Jan 4, 2011 / Beginner

Use time travel to post in the future

WordPress allows you to post in advance. You can set a post to be published an hour, a day or even a year from now. This can come in handy when you are going to be traveling, or if you want to provide yourself a cushion of posts in case you forget one day.

You can learn about how to schedule a post here. It’s easy and fast and might just make your challenge much easier.

(Pssst: this post was scheduled hours in advance – I’m actually asleep right now!)

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  2. And the time machine works in reverse too! When you forget to post (we’re all human, aren’t we), you can antedate a post…

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    1. Thanks Scott for this info! And thanks jan for the antedate idea! Thanks for making blogging easier and learning all about it less intimidating.

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  3. I use this trick a lot. I’ve had posts up through Friday since yesterday morning and am working on uploading pictures I might use for Saturday’s post right now.

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  5. I did this over Christmas as I was away for 5 days. It took me some time to set it up beforehand (well, writing five extra posts cost extra time) but then while I was away I could just quickly check on my iPod if people had commented (and approve them if needed) an write short reactions back. Very handy!

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  9. I use this alot. At the moment I have a posts lined up for the next four days. Also, I like the fact that I can set my posts to be published at the same time each day… I don’t know why, I just do.

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  10. Thank you Scott! I never knew about this until I stumbled upon your reply to a blogger about scheduling posts in advance. That lead me to find out a little more about it. I think this is a great option and will force me to get organised a little bit during holiday season.

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  11. I really like that idea. I noticed a fellow blogger had posts tumbling out every single week for about a year before she let everyone know she plans them well in advance due to her busy work schedule. Such a great idea, I must try 🙂

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  12. Unfortunately this is sketchy. Over the last year I’ve found that scheduling future posts only works about 1 out of 10 times. So far I haven’t found a solution….but I haven’t had to do it in a while.

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    1. It’s a bummer this hasn’t worked for you, because I have never had a problem with anything posting precisely when I tell it to. In fact, the post-dated posts feature was one of the main reasons I chose wordpress over other options.
      There are a couple of things I noticed, though, that may make a difference for you.
      1) I had my time zone set incorrectly, so my first few scheduled posts showed up 8 hours before I expected them to. It helps to make sure you check your settings so you know if your posts are scheduled for local time or some other time.
      2) A couple times I entered an incorrect date but discovered my error when I went to see why it hadn’t posted. Usually I was a day off (scheduled for the 5th instead of the 4th).
      3) Another thing to remember, the clock is in military/24 hour time. If you want your post to show up at 4pm you will need to enter 16:00 instead of 4:00.
      Just a couple of things to keep in mind for you or anyone else who is planning to use this feature.

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    2. Make sure you also remember to click the ‘ok’ button once you have set the time and then click on the ‘schedule’ button. I have nearly forgot to do this quite a few times.

      Also, by clicking on ‘posts’ in your dashboard, you can check when the scheduled posts are set to be published.

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  14. I use scheduled post to stock up on posts ahead of time. Ideally I am posting about three days ahead of the current date all the time. This way I can take a day off when I want or need to. I also write a bunch ahead around holidays.

    I’ve been posting daily since November 2007. I began illustrating my posts (almost daily) this past year too.

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  15. Posting ahead is a wonderful tool I wish I’d found two years ago. Before traveling, and during expected busy times (like the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holidays) I prepost, which enables my five blog sites to appear to be kept fresh while I am otherwise detained with other matters.
    And yes, I facilitate five posts:
    http://www.carolyncholland.wordpress.com
    http://www.carolyncholland2011.wordpress.com
    http://www.intertwinedlove.wordpress.com
    http://www.beanerywriters.wordpress.com and
    http://www.laurelmountainboro.wordpress.com
    Keeps me busy and out of trouble!

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  18. So this is really posting from the past, then?

    Neat. Maybe I’ll write a letter to myself and then respond to it a week later, and both posts will come out on the same day.

    Or something. I have some experimenting to do.

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  21. Okay… so I get up every morning and write. Do I add it to my blog… nope.
    Today – new theme to make it easier to organize, then I find this post a day challenge. Eureka. So what if it’s already January 8th.
    What inspires me? Everything. Breathing. Writing. Sharing Caring. Need a boost? Visit. Read a wp blog. postaday2011 – must be heaven in 2011.

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