A View from my Front Porch Office!
Have you ever had a tough time generating post ideas?
I have been having a hard time lately generating ideas for blog posts. Most of the time they are coming the day I post them it feels lately.
Usually I have a pretty good lost I keep going in Evernote but it is getting pretty thin.
So I did some research today on coming up with blog post ideas and some of them sound pretty helpful:
Mindmap – I actually found this little jewel on Problogger. He says to go back and list four or five posts out and mindmap ideas of posts that could spawn off those posts. I mindmap a lot now and I think this will definitely be something that I look into.
Setting/Environment – Change the setting form which you normally write. I usually write at work during my lunch break, but have gone a few times to Panera Bread. End up doing more eating than working there! As I type this post out I am sitting on the front steps of my house. It was a nice day, and I love being outside so I thought I would change it up a little. I am liking it!
Reading – Reading is something I already do a lot of. I get a lot of ideas for posts when I am reading different books, or even internet articles. Lately though with work being so busy I come home and want to crash after playing with my son. I keep my Moleskine notebook with me when I am reading and note down any ideas that come up. Then they get put into Evernote with the rest of the ideas I mentioned earlier. It just feels better to me to write down the note while reading than typing it…Call me crazy!
As the Readers – This is something that I never have thought about. Asking your readers if there is a topic that they would like you to write about.
Exercise – This one came up a lot while researching. It is probably true too. Once you get the blood flowing the creative juices kick in. Right? Well instead of writing today at lunch I took a trip to the gym and ran. That is actually where I came up with the idea for this post. So I guess there must be something to it.
Those are just a few I liked the most, but there are lots of others out there on the interwebs. Would love to hear you thoughts!
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Bill (cycleguy) (106)
Brandon (106)
ThatGuyKC (95)
Michael (92)
Moe (70)
seekingpastor (57)
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Steven (46)
Sean Sabourin (44)
I agree with you to some extent. I find it hard to post blogs with really deep topics (in-depth blogs), but posting stuff for me is not hard. Usually takes about 10 minutes to write a post, but the long ones take a lot longer. I agree…coming up with ideas is very hard for me.
Great post man. I saw this challenge on TentBlogger and it got me thinking. I’d like to try the mindmapping too. I get most of my ideas from reading and trying to be aware of surroundings. Helps to jot down notes.
I agree with the last one.
Sometimes even just time away has helped me. Take a day off… and just think.
Adam,
Some really good thoughts here. Thanks for sharing. I was struggling last week with generating ideas and one thing I learned was that I was trying to do too much. Just keep it simple and try not to post 2 or 3 a day but rather 2 or 3 a week.
I listen to music. Jazz, switchfoot, or whatever. It helps inspire me. It may just be a single line that causes a post. My wife helps too. If something happens she’ll say, “that would be an awesome post.”
I like the idea of mind-mapping. I have not used it a lot but I am beginning to use it more often now to generate ideas for writing. I also like KC’s idea of just being aware of your surroundings and taking note. I like to take a Moleskine with me and write things down that I see or think of when I am in a different environment. I also like reading. Reading is always good. Listening to good music never hurts either.