Plan a Month of Content Without Burning Out
This one is for anyone (and I’ve been there too) who has promised themselves to “get consistent” with posting, but then you burn out two weeks later and end up ghosting your IG again. I’ve talked a lot about my content planning process (and AI Interns that help me when my brain doesn’t want to cooperate) but I realized that I’ve never explained HOW I plan my content every month.
Before I get into the nitty gritty, I want to first explain why planning your content every month is such a game-changer in keeping you posting consistently: setting aside a couple of focused hours to plan your content now will save you weeks of second-guessing later.
Trust me when I say that this lesson should have been obvious to me years ago, before twins and cancer, but I’m embarrassed to admit that it took me far too many stressful “I don’t know what to post” moments to finally have it stick. As a busy business owner, mom of three, and cancer survivor, my energy and focus aren’t what they used to be. I don’t have the luxury of sitting down every day to “figure out what to post.” So, I’ve put together this monthly planning system (through a lot of trial an error), and it lets me show up consistently even when life is messy.
And because I can’t help but try and help everyone learn this critical content step, I’m going to break down the key elements of my system here so you can use it for yourself. Whether you’re brand-new to content planning or just tired of the start-and-stop cycle, there is something you can steal to help lift the content stress off your shoulders.
Pro tip: If this already feels like a lot, I built the Monthly Mini Planner inside my free Momentum Hub to shortcut the process for you.
Step 1: Start With Your Focus for the Month
Instead of pulling random ideas out of thin air, start with putting structure around you content this month.
Review your content pillars. These are the 3–5 big topics or themes that you can talk about for a long time. Think, if you got a call from
What’s the most important thing for your business priorities. Is it filling your waitlist, upping your followers, or testing your new lead magnet? Pick one main CTA to weave into your posts for the month.
Choose one broad theme for the month. For example, my focus right now is “planning content.” Tip: if you get the same question over and over, that’s a great sign from your audience that the topic is hot!
When you narrow your focus, content actually becomes easier, not harder. You’ll have one clear message instead of feeling like you need to talk about everything at once.
Step 2: Map Your Long-Form First
If you have a blog or email newsletter, start by writing those. Long-form content helps you organize your thoughts, and once it’s written, you can pull smaller pieces from it for social posts.
This is exactly how I can create more content for less effort for myself and my clients every month. I draft my newsletter, then my blog, and by the time I’m ready to plan my Instagram, I already have half my ideas sitting there.
If you don’t have a blog yet (or you don’t feel like you have the energy to write one a month), this system still works. Just skip this step and head straight to your socials.Momentum Matters More Than Perfection
Step 3: Choose Your Posting Goal & Pattern
Here’s where most people trip up (especially if they are trying to get back to posting after a break), they overcommit.
If you have struggle with consistency, start with 2 posts per week. This is plenty to rebuild the habit which is the most important goal when you are committed to getting back online. Once you’re comfortable, move to 3 posts per week to help you reach more people and improve faster.
Then, choose a simple posting pattern to reduce decision fatigue. For me, it’s an alternating dark/light grid (dark = carousels, tweets, long captions; light = Reels). It’s like a little shortcut for my brain when I’m slotting posts in.
*Note: You don’t need to copy my pattern. Alternating two post types is enough. Grid patterns are like training wheels, you can always change them up or just ditch them when you have gotten the hang of content.
Step 4: Use a Visual Calendar
This step is exciting because it starts to feel like you are really getting somewhere! Pick your favourite monthly calendar and grab it now. I use my Later.com scheduling system in month view and color-code by post type. But any month-view calendar works that you can move posts around easily as you plan (trust me, things shift throughout planning so don’t go in with pen and paper or you will be using a lot of white out). Other great options are Google Calendar or even a paper planner or whiteboard with post-it notes. The key is making your plan visual so you can do a quick check without scrolling through notes.
I like to use colour coding because I follow that light/dark grid pattern and layer on top of that the types of media to help reduce decision fatigue. When you know you’re looking at a Reel vs. graphic carousel post, it helps your brain feel prepared when it comes time to create the content.
Step 5: Fill Your Calendar by Post Type
When I plan, I don’t start with what the post is about, I start with media type. I have found starting with the media type (reel, carousel, long caption, tweet, meme, etc) keeps me focused on the planning stops me from getting distracted and filming a Reel or writing a caption before its time. This gives me structure before I get into the weeds.
Once I’ve dropped the colour-coded media type blocks into my calendar, I go one format at a time and decide what each individual post will be about. Here’s how I like to approach it:
I start with Reels. I usually have inspiration already from saved audios or other people’s Reels I’ve see from the past several weeks that I saved. It doesn’t matter which post format you start with, but I suggest the one you feel most excited to create.
Then I add 1–2 graphic carousels per month. I have learned over time that these take a lot more energy to create so, for now, I limit them. However; with a blog already written, these work great to establish thought leadership.
Next, I slot in long caption posts. These are basically carousel-level ideas but with a single photo and text hook, and the real meat in the caption. I added these a little while ago to balance out the energy needed for carousels with a value first post because they are much faster to create.
Finally, I sprinkle in tweet-style graphics at the end of the week when my audience’s attention is lower. These are super quick and easy to create and keep me hitting my post per week goals!
Remember: this is just my workflow. Your mix will likely look different but I suggest choosing at least two different media formats at first, and then adding others as you get more experienced.
Post Types To Try
Use this menu of options to pick what works best for your energy and brand:
Low-Energy Options (great for busy weeks):
B-roll Reels with text overlay
Tweet-style graphics
Quotes (less trendy now, but still work if aligned with your voice)
Reposts from other accounts (with credit and your thoughts)
Medium-Energy Options:
Long captions (with single photo and text overlay
Memes (trending or custom)
Jokes/puns related to your niche
Poll posts (don’t overdo it, maybe once a month for engagement)
Higher-Energy Options:
Graphic carousels (educational, thought leadership)
Photo dump carousels (popular for personal brands)
Any graphic-heavy posts
The trick to choosing your post types is NOT doing them all. Pick a mix that fits your current capacity and stick to it long enough to build momentum, both with your audience and your motivation.
Step 6: Plan With Focus So You Can Create With Ease
The biggest mistake I see is trying to plan and create in the same sitting. When I’m planning my content, I’m not filming Reels, designing carousels, or writing captions. Grab your colour-coded calendar and write down the following for each post:
The post type (if you are following my steps you’ve already done this)
The purpose of the post
A short call to action, or what you want your audience to do to engage (remember you decided on one broad CTA for the month so use that one most of the time)
A short description of the post so ‘Future You’ knows what you were thinking during planning
Once I’ve planned this way I can leave the plan and sit down later in the month without needing deep focus to get posts ready to publish. All I have to do is follow my notes.
Step 7: Leave Room for Flexibility
Many people refuse to take the time to plan because they think it locks in their content but, it actually makes spontaneity easier.
If a trend comes up or I feel inspired mid-month to create a post, I just swap a post out or move things around. Having the plan gives me a foundation that makes sure I stay consistent, but I can still improvise because it’s my content so I make the rules. Sometimes I even end up with more content than I expected.
Why The System Works
I built this system over years of starts and stops on my own Instagram and, now that I’ve committed to it (and built some AI helpers to take some of the mental load), I’ve been able to post at least 2x per week (and most weeks 3 or more times) for over a year! And through all that I was keeping three little kids alive and happy, fed my family mostly homecooked meals that I planned and cooked at home, managed the worst sick season I’ve even been through (Oct to May), and was in treatment for breast cancer.
For me this system has been a game changer because, between postpartum, sleep deprivation, perimenopause, and chemo brain, I needed something that would let me create content that supports my business and fits into my life short on energy and time. With this I can create content in short bursts and still have a ton of confidence when I see them auto-posted online.
The bottom line is this system has carried me through some of the hardest seasons of my life, and if it works for me, I promise it can work for you.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time you post (and if you post on the fly that’s what you are doing). Monthly planning makes content helps you finally break the start-stop cycle because it makes creating doable for even the busiest business owner.
If you are still thinking that you just can’t fit content planning into your busy month and want a shortcut, grab the Monthly Mini Planner inside my free Momentum Hub. It’s designed to ask you some questions about you and your biz, and cut through all these steps to suggest 6-8 content ideas for your business in a matter of a couple minutes. Pop your email in at the link here and grab the password immediately.
If you’re curious about what’s next: My Content GPS System is coming soon, and it includes Cam the Content Architect, your very own planning intern who will help you plan an entire month in a fraction of the time. Essentially skip all these steps and let Cam do them with you. Momentum Hub subscribers will get first dibs so subscribe now!
