Planning for Emergency Situations
Have you ever wondered what you, as a blogger, should do in an emergency situation to ensure that your blog remains unaffected? In this week’s podcast, Susan Santoro shares some tips that you can use to help create an emergency plan to keep you and your business afloat during difficult times.
Let’s face it, no one likes to be reminded that emergency situations happen and that these situations can drastically alter your work and personal life. Fortunately, one of the best ways to combat all the negatives that come with these situations is to create a plan so that you can be prepared.
As Susan shares, creating an emergency plan offers you a cushion that protects your blog while allowing you to focus on more personal matters. Said plan allows you to anticipate a crisis way before it ever happens and can provide you with a sense of security and ease. You can also use this plan for any aspect of your life to make sure that you are prepared for anything.
EPISODE 019: PLANNING FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
About Susan Santoro
Susan is a professional organizer and the founder of Organized 31, where she shares simple organizing ideas, crafts and recipes for busy people. She grew up as a military child, served in the Air Force and is now the spouse of an active duty military member.
Susan earned a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Human Relations at the University of Oklahoma. Susan’s experience in military plans and moving into and organizing more than 25 homes led her to create Organized 31 to help busy families make the space and time for what’s really important to them.
She understands that busy people often have limited time and budgets, so many of her tips revolve around free and repurposed items. She has been featured in both print and online publications for her organizing, repurposing, craft and parenting tips and ideas: – Real Simple – First for Women – Good Housekeeping – Woman’s Day – Apartment Therapy – Redbook
The Importance of Creating an Emergency Action Plan
As a mom and a veteran, Susan knows that creating an emergency action plan is an absolute necessity in protecting what is most valuable to you. For bloggers, creating a plan allows you to gather data, information, and develop strategy tactics that you can use in the event of an emergency to prevent your blog from floundering.
Generally we don’t expect emergencies to happen, but when they do, we often don’t know what step to take next. An emergency action plan is a great tool to have in place to guide you along. The more you plan and prep, the more likely you can get through a situation with a good control of your emotions.
Emotions are our way of expressing our feelings towards a situation, but they can really hinder your ability to think. When this happens, you don’t have time to focus on your blog or on the more complicated aspects of your life. That’s why having an emergency plan in place is so important- you do the important thinking before it comes time to worry about it. Even if you never have to use your plan, your mind will be at ease knowing you having something to fall back on should you need it.
“Always plan ahead so that you’re two steps ahead.”
Developing a Crisis Management Plan
In order to be prepared for the unexpected, Susan herself has three primary steps to develop a crisis management plan. The first step she shares is to ask yourself: What is the most critical thing to do so that your business can continue? Once you have outlined your priorities, you then need to establish a group of people who you can trust to oversee them. Let these people know what to do in the event that you’re unable to manage your blog.
The second step is create a safety cushion in which you can breathe and assess your situation. The best way to do this is to make sure you always work as far ahead as you can on any task or assignment. In the event of an emergency, you will be relieved in the knowledge that you have some portion of a task complete, and even if you finish it quickly, then at least most of it will be of good quality. Also, to help combat procrastination, scheduling due dates and important events is a good way to ensure that you’re on top of every step.
The third step is to have a plan to recycle blog content. This content should be something already published on your blog that a trusted friend or family member can easily repost for you. This way, you can still feed content to your followers while allowing yourself the grace to focus on your situation. It is also a good idea to tell members of your trusted circle who other members are so that they can all communicate on your behalf. Let your blog and your friends support you through your difficult time.
“It’s okay to give yourself some grace in a difficult time.”
More Tips for your Crisis Plan
After getting all the difficult aspects of your crisis plan out of the way, the next thing to do is to create tasks for yourself that don’t require a great deal of thinking. What can you mechanically do for your blog that doesn’t require too much of your creativity? These tasks can be ones such as creating templates, creating graphics, organizing files, etc. Not only are these tasks good for your blog to stay afloat, but they are also great for your mental health.
Set realistic and achievable goals when creating your crisis plan. These goals should be ones that you can easily adjust to your circumstances and create a placeholder in which you can continue and move on from. Remember, as a blogger you are in charge of your goals and you can always achieve them at a later date. Your goals can also give you ideas of what to do in the future for when your life resumes.
“Pivot and move forward.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
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LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Episode 1: Task Prioritization Matrix
Episode 5: How to Create a Contingency Plan for Your Business
Ultimate Business Vault
Susan’s Blog Traffic Hidden Gems
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