an idea, you move the idea over to the next table in your base, where you track additional things like the URL, your keyphrase, images used, shared on social media, and such.
Asana Project for Blog Post Ideas
While many think of Asana as just a project management tool, it’s actually perfect for storing blog post ideas. Its visual board layout makes it easy to see all your ideas at a glance, and you can quickly drag and drop them as they move from raw concepts to fully formed post ideas. Plus, having your ideas in Asana means you can turn them into actionable content plans whenever you’re ready.
Step 1: Create Your Ideas Board
- Create a new project in Asana
- Name it “Blog Post Ideas.”
- Choose “List” view
Step 2: Basic List Structure Set up these three sections (lists):
- Raw Ideas (for quick captures)
- Potential Posts (ideas you want to develop)
- Ready to Write (fully formed ideas)
Step 3: Adding Ideas When inspiration strikes:
- Click on add task to add a new idea
- Type your idea as the task title
- Click into the task to add:
- Brief description
- Any key points
- Reference links
- Notes etc.
Organizing Blog Post Ideas with Asana Tags
To add tags to your blog post ideas in Asana, press Tab + T while in any task, then type a tag name (like “how-to” or “seasonal”), hit enter, and choose a color. You can use these simple color-coded tags for:
- Topic categories
- Post types (how-to, list, review)
- Seasonal content
That’s it. No need for complex workflows or multiple lists – just one simple space to collect and organize your ideas.
The Initial Setup
Take 30 minutes to set up your basic structure. Start with one note-taking app and your Airtable base or Asana board. Remember, you can always add more tools later.
How to Put the Storage System into Action
Ready to put your blog storage system into action? Let’s break down how to make this system part of your daily blogging routine after you’ve created your basic idea-catching system.
Daily Captures
Make idea-capturing a natural part of your day. When inspiration strikes, take 30 seconds to add it to your system. Whether you’re in line at the coffee shop or winding down for bed, quickly note your idea in whatever tool is handiest, be it a note-taking app or a little notebook. The key is to capture now and organize later.
In the morning, make a habit of setting aside 15 minutes to review your captures. Ask yourself these 3 questions:
- Is this idea aligned with my blog’s purpose?
- What value will it bring to my readers?
- Does it fit into my content calendar?
Weekly Organization
Pick a specific day and time for your weekly planning to also organize your ideas. Sunday evenings or Monday mornings work well for many bloggers. During this 15-minute session:
- Review new ideas and add details while they’re fresh
- Move promising ideas to your “Ready to Write” column
- Delete or archive ideas that no longer excite you
Monthly Review
Set aside one hour each month to:
- Look through all your stored ideas
- Identify patterns in your thinking
- Spot gaps in your content plans
- Clean up any duplicate ideas
- Update old ideas with fresh angles
Think of this process like tending a garden – daily watering, weekly weeding, and monthly pruning keep your ideas growing strong. What day of the week would work best for your weekly review?
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is creating a sustainable system that helps you turn more of your brilliant ideas into engaging blog posts.
Making It Work Long-Term
You’ve built your blog storage system, you’re making it work, now let’s make sure it stands the test of time. The key to long-term success is creating habits that feel natural and effortless. (By the way, if you want to read more on habit formation, James Clear’s Atomic Habits is a great book)
Maintenance Routine
Maintaining any system is important. Your blog post storage system is no exception. Think of it like a garden that needs regular care. That’s why you want to set aside specific times for:
- Daily quick captures (5 minutes)
- Weekly idea organization (15 minutes)
- Monthly content planning (30 minutes)
Pick times that naturally fit your schedule. Are you a morning person? Do your organizing over a cup of coffee. Night owl? Make it part of your evening wind-down routine. Whatever time works best for you and your schedule.
Backup Strategies
Never lose another brilliant idea by creating safety nets. Just imagine losing months of creative planning because of a technical glitch or a lost notebook – let’s make sure that never happens.
Digital Backups: Export your Airtable base monthly to a spreadsheet. This takes just two minutes but can save you hours of heartache. Store these exports in both Google Drive and your local computer for double protection.
Cloud Storage Solutions: Your ideas deserve the security of cloud storage, and using multiple services adds extra protection. Set up automatic syncing between your primary note-taking app and at least two cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox. This creates a safety net that catches every idea, no matter where you initially captured it.
Physical Backups: Sometimes, the old ways are the best ways, especially when technology fails us. Keep a small notebook in your bag or on your bedside table for those moments when your phone dies, or you’re in a spotty service area. Transfer these physical notes to your digital system during your weekly review, but keep the notes, too, just in case.
Multiple Location Storage: Think of your backup system as protecting your most valuable possessions – you wouldn’t keep all your treasures in one place, right? Store your blog ideas across different locations, including your computer’s hard drive, external drives, and cloud services. This distributed approach ensures that even if one storage method fails, your ideas remain safe and accessible.
Remember, you can’t have too many backups of your creative work. These safety nets ensure your brilliant ideas are always protected and accessible when inspiration strikes.
System Refinement
Your blogging business will grow and change, so let your systems grow with it. Just as your writing style evolves and your audience grows, your method for storing blog post ideas should adapt, too. Think of your storage system as a living tool that needs occasional updates to stay useful and efficient.
- Review what’s working on a quarterly basis
- Remove unused features
- Add new categories as needed
- Adjust your workflow to match your current needs
The system that worked when you had ten blog post ideas might need adjustments when you have a hundred. Pay attention to how you use your storage system and be willing to make changes when something feels clunky or outdated.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
When problems arise with your blog storage system, don’t panic – every system needs occasional troubleshooting. Here’s how to tackle common challenges that might pop up along your blogging journey:
- Too many ideas? Create subcategories
- Forgetting to capture? Put your notes app on your phone’s homepage
- The system feels cluttered? Schedule a clean-up day to review and reorganize
- Lost motivation? Review your best-performing posts
Remember, the perfect system is the one you actually use. Keep what works, change what doesn’t, and stay flexible as your blogging journey evolves.
Also, addressing small issues early prevents bigger problems later. The key is identifying what’s not working and making small adjustments until your system runs smoothly again.
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There are so many moving parts in creating a well-planned, researched, engaging, and optimized post that it’s easy to forget one or two steps.
But this checklist makes that process a lot easier!
My Final Thoughts
Creating a storage system for your blog post ideas doesn’t have to be complicated. If you choose to keep things simple with a basic note-taking app or cute little notebook and then build a more detailed system using Airtable and Asana, you’ll create a reliable method to capture your creative sparks.
Remember that your perfect system might look different from someone else’s – and that’s okay. Start with the basics we covered:
- Quick capture methods that work for your lifestyle
- A digital home for all your ideas
- Regular maintenance habits
- Reliable backup strategies
The real magic happens when you stop worrying about losing ideas and start focusing on creating amazing content. Your future self will thank you for taking the time to set up this system today.
Ready to put this into action? Pick one method we discussed and try it for the next week. Which capture method will you start with?
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