I write six to seven posts each week on four different websites, which might seem amazing. But I used to struggle to write just two posts every week (seven is still a struggle, which is a good thing).
Here are a few things I’ve do that have help me be more efficient (but still authentic) with my blogging:
- Dragon Dictation – I wrote this post in ten minutes (two minutes dictating and eight minutes editing the post in WordPress).
- Theme Calendar – I have a theme calendar in my head that looks like this:
- Monday – Strategy article at JohnHaydon.com, Video on Headway Videos.com
- Tuesday – Tactical article at NonprofitFacebookGuy.com
- Wednesday – Social fundraising article at Razoo, Howto article at JohnHaydon.com
- Thursday – Tactical article at NonprofitFacebookGuy.com
- Friday – Personal / thought piece at JohnHaydon.com
- Mind-mapping – This approach allows me to bounce freely between unrelated ideas, but anchor them together in a way that’s extremely organized. I wrote this post in twenty minutes using the MindMeister iPad app while I sat in a doctor’s waiting room.
- Reuse emails – Many times I’ll be answering a question for someone in an email and realize that other people probably have the same question. Copy, paste, delete the guilty parties.
- Reuse comments – Many times I’ll find myself leaving a thoughtful comment on a post and realize that I could blow it up into a blog post.
- Write in batches – Writing requires creative muscle which, once warmed up, can be used for creative tasks beyond the one you planned for. Take advantage of an engine that’s warmed up.
- Put up blinders – Often, I write posts in fullscreen mode which hides distractions in the dashboard.
- Use a tomato – It’s so hard for me to focus sometimes, that I think my ADD has ADD. However, I’ve learned to be productive by focusing in short 20-minute bursts using the Pomodoro technique.
- Read lots of blogs – I read 20+ blogs every day. The blogs I read are informative and inspiring, and often lead to me firing up a mind-map or post soon after.
- Read lots of books – The difference between a blog and a book is that a blog is a collection of someones insights, whereas a book is the whole mind. A blog tells me what someone is thinking that day, but a book tells me why they think the way they do.
- Go for walks – It may sound crazy, but the rhythm of walking brings out new ideas and inspiration, which I can dictate into my Dragon iPhone app.
- Write titles first – Blogging is easier when you learn to think in titles. Ask yourself, “Would I click on that title?” If yes, all you need is three paragraphs to go with that title.
The last thing I’ll say about all this is that I’ve kept at it, every single day for over three years. I have no special talents, just skills I’ve acquired with hard work.
So if you’re amazed at how much I blog each week, don’t be. If I can do it, so can you.
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Have you ever tried toying with iThoughts HD? I do my mind maps there, then import them into Scrivener. Turns your map into an outline… kind of an awesome way to get more use out of the mapping process.
Michael – I’ve found that Mindmeister fit’s my needs really well. You can export outlines, share maps with people for collaboration. Plus the iPhone and iPad apps all synch.
i like #6. Thanks, this is a good inspiring reminder to keep up on my blog.
Anytime.
i like #6. Thanks, this is a good inspiring reminder to keep up on my blog.
John, I’m going to have to try Dragon, thank you for that. To clarify: do you write 6-7 posts each week across 4 sites = 6-7 total in one week, or 6-7 for each of 4 sites = 24-28 posts total? The latter seems unbelievable to me, but then, you’re kind of an unbelievable (in a good way) guy! Especially with the high quality you consistently provide.
6-7 posts total.
Great post, John. #6 and #7 are particularly helpful for me. Need to try Dragon Dictation, it sounds great.
I don’t blog as much as you do, John, but I find that recombining old material in a new way is a good technique.
Especially email, which would basically go to a graveyard if not reused.
I have the dragon software but have been resisting it… not sure why! You have encouraged me to give it a whirl!!
I love it!
Hey John,
Great webinar yesterday (7/12) for Charityhowto and some very interesting ideas here. Two things that help me blog daily are (1) meditation and (2) observation/recording.
(1) When I clear my mind via meditation I find I’m more receptive to ideas, occurrences, feelings, sensations, etc. that my brain which was earlier cluttered with thoughts, concerns and more was unable to accept and process.
(2) When my mind is clear I look all around me — 360 degrees of looking. I try to have a camera with me when possible, too. If I can snap a picture of something funny, poignant, beautiful, etc. it may well inspire a post, even if not that day, because the visual “record” helps jog my memory. And, as “they” say, a picture is worth a thousand words!
Pictures say a thousand words, they say.
I have an editorial calendar I live by and will repurpose content frequently. I produce 3 monthly newsletters, 8 blog articles per month and a quarterly agency newsletter – not to mention various tweets and FB posts of interest to our followers. I repurpose content all the time – a blog article becomes info for a newsletter. I also have my best success writing in spurts. Our city was shutdown for a week this February and I managed to get all my blog articles and newsletters done for the entire month, working in front of the fire! I was on a roll. Even a change in location will give me inspiration. If the weather is nice I can get alot done sitting on my “patio” office – no distractions. Often times someone’s tweet or question will provide inspiration. Ditto #9 – someone else’s content will spur on my own. Thanks for sharing!
Very smart!
Having an Iphone nearby means whenever inspiration strikes I can get those thoughts down, whether it be in a voice memo or dragon diction. For me though, the biggest change was when I got into the mindset of knowing I will produce content on a regular basis you begin seeing and hearing things in a different way. You hear and see them as things you can turn into content, so you save it and synthesize it.
Greg – Yes! For me, that mindset developed slowly over time.
i concur, dragon natually speaking software is fab, altho the initial setup and learning curve (and it learning your voice) takes a while, maybe the newer versions have improved that. (i started wiith v3!)
Justin – You’re right. I remember having to read their training text several times over the course of a couple of weeks.
I have been having such a hard time focusing, these are all great ideas that have inspired me to shake it off and start writing!
Thanks for the great post. I was recently hired by a nonprofit to produce three enewsletters a month, regular blog posts and daily FB posts and tweets. I find many of these ideas helpful, especially 6 and 12. I am glad to see you included walks, I get some of my best ideas on walks. Thanks again
Awesome – let me know if I can help out in any other way.
Thanks – terrific list. I’ll chime in for Dragon Naturally Speaking, too – amazing, and *huge* help for my tendonitis. #7 is a new one for me, and a keeper – fullscreen, to remove distractions.
Thanks – terrific list. I’ll chime in for Dragon Naturally Speaking, too – amazing, and *huge* help for my tendonitis. #7 is a new one for me, and a keeper – fullscreen, to remove distractions.
I tend to write blog posts in a few different ways. Inspiration will come from a number of different places - something I might read, an experience (particularly for customer service), or an observation that I can then link to a blog post. Or they might come from new developments in a space, like Google+.
I always have my phone with me, so I fire up Evernote and generally jot one or 2 key points, enough to help me remember what it was about (sometimes even snapping a relevant photo). If I have a whole post in my head, or major key points I want to make, then I use Dragon to capture it. If I am on the go too much, I’ll continue to work on them in Evernote until I can move the written post over to WordPress for final editing and publising.
Great resources and advice John, thanks very much!
I use both the macbook and iphone dragon apps.
Loved your article. I often have trouble focusing and writing with regular frequency and the tips and tools that you mentioned will be very useful
All very terrific ideas to keep the creative juice flowing and being productive
Thanks Eileen!
I love this post John! You mention taking walks. It’s amazing how many scathingly brilliant ideas come into my head during a run, right in the middle of the woods. I need some sort of tool to capture them fresh though – because they’re usually gone by the time I get home!
I like this post. Great tips. I like getting some fresh air and doing some mind-mapping
[...] using Dragon speech-to-text tools to achieve this conversational [...]
Great post. Thanks for the insight and the Pomodoro technique is a winner! I’m going to try that approach.
Thanks!
[...] using Dragon speech-to-text tools to achieve this conversational [...]
Great stuff! Something else that works for me is going into blogging mania. Once you actually sit down to write, you can often write 3-4 blogs in a sitting. By post-dating the blogs you can have fresh content come in while you aren’t doing anything.
However, this mostly works for people that aren’t talking about current news or events. Great tips for small businesses starting up the blogging engine.
Yes!
All great suggestions! Thanks.
Great tips you have here. I reckon checking book stores’ best seller section might help you get more inspiration?
Cheers.
Or looking at magazine racks at CVS.