✏️ 8 tips to writing content consistently

My advice to a friend on how to write content at a regular cadence

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Posting regularly is key to any blog or newsletter’s success. I was talking to a co-worker the other day about writing, and she asked me: how do you manage to post regularly?

Here was my advice to her:

1. Accumulate topics to write about as they come to mind.

Don’t wait until the day you will be writing to come up with a topic. The best topics come to you when you least expect them. Sometimes you’re talking to someone about a topic and realize it might be worth writing about. Other times you are spending time with yourself, on a walk for example, and you have a thought that might be worth writing about. You need to make sure that it’s easy enough to capture all your topics, and that you can access them later. I use Email Me to lower the lift of capturing topics. If you start doing this, you will notice that by the time you need to sit down and write, you will have a pool of topics that you’re excited about to choose from.

2. Set yourself a regular cadence to write.

How often you write doesn’t matter as much as how consistent you are. And by consistency I don’t mean write every few weeks on the same day; I mean set yourself a feasible cadence (once every 2 weeks, once a month, every day), and be flexible about the exact date and time when you do it. This will help you build a habit but also an audience.

3. Write them in one sitting.

This works wonders for me, but it doesn’t for everyone. I have found that when I do the entire writing life cycle (from writing to publishing) in one sitting, it’s easier to see the impact of my work and I feel more motivated to do it again. When I write a bit and leave the rest for later, it makes it harder for me to come back to it.

4. Know that nobody is going to love all your writing and be ok with that.

I said in my intro that my hope is that each reader, in aggregate likes 60%, loves 40%, and never forgets 20% of what I write. I said this up front for a reason — I know all my writing will not be helpful to everyone, but some of it will. So, I strive for high quality content that I feel confident some people will like, love and never forget, but I don’t get too stuck in perfection.

5. Along the lines of avoiding perfection, remember you can always go back and edit it.

This is especially true for newer writers. When you’re starting you don’t have a lot of followers (I have 12 right now 😄), which means that sending out a piece that’s not perfect won’t impact your audience that much. And, always remember that you can go back and edit anything you post.

6. Make your environment fun.

When you write, build a ritual around it — make yourself tea, sit down in your favorite couch, eat your favorite snack, listen to music that helps you focus. And some days you will be stuck and have writer’s block, and that’s ok. If that’s the case, you should take time to clear your head (walk, meditate or read). And if that doesn’t work, you always have tomorrow to write. Don’t force yourself to write if you’re not feeling it.

7. If you have someone who can proof-read your work, ask them to do it.

Sometimes when we’re “in the zone” we write things that make sense to us, but don’t make sense to the average human being. It’s common. The best way to make sure that what you’re saying is coherent is to have someone else proof-read your work and let you know whether or not it makes sense. If you don’t have someone to proof-read your work, take a short break, get your mind off your writing and then come back to it with a clear head. You’ll often be surprised about how many things you wrote that made sense earlier but now don’t.

8. Publish it as soon as it’s ready.

That way, you can see the beautiful thing you created out in the world. There’s nothing better for motivation than seeing the results of your work, and simply publishing your content makes it feel more real.

If you follow these tips, I assure you writing will become easier and more habitual. And remember that on average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. If you stick to writing at a regular cadence for 66 days, the behavior will likely become engrained in your system and it will feel weird not doing it.

Happy writing!