diff --git a/.forestry/front_matter/templates/blog-post.yml b/.forestry/front_matter/templates/blog-post.yml
index fb66285..aadca93 100644
--- a/.forestry/front_matter/templates/blog-post.yml
+++ b/.forestry/front_matter/templates/blog-post.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
----
----
-
 ---
 label: Blog post
 hide_body: false
@@ -8,9 +5,14 @@ fields:
 - type: text
   name: title
   label: title
+  config:
+    required: false
 - type: datetime
   name: date
   label: date
+  default: now
+  config:
+    required: true
 - type: text
   name: redirect_from
   label: redirect_from
diff --git a/.forestry/settings.yml b/.forestry/settings.yml
index efa562b..041ddf9 100644
--- a/.forestry/settings.yml
+++ b/.forestry/settings.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
----
----
-
 ---
 new_page_extension: md
 auto_deploy: false