Does this sound familiar?
Every time you hit a tough spot writing your latest piece of content, you get up and wander to some other part of the house. (My go-to place is the kitchen…)
Before you know it, you’ve gotten distracted. Maybe you remember you have to send your sister’s birthday card or link article you promised your Facebook group. And, so you go do that, leaving your writing aside.
Until another day. You put it on your to-do list again and sit down to write.
It’s going great. Until, it isn’t.
You can’t figure out how to explain the idea that seemed so clear only minutes ago. So, you get up…
And it starts all over again.
Suddenly, you’re day 3 or 4 or 9 into trying to write your latest blog post or email marketing campaign. You can’t understand why it’s taking you so long. It’s just a blog post, you think. Seth Godin pumps out one a day, surely I should be able to do one a….month?
And yet, here you are.
To be honest, you’re starting to dread writing a little bit, even though you have so much you want to say to help your potential clients.
What’s Going On?
There are several reasons why this might be happening. Maybe you’re having trouble writing content because your marketing foundation, your authentic core statement, isn’t clear. If you’re not able to articulate what problems your ideal clients are struggling with and what you do to help them, this affects your marketing.
You can’t hone in on your ideal client and what, in particular, they need to hear.
You also could be dealing with procrastination, or fear, or something else. Those are powerful forces that can make writing content and showing up for your marketing difficult.
What To Do
So, what you can do if you notice this is happening to you?
Conventional advice usually falls into one of two extremes. On one side is the advice that’s cornerstone to the wider industrialized culture; it focuses on productivity, efficiency, goal setting, etc. It offers all kinds of and apps and hacks to help.
On the other hand is advice that tends to focus on following your intuition and creating when the spirit moves you…
Like most things in life, though, this issue calls for a more nuanced approach.
Compassion
You need a healthy dose of self-compassion. Any approach without it is bound to fail in the long run. I’m not saying if you don’t grit your teeth and make yourself sit down and finish the damn post it won’t get written. It very well might.
But, if this is your default approach, grinding through the tough stuff, you’re more likely to wear yourself down and encounter resistance more often. Writing becomes a battle, and willpower isn’t an endless resource.
Sometimes, emotional or spiritual issues arise, and they need attending to. Other events come up unexpectedly (a pandemic?). Be gentle with yourself as you prioritize your needs and where you’re at.
Consistency
Creating consistency is what will make getting through those tough writing spots easier.
When you create a consistent time in your schedule (a particular day at a particular time, for example) your mind learns ‘this is when we write.’ Repeating that and creating a habit makes it less likely to balk you hit a difficult part in your writing.
Notice I say create a time to practice. This is not the same as setting aside time to write your blog post. Instead, this is about building a consistent practice by implementing small, doable steps, many times. When you do this, writing your content piece becomes easier.
To create a consistent writing practice, start small. Ask: what’s the smallest number of minutes you can commit to right now to set aside in your day or week for your writing practice? Put it in your calendar and give it a go.
Co-Partner
Finally, if you have what Gretchen Rubin calls Obliger tendencies, you might have a harder time keeping commitments to yourself. If so, it’s time to call for help.
Find someone - a colleague, a sister practitioner, a good friend – that you agree you’re going to check in with about your writing practice and commitments.
This could look any number of ways.
You could have an email accountability buddy where you to check in at a set time by email with your turtle steps and progress. Another option could be to set up a weekly check in call, join a coworking session or use a program like Focusmate to set aside time to work together.
It might take some experimentation to find what you like best, but knowing someone is there waiting for your update is a powerful motivator. Co-partnering is an outstanding way to bring some gentle structure as you work on your writing commitments.
If you frequently find yourself getting stuck with your marketing writing, give yourself lots of understanding AND begin setting up a regular time to write for your business, getting help when you need it. Doing so consistently, and without expectation of producing anything, induces comfort and familiarity and will help create a space where you get used to writing.
Before you know it, you’ll be writing with greater ease and producing more content for your ideal clients. I can’t think of anything I’d like better for you than that.
Photo by Ameen Fahmy on Unsplash
Writers’ Loft - Writing Coworking Sessions
If you’d like to kick off your writing practice, join me for an upcoming writing coworking session.
In this coworking event, you will set aside time and create a shared commitment to work on your writing project. (Writing projects can include anything - poetry, your blog post, a sales page, your memoir. Anything!)
For more information and if you’d like to register, click here.