Productivity Tips For Bloggers From a Bestselling Author

Steven Pressfield is great example of perseverance for anyone in the creative field including bloggers. His first couple novels never saw print. But he kept at it and 17 years after his college graduation, he finally got a book published and received a paycheck. His later books became bestsellers.

In this podcast interview, he gives a couple productivity tips that have really helped me in my blogging.

The Writer Life is a Battle

At 1:41 of the podcast, Pressfield talks about the writing process as a war. To succeed, you have to have similar qualities of a good warrior; qualities like courage, patience, and long-suffering. He brings up the image of an infantryman that’s gaining ground on the enemy slowly but surely. In the day to day struggle, writing is like that.

This principle has helped me realize that blogging is hard work. Sure, there are days when the words come easily and I knock out a quality post in a couple of minutes. But those days are few and far between. Usually, it takes me awhile to get going. My first few sentences are pretty bad and I have to struggle to stay focused on finishing the post. By the time the post is done, I’m satisfied but I’m mentally tired.

Resistance is the Enemy

At 14:25, the interviewer quotes Pressfield’s book The War of Art:

There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t and the secret is this: it’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.

Pressfield goes on to talk about Resistance as the negative force that rises up whenever we want to start a creative task. Resistance shows up in many forms: procrastination, self-sabotage, excuses we make up, reasons we give ourselves that we’re not good enough, self doubt, etc. The most important thing for a writer to do is overcome Resistance.

Pressfield says that Resistance comes to us in negative voices. Our task is to ignore the voices and realize that they are bulls**t. They are keeping us from making progress.

I found this principle very helpful because it showed me that I’m not alone in the creative struggle. If a bestselling author has to deal with Resistance, then I will have to deal with it too.

Also, by identifying the enemy, Pressfield helped me not to be surprised by Resistance. I am prepared to deal with it because I know it’s there.

Turn Pro and Stop Being an Amateur

At 25:00, Pressfield gives a great metaphor for overcoming Resistance. He says we have to “turn pro.” When we see ourselves as amateurs, we will yield to Resistance when our circumstances become tough or distractions come up.

But if we think of ourselves as pros, we’ll have the mindset to carve out daily time to pursue our creative endeavors. As pros, we won’t give in to external influences.

Pressfield brings up Kobe Bryant. During the season, his knees may hurt and his back may be sore, but he still suits up and plays in the game. Pros like him don’t make excuses. They see their task as a job instead of a hobby.

Pressfield says a mysterious thing begins to happen when we turn pro. Inspiration starts to flow regularly as we persevere and make it a habit to work on our craft daily.

Further Information

Make sure to listen to the whole interview where Pressfield has more advice for writers. Check out his book The War of Art for an in-depth treatment about productivity and overcoming procrastination in the creative process. Also, he started a new blog, which includes writing tips.

Performancing offers blog management services.

How to Sustain Inspiration in Blogging

Jason Fried from 37signals talks about sustaining inspiration in this speech at around the 19:40 mark.

He suggests that inspiration is perishable. He contrasts the lifespan between the actual idea and the inspiration for the idea. The idea lasts forever but the inspiration can go away.

He likens inspiration to a perishable good like milk or fruit. Like these goods, inspiration has an expiration date and it doesn’t stay fresh very long.

He advises that if you’re inspired about something, if you motivated to do something, you need to take action as soon as possible. If you wait to do it later, you won’t be as motivated. Every day you don’t take action, your inspiration starts to rot and go away.

Also, you’ll have the most creative energy during that initial spark of inspiration.

Blogging and Inspiration

In blogging, I’ve found Jason’s theory to be true. I have many ideas for blog posts that I came up with in the past. At the time of idea conception, I was excited about the ideas. However, a couple weeks went by and I still hadn’t turned those ideas into blog posts. Now when I think of the ideas, I’m not excited about them and I wonder what ever happened to my inspiration.

On the other hand, if I come up with a good idea and then work on the post right away, writing is much easier and I have a good amount of creative energy and motivation to complete the post. This is why it’s a good idea to read only when you have time to act on it.

You’ll be more productive and your content will be better quality if you’re inspired and motivated rather than trying to “force out” a post after the inspiration has gone away.

Over to You

How do you sustain inspiration? Have you ever experienced “rotting inspiration”?

Performancing offers blog management services.

Why Being Self-Centered Can Actually Help Your Blog

Brian Clark from Copyblogger recently released a free report entitled The Lateral Action Guide to Becoming a Creative Entrepreneur. I just finished reading it and like most of Brian’s stuff, it was very good.

I was surprised though at one of his recommendations. He advised aspiring entrepreneurs to be self-centered.

He pointed to 37signals, a popular software company that’s become very successful by only creating products that they themselves would find useful. On page 14, he quoted the CEO, Jason Fried:

We just build stuff we want to use. If we need it, they need it.

It was surprising to see this principle from Brian because one of his main tenets is focusing on the needs of your audience. I was a little confused but as I read on, Brian demonstrated that self-centeredness and focusing on your audience doesn’t necessarily contradict each other.

If you’re like many bloggers, you’re in a niche that you’re passionate about. Therefore, you are part of the audience you aim to serve. If you can create something that will help you, it will probably help your audience too.

Consider one of Brian’s products, the popular Thesis theme for Wordpress. As a writer that’s not skilled in tech or design, he could sympathize with the barriers writers face when publishing online. Therefore, he partnered with a designer to create an easy-to-use, attractive theme.

Here’s another example. Pat Flynn setup a blog as a reference tool to record his notes for an upcoming architecture test. He was not looking to make money. But because of his notes, his blog attracted traffic and multiple readers told him he should write an ebook. He wrote an ebook based on his notes, did some research about online marketing, and then started selling his book. Soon, his blog was earning him a full-time income. You can listen to his story here.

I read somewhere in an interview that Perez Hilton, the popular celeb gossip blogger, blogs for himself and doesn’t really focus on traffic. He said he would blog even if no one was reading his site. That’s how much he enjoys writing and following celebrities. And there must be many other celeb gossip fans since his blog is one of the most trafficked sites on the planet.

I looked back at my best posts on various blogs and found that I wrote many of them as warnings to myself. For example, I reread this post when I’m tempted to overextend myself and manage too many blogs. And I wrote this post to increase my patience and to remind myself that successful blogging is a long-term project.

It can often be hard to figure out what your audience wants. But if you consider your own needs, you might just find that they are similar to your audience’s needs.

What do you think about the self-centered principle?

Performancing offers blog management services.

5 More Common Distractions to Bloggers and How To Deal With Them

Last year, James Mowery posted about five common distractions that bloggers face in the course of a writing/blogging workday. James cited TV, games, mobile phones, social networks and even the web as top distractions. There are a host of other things out there that can get your focus out of writing. Here are a few, and some tips on how to deal with them.

1. Chores

Most probloggers and writers I know work from their home offices or from their homes. While you get to save a lot on daily expenses when you work from home, one big challenge is managing your time between work and domestic life. Face it–there are just a lot of tasks and chores that one might need to take care of while at home. You might have to do some cleaning and organizing. You might need to prepare food for lunch or dinner. You would inevitably find some pressing task to do. Even when you’re not actually doing these, the mere fact that these are on your mind can take your focus off blogging and writing work.

One way to deal with this is to finish quick tasks as soon as you can, so they don’t accumulate and overwhelm you. As for the bigger ones–like cooking–you can perhaps schedule a thirty-minute break. Hey, you need to eat, too! Then, perhaps, you can relegate the big, time-intensive things to the weekends, like grocery shopping, washing the car, and the like.

2. Kids

One of the reasons I chose to run my work and business from home is so I can keep tabs on my kids. I bring them to school in the mornings, and fetch them before lunch–that way, I’m assured of their safety, the paranoid dad that I am. But as my kids are only starting to learn independence (they’re in their early primary grades), I find myself being asked to do this and do that every so often. Kids need snacks, after all. Kids need their bath. Kids need their afternoon nap.

A good way to deal with this is by blocking off a few minutes of your workday to spend quality time with your kids. This way, they don’t feel left out, and you get to do things together without distractions (yes, they need your focus, too). But make sure they understand that you need to work for a living, and that you shouldn’t be disturbed while on the job. Another good way to deal is by giving them activities to do while you’re at work. Let them play. Let them do their homework. Or how about assigning chores to them, if they’re big enough (distraction #1 and #2 solved!)?

3. Problems

Everyone has problems. These could be money problems, family problems, health problems, or such. Thinking about these big things can take your mind off your concentration. How could you write great blog posts, after all, if you’re constantly thinking of how to pay off a big debt, or if you’re coughing and sneezing all the time.

Why not focus on solutions, instead of the problems? This way, you might be more inspired to work. Money problems? Then being more productive would probably help solve that in the long run. Health problems? Do something about it–rather than worry, why not be proactive? Family problems? Talk!

I can classify problems as those that can be set aside for a later time, and those that need to be addressed urgently. If you have some serious illness, then you have to take care of it as soon as you can, especially if it’s debilitating and if it can sap you of energy you need to be productive. Some problems can be set aside for later. If you need money, why not just focus finishing your work now, so you can get to bill your client earlier, for instance?

4. The temptation to slack or sleep

Another big problem faced by home-based professionals and entrepreneurs is the allure of the bed. And I don’t mean this in a naughty way. When you feel sleepy and tired (and unfocused and uninspired, as well) there’s always the temptation to just sack it out. It’s not just the bed. There’s also the couch, the recliner, and even your desk.

Here lies the importance of dedicating a certain room–or at least a space–just for work. Don’t work in the bedroom. Keep it sacred: just for sleep, rest, and those other private things. Set your environment such that it’s conducive to work, and that it’s not too relaxing. Avoid dim lights, very soft furniture and boring environs. I sometimes find my office chair too comfortable, that I move to a less comfortable seat, so I don’t fall asleep.

However, sometimes, you just have to succumb to your tiredness. If you feel you’re too tired to be productive, then why not take a nap? After fifteen to thirty minutes, you’d feel refreshed and full of ideas to work on. If you’ve spent all day working, then you do deserve a good night’s (or day’s) sleep. When you wake up, take note of dreams or ideas you might have had, as these might be valuable later on. Early mornings are conducive to writing, in my opinion.

5. Work

Many multitaskers would agree with me that work can also be a big distraction. When you juggle a lot of tasks, every other ongoing task can take your mind off the important thing you want to focus at the moment. If you’re a freelancer, you might be working on more than one client or project, and you just can’t give 100% to just one at any given time. If you work for someone, then you might find yourself working on an ever-growing task list, that you’re confused with which item to address first.

This can be best addressed with GTD solutions, or at least by organizing your workflow. Keep a task list, and keep it prioritized. More importantly, try to keep it short. Why not get the small things out of the way early on? Those things that can be done in two minutes or less should only take two minutes or less. And once these are out of the way, you can spend big chunks of your time on the bigger stuff.

Dealing with other distractions

Sometimes, distractions are not all that unproductive, though. For instance, online discussions, forums and social networks can be great breeding grounds for great ideas and for connecting with the right people. Even downtime can be productive if you know how to make the most of it. For a writer, you can use this time to observe your environment, and take stock of current events–things that can help give you ideas on what to write about later on.

The best way to deal with distractions is identifying these, and knowing the best way to deal with them. It’s a matter of managing your time and resources such that you are productive in those things that matter.

image credit: flickr/tomsaint

How to Maintain Focus When Writing

As a blogger and writer, I must admit that there are days when I’m just on a roll. I’m able to achieve significant output. I’m able to manage my time wisely, and I’m generally productive. But then there are also those days when I uselessly stare at the computer screen for hours on end, never able to come up with anything sensible enough to publish.

The difference between these two scenarios is focus. I’m that kind of person who needs to really concentrate in order to accomplish what I start.

Most of the time, I can best focus when there are no outside distractions. This is mostly attainable very late at night or in the wee hours of the morning when everyone else is asleep. However, just being alone in silence is not an assurance that one can focus. I, for one, often have a lot going on in my head. Sometimes it’s the internal distractions that are the bigger deterrents to focus, and not the external ones.

When producing content, such as blog posts, articles, contributing to online discussions, and the like, here are a few things I like to do, which oftentimes make it easier to focus and concentrate on writing.

Research beforehand

I must admit that a lot of my blog posts have been based on information that I happen to have chanced upon. These are more difficult to write than content that I’ve been able to do prior research on, though. This is because I tend to open too many windows and links when I simultaneously write and look for information. I tend to navigate away from the main task at hand, and before I know it I’ve already forgotten to finish what I’ve started writing.

When one gets all the information ready before even starting the first word in an article or blog post, then all that’s needed is to refer to the source information every now and then, which will not take time because these are already available readily. So when you find something interesting to write about, you should already spend the next few minutes learning all about it, before even saying your own piece.

Have all your tools ready

Just like a soldier marching into battle without ammo, writing without the proper tools would require you to keep marching back to base for supplies. You would never accomplish anything this way, though. So it’s best to have your tools ready. And I mean anything that’s related to your writing, and anything that helps you along the way.

In my case, I like having a freshly brewed mug of coffee beside my keyboard while writing, so I can take sips while I compose thoughts and sentences in my head. It’s one of those habits that one cannot do without. If I find myself without a very hot (or very cold, depending on the weather) beverage beside me then I find myself rushing to the pantry to prepare something. Along the way, I would’ve already lost focus and the drive to finish my piece.

These tools could include your favorite word processing software, your favorite browser, and any other tool that you directly or indirectly use when writing. If you often write on a portable computer, make sure you have enough battery power for your writing session. If you need to publish a blog post, you’d better have a live Internet connection. It just isn’t the same saving a post offline and publishing only when you get the chance to connect.

Maximize

One of the more popular posts I’d written on in the years past is about maximizing windows. Some people prefer maximizing the current window so they can focus on the document or whatever application they are working on. This definitely helps reduce sources of distraction. Among other things you can do are turn off your IM client, switch your phone to silent mode, and generally try to reduce distractions in your periphery. Also, try to resist the urge to check your email inbox every two minutes or so.

Take a break

Sometimes, maintaining focus requires taking a break, too. Marathon writing sessions are great as long as you can keep the energy and focus up. But standing up and stretching every thirty minutes or so can surely help with circulation. Try to do breathing exercises, too. Or just walk around for a couple of minutes. These can help clear the cobwebs up in your head. If all else fails, sleep on it. You might be able to develop on your ideas better in the morning. Sometimes, you will realize it’s an idea not worth building upon at all.

Everyone has his own preferences, and his own notion of a productive environment that’s conducive to creativity. The common denominator here is that one often needs to be in the zone to be productive. For a writer, that’s where the magic happens.

image credit: flickr/b1gw1ght

Do Your Post Titles Attract Readers?

It’s no secret that great content can make or break your blog. A few solid pillar articles can drive traffic to your blog for months, even years. But one thing that is often overlooked is the title of blog posts. People spend a lot of time putting together a great post, then throw in a generic sounding title and hit the publish button.

This is a big mistake and something that we all do. I’ve done it many times without even thinking about it. But the truth is, a great title can get a few people to read just about anything. A bad title however, can make people skip over your article that’s actually full of great stuff.

What Makes A Good Title?

So you’re probably wondering what makes a good post title. For me, anything that attracts people to your posts is a good title. A lot of people are attracted to short and precise titles, while others are attracted to titles that include numbers. The main reason list style titles attract people is because they know exactly what they are getting and how much of it.

Just take a look at these two titles and think in your head which one you would most likely click on:

• A Few Blog Tips For Traffic
• 7 Killer Tips To Explode Your Blog Traffic

Which one is more attractive? If you’re like me, the second one is far more impressive. It’s a unique title that differs just enough from what I’m used to seeing that I would be tempted to click on it. The number 7 lets me know right way what I can expect in terms of length and content.

It doesn’t matter if the actual content of the two articles above are exactly the same, it’s just a matter of getting as many eyes on it as possible. From there, you can use the body of your post to keep the readers attention. If they like what they see, they’ll most likely check out some more of your posts.

What type of titles are you attracted to?

How Long Does It Take to Proofread a Blog Post?

Justin recently wrote a post about proofreading tool After the Deadline. True enough, it makes sense to check your draft for misspellings, and mistakes in grammar and punctuation before hitting the publish button. If you’re using web markup, it also makes sense to check the draft for any unclosed or misplaced tags.

But aside from these simple mistakes, it takes more time to actually check a post if it does make sense. First, you have to check if your argument is reasonable. Then, you have to check if you got your facts straight. Then you need to check if your sources are valid, and if your post does point to the original (or at least the best quality) source of information. And there’s also a host of other things I’d like to check before hitting publish. Here would be a short checklist.

• Check spelling.
• Check grammar.
• Check for clarity. I like using precise language. For instance, “hard” can mean many things. So I prefer to use “difficult.”
• Check for conciseness. Usually, during proofreading I remove unnecessary sentences and even paragraphs.
• Check for readability. I like to divide my posts into easily-digestible paragraphs. Better yet, I use headings, for easier scanning.
• I do a logic check. Does my reasoning really make sense? Sometimes I rearrange paragraphs for better buildup.
• Check categories and tags.
• Check the site URL. With the many blogs I write on, I might be writing on the wrong site!
• Preview the post to see how it looks like as a finished product.

I often find myself reading and rereading a draft before finally publishing. If it’s a feature post, proofreading often takes about 150% to 200% of the time I spent drafting the actual thing (or even longer). If it’s a news post, I’m more concerned with the timeliness of the article, so the time spent editing could be significantly shorter.

I think I may be too much of a perfectionist that sometimes i even scrap a draft if I think it won’t cut the grade in terms of quality and applicability to a blog. Sometimes I decide to move the draft to another site altogether, if my writing and editing results in straying away from the original intent or idea.

Either that, or perhaps I’m afraid of criticism.

My point here is that for me, I think readers deserve shorter, clearer blog posts that make an impact, rather than a post that just rambles and rambles and isn’t even clear on what the author wants to say. It’s more difficult to edit than write. But with more effort put into editing a post, it makes it easier for your readers to understand what you want to say, and this makes for better writing.

How long does it take for you to edit and proofread a blog post?

Image credit: flickr/data_op

What Do You Do When People Turn Your Blog Into a Forum?

Don’t you just love it when your blog ranks #1 on relevant search queries? I do. Of course, the drawback here is that when a blog post becomes sticky in the number one spot, sometimes you tend to get too many visitors who are not too familiar with the format of your site being a blog. They turn the comment section into a question-and-answer forum.

Take for instance my post about Filipino economists dated four years back. It is, by far, one of my more best-read posts. It just consists of about four intelligible sentences. Thing is, that particular post has been getting dozens and dozens of inquiries from students asking for help with their assignment. It goes as far as these folks asking for the finished product itself!

I’ve actually updated the post to point prospective researchers to better resources, but many just ignore the note and ask ahead. Perhaps the presence of a comment thread and message box makes it seem as if it’s an online forum, which can be one good way of seeking feedback and posing questions online.

But what do you do when things get out of hand and people treat one particular blog post as a forum? Here are a few things I can think of.

• Close the comment thread. Things could get out of hand, and comments might tend to be off-topic anyway. So you an always disable feedback for this particular post. Or, you can run a plugin that closes comment threads when a post reaches a particular age.
• Participate in the conversation. This can be particularly useful if the post is about a hot topic, and if the discussions are still highly relevant even after dozens and hundreds of comments. Why not enjoy your post’s popularity?
• Update your post. If people are looking for information, and others contribute in the comment thread, then you can update your post to include these relevant information. You could then hope that readers will get the idea, but of course users who are too lazy to really read through an article will still keep on asking questions even if the answers are right in front of them.

On my posts that get this much attention, I usually try a combination of these. But of course, I still get a ton of comments in which the reader is asking for something that is already there.

What Documents Do You Use as Proof of Income?

On Freelance Switch, Thursday Bram posts about an issue freelancers commonly face: how do you prove your income?

This is especially useful if you’re applying for loan financing, for instance, buying a home, a car, or even leasing an apartment. If you work for a company, you can always secure a certificate of employment. Sometimes, if you work for a top corporation in your city, creditors will be quick in their approval. If you lack documents, though, you might have to go through hoops before you can convince them of your financial capability.

Most of the time, you can present your tax documents as proof of income. But for some of us who work freelance in the informal sector (meaning you don’t pay taxes), this could be a problem. In some places, you might be asked for business documents. In my city, for instance, banks and financing companies ask for business registration and a mayor’s permit. And that’s for a “self employed” classification!

Most freelance writers and bloggers bear the responsibility of taking care of their taxes and social security payments. No one else takes care of these for you automatically, unless you can afford to hire your own accountant. We don’t even have group health insurance, so those who buy insurance have to pay a non-discounted rate.

As for me, I usually use bank statements to back up my claims for income. Whether my revenue comes through PayPal or bank transfers, these all go through several bank accounts, which–I’m quite thankful–are all at least two to three years old. I also have some contracts with freelance clients. Sometimes it’s difficult to explain that clients can come from all over the world, and that contracts are transmitted by scanned or faxed documents. But so far I haven’t experienced any big hitches.

Have you experienced a situation wherein you need to prove financial capability, but you’re having difficulties giving documents because you work freelance? What documents have you used? Or what alternatives do you have?

How Well Do You Work Under Pressure?

People who want to get into the business of professional blogging sometimes have the wrong notion that it’s all easy work. They see blogging not as a serious activity, but more akin to diary or journal writing, where one just posts whatever thoughts, feelings and ideas he has, and that he will earn from these.

Well, in some cases this might be true. But blogging for income is not always a walk in the park. If you want to make a business out of it, it is serious business. It’s hard work. Sometimes you don’t even get compensated well enough for your efforts. It’s not just writing, hitting publish, and waiting for the cash register to ring. After all, blogging is not just about writing, but also about connecting as well.

One big factor here is the pressure–both the pressure to write and the pressure to earn. This is usually the case when you are facing deadlines and posting schedules. This might also be the case when you are assigned to cover a certain event or topic, and you are hard pressed to be the first to provide coverage.

A lot of bloggers, especially those who work for networks, have probably learned to adapt to this type of setting. But some of us–mostly those with more artistically inclined writing, or those who prefer op-ed column type postings–probably don’t feel productive or inspired enough when there are external pressures.

In my case, I’m more of the latter. I work best when I’m able to focus on just writing, and not thinking of deadlines, ToDo lists and other distractions. Give me 30 undisturbed minutes in front of the computer monitor, with only the WordPress New Post page on my browser, then I can probably come up with a (hopefully) informative or thought provoking post. But when I’m required to publish a post on a certain day at a certain time, then most probably I will have to linger around, looking for a topic to write about, trying to collect my thoughts, and looking for information to back up my article. It would take me hours to finish this kind of post.

I also feel most productive when my energy levels are high. I envy the bloggers who have the energy to write several quality posts in a short span of time. Usually, the moment I publish a feature type post, I’m drained. Perhaps I need to manage my energy better. Perhaps I should learn to outline and plan my writing better, so I don’t end up only writing when inspiration hits me.

Which type of blogger are you? How well do you perform under pressure? Are you better under schedule, or do you wait for the muse to come calling? Moreover, does external pressure energize you, or does it drain you?