Every month, I write this blog.
It’s not something I have to do for a client. It’s not something that anyone at LBA marketing is hammering my door down for. And, yet, I feel a responsibility to write it. To myself. I made a decision to write a monthly blog several years ago, and every month that I achieve it I get a super satisfactory surge of endorphins.
For those who have tried and fallen short of consistently producing a similar, no-urgency monthly blog, this may sound like an impossible task. Like the Mount Everest of content creation. How does one find the time? How does one come up with the ideas? How does one motivate to do something that nobody is asking for, or worse, maybe not even reading?
However, if you find yourself continuing to say that a monthly blog is something you “should,” “need,” or “want” to be doing, either for business or personal reasons, I’m here to say you can get to the summit.
I’ve got a few very simple, yet proven strategies for getting on track with your monthly writing process and making it something you really look forward to.
1. Put it on your calendar right now. The minute I finish writing this post, I am going to move the “due date” for my next monthly blog on my calendar. It will be exactly four weeks from today, Sunday, October 17th. That gives me lots of wiggle room. If I have time earlier in the month and feel juiced to write, I won’t wait until that date. Or, if that weekend gets here, and something unexpected came up, then I still have half the month left to get it done.
2. Be an idea collector. Many of my blogs are inspired by things I read from the marketing and writing experts I follow. In fact, this post was sparked by a newsletter article by Heather Lloyd-Martin of SuccessWorks that I read months ago. I put the little ember of an idea that had been lit by her article onto a list of writing tip ideas and bookmarked the newsletter so I could refer to it if needed. Having my list and saving resources like this assures me that I’m never going to be in a content desert, parched for words. Note that ideas don’t have to come from other marketers or content creators—my writing tips have been fueled by fashion trends, current events, songs, and more. Whenever an idea pops into my head, I add it to the idea pile.
3. Limit distractions. I’ve tried to write these tips during the workweek but find that all I can think about are the “real” projects I need to be focusing on. I’ve tried to write these tips with a football game or The Mandalorian on in the background, but when there is an exciting play or Baby Yoda does something adorable, my attention shifts completely. I have even tried to squeeze in some writing when my daughter and husband are waiting for me to do something with them—talk about enormous pressure! Because I know these are my biggest distractions, to get my monthly tip out and done, I do them on a weekend, announce to my family that I have an hour that I need to do some work, go in my home office with nothing but my computer, start my timer, and write.
None of these simple strategies will work, of course, if you’re not really passionate about the topic that you’re writing about. I absolutely love to write, and I get a lot of joy out sharing my experience and knowledge in the hopes that it helps other content creators get their job done smoother. I’m never resentful of setting aside this one hour per month to write. I’m not stressed about what I’m going to write about because I have a well of ideas that thrill me. And, I’m not worried about what my family is doing without me right now—I am confident they will survive.
So, if you’ve tried all these tricks to get in a monthly blogging habit and still feel a ton of resistance in your mind and body when you sit down to write, I bet it has nothing to do with your process and everything to do with your topic. What is it that you really want to write about? When you discover that thing that drives you, then I know you will be able to do what I do.
Note: This blog was originally written in my role as Chief Content Officer for LBA Marketing.
