Running a business is a huge time commitment. Planning, administration, product development, sales, delivery, email, accounting, social media, marketing. It takes time. Add a family into the mix and you’re lurching from demand to crisis without even a moment to warm up that cup of tea you made three hours ago.
Your blog post – this important but not urgent task – is often the victim of the go-go-go life. You know it’s important, but there it is, sitting at the bottom of the to-do list day after day.
“I have to write this blog post.”
“I really should write a blog post.”
“Today I’m going to write a blog post.”
“Tomorrow I will write this blog post…”
Does this sound familiar?
Don’t stack… hammer.
I’m in awe of bloggers and business owners who casually comment, “I’ll write a blog post in 15-20 minutes and batch it up.” “I’ll just sit there and write six or seven in a row.”
You what?
Blog posts take me hours. Not minutes. Hours Write one and I’m creatively exhausted. I need to lie down, go for a walk, or fool around on Facebook for 30 minutes to recover. By then a crisis has broken out. Forget stacking.
I’m also not that keen on the “stream of consciousness” approach. It’s great for therapy, but no one wants to read my therapy. Not even me.
Nevertheless, I write regularly and professionally. I manage it and get faster with practice. I also picked up a few tips from my profession, psychology.
Here’s how to write blog posts faster – and why.
1. Have a plan
I used to procrastinate until the day before my publication date (or even the day of it) and then wait for the inspiration to strike and the words to flow. It doesn’t work. It’s slow and frustrating. To get faster, I need to know what I’m going to write. Better yet, I need some bullet points and links to the research I need.
Why it works: In psychology, task planning is called “implementation intention.” It is complex and uses the front part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex. Implementation intentions reduce procrastination. Without a plan, your brain says “Oops, too hard” when faced with a big, vague task like writing a blog post. It wanders away to find another place to focus its attention. With a plan, you make the path to your goal easier and resistance – and procrastination – less likely.
2. Make planning a separate exercise
Planning and then writing in one period of time is brain overload. Split it into two separate tasks to increase your efficiency and get a better result. I like to brainstorm and plan coffee at a favorite coffee shop. I’ll write on my laptop later in my office.
Why it works: Cues in our environment trigger our habits. Look at the same four walls over and over again and you will still think the same way. To break through a creative block, come up with new ideas and then start writing, mixing it all up and working in different environments. Large rooms with lots of natural light and fresh air are ideal for stimulating new thoughts and ideas.
3. Write 15 minutes a day
Contributor to Drift Kings Media Kelly Exeter Take me to it. Once I have my plan, I sit down at the laptop, note the time, push aside distractions, and write for 15 minutes. It doesn’t matter what you write. In fact, Kelly suggests that if you get stuck, just keep writing, “I don’t know what to write here,” until an idea comes along. Try it, it works. And once you get started and find your flow, you may find that you just keep going until it’s done.
Why it works: Getting started is often the hardest part of any task, especially one that feels difficult. The good news is that once we get started, we’ll probably keep going until the job is finished. This is called the Zeigarnik effect. Your brain doesn’t like starting a task and then stopping halfway through. It will linger on your unfinished business and make you anxious until the task is completed. Get started and your mind will start with the motivation you need to keep going.
4. Set a deadline
One joy of being the boss is the flexibility of your deadlines. Don’t feel like writing today? Do something else instead. There is a lot to do. Except that it derails the important but not urgent blog post.
Sitting, thinking and writing is hard work for your brain. It rewards you by prioritizing that task last and getting you off the hook. However, it is a short-term win. The blog post is still not written.
I set deadlines for each blog post to push my brain to finish it. The shorter the deadline, the more focused you are.
Why it works: Motivation is psychologically complex, but we know for sure that our stress levels rise as a deadline approaches. When our stress levels rise, our brains and bodies are ready to take action. We start and work hard to complete the task. This is known as Yerkes-Dodson law. No deadline? Not enough stress to get you moving. If you’re a conscientious guy like me, self-imposed deadlines will work. If not, find a way to get others to set deadlines for you.
5. Focus on the end result
The anticipation of a vacation is often the best thing, right? Imagine lying by the pool, cocktail in hand, with no responsibilities. It motivates you to pack your things and get out the door.
This also works when writing blog posts. Generating ideas and writing may feel difficult, but don’t focus on that part. Focus on the reward. For me, that means hitting the publish button or sending a finished piece to an editor. Positive feedback is even better.
Find out where your motivation lies. What is the reward you will receive for writing this blog post? Where’s the thrill? Focus on it to get it done.
Why it works: There are two types of goals. Avoidance goals are things to avoid – like losing our audience because we haven’t written a blog post in a month or more. Then there are approach goals. These are the goals that force us to move forward. Your pool and cocktail vision is an approach goal. The feeling of satisfaction when you click the publish button is an approach goal. Anything can be a goal if you think about it properly. Don’t focus on what you’re avoiding. Focus on the good things that will come when your task is completed.
Ellen Jackson from Potential psychology is a psychologist who does things differently. She writes about people and why we do what we do. She coaches, she teaches and she helps workplaces be more responsive to people.