Last week, it was pretty quite on the blog. Not because I didn’t have anything to share; I had plenty of post ideas in my notebook, even a few draft posts written. In all actuality, I had too much to share. And I had a new idea almost every day. It was overwhelming, and in the end, nothing was really shared. Sound familiar?
It usually starts out as any post-planning day would for me. Reading through my favorite blogs to see what’s already floating around out there, reading through notes on what readers have enjoyed and want more of, and, of course, some twisted force leads me to Pinterest, where I stay for an hour. Pinning, re-pinning, and jotting down even more notes. Overall, getting no where.
Having too many ideas for content is just as bad as not having any at all. You get so caught up in the pre-writing phases: finding images, editing images, researching ideas; and you never actual find the time to write.
Have you ever experienced this?
As bloggers and creatives, it is in our nature to find inspiration in as many places as possible. We just have to take care to balance our creative side with our practical and action-based side! Here are a few tips to help you prevent getting lost in inspiration!
Eliminate Distractions
You designated this time to blogging for a reason. If you allotted yourself 3-4 hours to write and schedule some posts that you’ve had qued up, taking an hour long Pinterest break isn’t in your best interest. Do yourself a favor, close out those extra tabs, and situate yourself somewhere that allows for a productive work flow.
Treat your idea list as a checklist
Before you start searching the web for new ideas, make sure you have used up all of your old ones! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found genius post ideas on a forgotten post it or notebook page. Cross off ideas that you’ve used, and when they’re gone, focus on adding new ones.
Use an editorial calendar
I know I’ve said this tip many times before, but having a schedule or blogging routine does help the flow of your work. Knowing which posts I have lined up for a few weeks helps me focus on writing and designing the post rather than searching around for (and getting distracted by) inspiration. Keeping my blog post ideas organized is a huge help for me. Many times, we go searching for more inspiration because we simply don’t remember what we’ve planned.
Do you struggle with being distracted by over-inspiration? How do you combat it?
I totally get this. This is my issue at times I am not inspired at all or I am too inspired.
Ive def been this way before!! I either want to hurry up and put all of my ideas out there or can never figure out exactly what I want to say. Having an editorial calendar definitely has helped me a lot!
I completely agree, sometimes I have so many ideas I don’t really know how to get them all out or the right timing. A notebook really helps because once I write it down, I’m not afraid to lose it so it’s out of my brain.
Okay, these 3 tips are golden. Thank you for sharing. Having a calendar and writing down all my ideas in a single place has really helped me.
This is so true, there are so many times where I’ve literally had to get up and walk away from the computer because there were way too many thoughts going through my head. Sometimes I feel like in those situations you really can’t get anything done. I’m the absolute worst and least productive when I’m overwhelmed so I’m a fan of frequent breaks, lol. It may cause me to finish my work a little slower, but when it’s between that & a mental break down? I’ll take it lol.
I’m guilty of having TOO many ideas more often than I am of having none. Everyone always says I’m just an idea generator, but sometimes it’s hard keeping executing one idea when I have 20! haha so I definitely know what you mean about being overly-inspired.
I’ve been there too! I used to have a calendar but have strayed away from it–I should try using one again. I’m completely a list maker, though! I try to keep all of my post ideas fitting within an overarching theme for a week or a month (like “spring” or “blue” or “nature”) and when I shoot/write my posts I try to incorporate a part of that theme (whether it’s using certain colors or filters on my photos) and I feel like it kind of keeps my blog a bit cohesive and helps me filter my ideas.
What a great post! This sounds familiar to… oh, every day this year that I’ve decided to blog. Amazing to-the-point tips, too! I always end up with 20 tabs open, and maybe 10 words written.
And I’m definitely guilty of the forgotten notebook pages of ideas. I will work on that — going through my ideas list as a checklist. Thanks for sharing.
Wow you are a so right! Pinterest is a huge weakness … I mean c’mon … most of the pictures are shiny and pretty …. and if I am at work during my lunch hour I need to be OCD about looking at the time! lol Thank you for your great tips and ideas of how to be a better blogger essentially! 🙂
This hits so close to home for me! I never thought of it as being over-inspired, but that’s exactly what’s happening. Great tips too! Thank you!
I don’t know where I would be without the Editorial Calendar plugin for WordPress. Often I have my blogging ideas or schedule in my head and it’s frightfully easy to lose track/forget them until I have it actually mapped out in that plugin!
Great post, thank you. Much needed as I have pretty much hit a brick wall and need to get back to basics! For me I think keeping it simple is best as I tend to go all over the place with all these ideas and end up nowhere! Can be frustrating! I also need to be more organised with posts that’s for sure. Thanks for sharing some useful tips 🙂