How to Create Content When You Really Don’t Want To
We’ve all been there.
A self-imposed deadline is looming and you’re staring at a blank screen.
Maybe your kid had drama at school this week. Maybe you’re tired of your topic right now. Maybe the relentless pants-tugging gremlin that’s been reminding you to create consistent content has gotten on your last nerve. Or maybe you had the flu for two weeks and simply couldn’t care less about writing another blog post. (That last one has been me this month. 🙄)
Whatever the reason, one of the joys of being an entrepreneur is that buck always stops with us, and when we’re down, things often fall down with us.
There are volumes on the internet about productivity tools and habits, but even the most disciplined among us fall short sometimes. Below are my best tips on how to stay productive happy and effective in your biz when things get tough and stressful.
Tip #1: Don’t Create Content
Seriously, sometimes it’s okay to skip it. While discipline is awesome and it’s great to dig in and discover our grit and determination, it’s often a slippery slope into self-punishment and drudgery.
If it doesn’t feel good to push through and write the blog post or create the podcast, then don’t.
Take it as a chance to practice trust in divine order and cut yourself a break. It doesn’t matter as much as your inner critic thinks it does.
No one cares.
First of all, no one will notice if you skip a newsletter for a week or two. Even if they do, they’ll just assume you had an ‘off’ week for whatever reason.
They have ‘off’ weeks, too.
Stop worrying that you’ll lose all your audience if you miss a week or two of content creation.
Google doesn’t care either.
Second, your SEO ranking will not tank if you skip a few blog posts. The YouTube algorithm won’t forget you if you skip a week or two of videos.
Yes, consistency is important. But your content’s momentum is not a flimsy house of cards. It won’t all fall apart at the first missed blog post.
The energy with which you create something influences the end result.
Finally, for this tip remember that if you’re miserable when you’re creating your content, you’re going to create crappy content.
While I concede that it’s better to have a crappy first draft you can edit later rather than nothing at all, (Remember what prolific author Nora Roberts said: “You can edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank one.”) writing a crappy draft when your heart isn’t in it still gets you dangerously close to self-punishment territory.
Again, if it doesn’t feel fun to do, you’re not going to enjoy it, and that’s going to translate to your content.
That’s a tough way to build an audience and an even tougher way to sell your stuff.
But what if I’m never having fun writing blog posts/making videos/recording my podcast? I hear you asking.
Well then, you need to reassess your content strategy.
If you’re not reminded of how much you love your work and your people when you create content, you need to rethink what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.
A podcast might not be your thing. Maybe video has too much overhead. (It certainly does for me). Maybe editing your writing just takes too long. (Holy cow, I wrestle with this one).
Whatever it is, switch it up and find something that’s fun and (relatively) easy for you to do. Commit to it when you can, and let it go when you can’t.
Tip #2: Use Tools that Can Help
Okay, to give you some practical tips, here are a few apps and links I use to get the ideas flowing.
One of the best SEO tricks I know is also great for brainstorming. it’s called “skyscraping.” Here’s how it works:
Google your topic (“website design”) or an angle of your topic (“what are business owners’ biggest fears around their website”) and look at the top posts that come up.
Pick one that’s at least a couple of years old and write a better one. You can snag some market share traffic this way, and it’s an easy way to get excited about an idea.
Rytr
This is an AI writing tool. (Similar to ChatBPT) And while it’s not a replacement for my own writing (I haven’t yet found a single AI tool that can replace our creative expression), if you absolutely positively cannot stare at the blank page anymore, this is a great option to get things going. If nothing else, it’s fun to play with.
Talk to Books
Talk to books is fantastic for brainstorming and research. Put in any question you’d like, and get an answer … from books! This is one of Google’s coolest toys and an easy way to find cool research and spark ideas.
Tip #3: Batch Create Your Content
I know, I know. We hear this all the time. But we hear it all the time because it works.
I don’t write my posts one at a time. I outline a bunch of them in one sitting. And then I write a bunch (or a few) of them in one sitting. Then, I create all the heading images in one sitting. And then post them all to Squarespace and do all the SEO tags and categories in one sitting.
I sometimes still run out of pre-written content, and for that, I rely on Tip #1. But batching content helps keep me consistent so that doesn’t happen as often.
Bunching similar tasks together streamlines what I’m doing and makes me much more efficient. It’s worth trying this out and developing a system for it if you haven’t yet.
Tip #4: Post the Easy stuff
Sometimes, we need a shortcut. On those days, post a list of links of useful tips and tools. (Like my next post for you this week.)
It’s short, but packed with valuable information.
Or, give people a list of bullet point ideas, tips, or hacks for something in their lives that relates to your work. It can be general ideas for a big problem, or super-specific ideas for a small problem that bothers your ideal clients.
Or give them a review of your favorite software or website.
Or a book review or list of books you recommend.
The trick is to keep it simple and provide some quick value. Your audience might appreciate something short and easy to read. A list of bullet points is easier to consume than a long blog post.
To Sum Up:
Hopefully, it’s clear that my main point is to use your content strategy as a tool to grow your business, not as a weapon to wield stress and insecurity.
Content creation is one of the most fun ways to serve your audience. It’s a creative process, so it can be enjoyable and even easy when we let it be that way.
Practice both discipline and self-forgiveness, and let your content be a joyful gift to your best, most ideal clients when you can.
And when you can’t, feel free to let it go.
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