Using your list of blog topics, generated yesterday, choose a topic for writing today. (Didn’t spend 12 minutes brainstorming yesterday? Do it now!)
Today’s tip is designed to help you push past any resistance you have about blogging.
Sometimes, starting a post is the most difficult part. Once you start, you’ll want to finish and publish.
But you MAY have a mixed up sense about how long it really takes to write a blog post. You may think that you spend more time on each post than you actually do. Or, you may think that you need to spend a lot of time. My opinion: A Good Blog Post Doesn’t Have to Take 2 Hours.
In fact, I think you may, in time, be able to write some blog posts in just 12 minutes.
Join me for today’s tip and try it!
Today’s Tip: Write for 12 Minutes
Plan for this tip in advance, so you have time to think about what you want to write. Look at your list of topics — now — and think about the topic you’d like to write about today for a few hours as you go about your other work.
When it is time to write, eliminate as many distractions as you can. Turn off your phone, close other browser windows, and shut your office door. Open a new blog post. Choose a topic.
Then set your timer for 12 minutes and write.
When the 12 minutes is up, review your progress. Did you finish a post? If not, finish now, if time allows. If you are out of time, save your draft and return to it for another 12 minutes later.
How will you use your 12 minutes today? I’d love to hear about your success with this tip!
If you are interested in growing as a leader, I hope you’ll check out the tips my friend Wally Bock shares daily for leaders at the Three Star Leadership Blog. Discover Wally’s tips here.
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.
Thanks for this tip! I’d read something along similar lines by Alexandra Samuel about a month ago, and have been trying to push myself out of the 2 hour post mode. With some success; but I like your idea of seeing how much can be cranked out in 12 minutes. Will try that for my next post that might be feasible in close to that timeframe.
(I’m already in the mode of brainstorming topics, have quite a backup of post ideas!).
One thing I find winds up taking the most time, is adding photos and links. Text alone is probably doable for me in 12 minutes. Do you have strategies for managing that?
I’m glad you find these tips useful — and many people have expressed the same concern that you have re:images and links. I DO have some tips about managing images. This post explores that angst and this post shares some ideas about how to find images. My Website Basics and Blogging playbook includes even more.
Here are some questions to consider: How important is an image? (Let the level of importance dictate the amount of time you are willing to spend) How important are those links (same advice as for images.)
Please let me know how your 12 minute post experiment turns out. Perhaps, 12 minutes to write and 12 minutes to add images and links? Then, be sure to budget 12 minutes to promote. 🙂
Great tip here! For me, having that list of topics is ever so important, since I need that spark as I sit down to write. So, as I go about my day, I jot down any cool subjects I want to write about in NOTES on my iphone or Mac. That way, when I want to get to writing I go over the list and choose the one dearest to my heart (or the one that will be most useful to my tribe)