One of my colleagues calls me “committed.” Others think I should be committed. But one way or the other, I post an entry to my blog every work day. How do I do it? Often, it’s a labor of love, but sometimes it feels like a chore. I find something I think is worth saying every day, but I admit that it is not always easy. Today, it was easy, because I can tell you all of the things that I do to post every day.
Image by churl via Flickr
First, I cheat by asking other people to post to my blog. It might strike you as the easiest way to fill the days, and in some ways it is. We have a great staff of Biznology bloggers, ranging from Chris Angus, who posted his first one yesterday to Frank Reed, our most prolific blogger, posting each Friday. But it took a few years to create a popular enough blog for others to want to contribute. And I still must be constantly talking to bloggers and getting new ones or cajoling veterans for another post. It’s important, but it isn’t always easy.
Despite these great contributions from others, I still write more of the posts than anyone, and people want to know how I pull that off. I have a few methods that keep those posts coming, some obvious, but I hope a few are new to you:
- Save ideas. Keep a running list of every idea that occurs to you that might be a post. Don’t judge them. I have ideas that have sat around for a year before I felt like writing them, but waking up to several dozen ideas on a list to pick from is a lot better than a blank page. I also write part of the post when I jot the idea down. That way, I feel like I am off to a running start and just need to finish it. For some reason, it feels much easier that way. (I jotted down the bullet points in this post two weeks ago.)
- Schedule a post each day. Scheduling is important in two ways. First, you must schedule the time that you will write the post—block an hour on your calendar if you have to. But I go further and actually plan which post I will write each day. That way, some big decisions have already been made for me when the appointed hour arrives.
- Write for other venues. Even that schedule isn’t enough pf a prod for me. I write for other sites on a regular basis because I promised that I would. When one of my posts runs on another site, I can link to it from Biznology and my post for that day is done.
- Write down questions. If you are like me, you can’t go 20 minutes without someone asking you a question. Sometimes, like yesterday, it’s in a formal setting, such as after I present a Webinar. Most times, it is informal, such as with co-workers, clients, or just over e-mail. Every time someone asks you a question that you know the answer to, it’s a possible blog post. Usually others have the same question.
- Take breaks. This might seem counter-intuitive, but it’s easy to burn out on something you do every day, so give yourself some time off. I don’t write when I am on vacation, and I take a lot of vacation. Hey, I am taking one now–a long one. I will see you again on April 12. Frank Reed’s got tomorrow and then we’ll be back later.
Perhaps I’m leaving out the most important reason I post every day. I like to write and the writing helps my business. I get more consulting and speaking engagements from my writing than from any other source. If you like to write and you want an easier way of making a name for yourself, you might find that writing a blog is not as tough as a lot of other ways to spend your time. Good luck.
