I’m a pretty spontaneous person. I don’t have an idea bank or anything like that. I usually write whenever I feel like it, or when I suddenly come across something interesting and think, ‘Ooh, I could write about this.’
So yes, my posting schedule is extremely random.
One day, I realised that I was subscribed to far too many YouTube channels. The platform kept recommending loads of videos I didn’t actually want to watch, so I decided to clear out my subscriptions. I started by unsubscribing from channels I barely remembered or ones that hadn’t uploaded anything for ages.
Halfway through, something suddenly hit me:
‘Shit! If I don’t publish anything for ages, will Google slowly forget about me too? Will my readers think, “This person hasn’t posted in so long. Maybe they’ve given up”?’
I once heard a YouTuber say that having a regular publishing schedule is important because your audience gradually gets into the habit of coming back for your content.
Hmm… in that case, anyone following someone as unpredictable as me can only hope to stumble across me by fate. 😑
And once again, I hadn’t published anything for two or three weeks.
I hadn’t come across anything particularly interesting lately, nor had inspiration suddenly struck me like lightning—but that wasn’t an excuse. I should have been collecting ideas as they came to me. And if I genuinely had nothing new to write about, I could always expand on something from my previous post.
It’s not as if this was some groundbreaking discovery. I already knew exactly what I should have been doing. 😝
But knowing something and actually doing it are two very different things. And this is what happens when you don’t: two or three weeks disappear while you’re still sitting there, waiting for inspiration to deliver itself to your door.
There was another problem too: I kept forgetting what my real goal was.
My goal is to build my own online business. But sometimes I wake up and immediately get dragged into my day job and all sorts of random stuff.
Yesterday, for example, I was busy from the moment I got up until early evening. By the time I finally had a chance to write something, I was completely knackered. Even my brain had clocked off.
If I give all my energy to everything else first and leave my own business until last, it will always get the version of me with 1% battery left. = =
It reminds me of that story often attributed to Warren Buffett. He supposedly asked someone to write down all their goals and circle the five they wanted to achieve most. Everything else on the list? Put it aside and don’t even think about it.
Otherwise, I’ll keep saying that I want to build an online business while giving the best part of every day to everyone else. Then, by evening, I’ll be lying there half-dead, waiting for inspiration to arrive.
If inspiration saw the state of me, it probably wouldn’t want to come anywhere near me either. 😑
What are you still waiting to feel inspired to do?
Waiting for inspiration can quietly turn into procrastination, especially when building an online business competes with work and everyday responsibilities. An idea bank, even with a few rough notes, could make those low-energy days easier, because the goal would simply be to develop something already started rather than create from scratch.
The “five priorities” idea is useful here, although the Buffett story is often repeated with uncertain attribution. Maybe protecting a small amount of energy earlier in the day, even for a short writing session, would help keep your business from ending up with only 1% battery remaining? It’s definitely a challenge for me!!
Thanks, Aly! I think that’s exactly the challenge for many of us. Protecting even a small amount of energy earlier in the day is much better than giving our business the last 1% of our battery. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Oh yeah – been der; dun dat. I’ve let a site languish because I was busy with some new hobby or because some chores needed doing . . . but most often it’s because I just got lazy. I had a pile of ideas to work on, but just not the motivation. The problem is – I was thinking this motivation was just going to come from somewhere *else*, and it never does. It always comes from me. When I finally sit down and pull out one single idea from my folder, I find myself clicking away in no time. So I’ve tried to remember that and always be ready to just pull out that one piece of paper.
I know exactly what you mean, Don! Sometimes the motivation only shows up after we start. I really like your “one piece of paper” trick — just pick one idea and get moving. Thanks for sharing!
Inspiration shouldn’t be the goal whenever you’re seeking productivity or a boost in your career. This might call for a discussion with a more furthered breakdown as to why it doesn’t work as well as what most people think. With how busy the modern adult that’s still working is concerned, they might actually tremble at the fact they could possibly lose 3 weeks just crossing their fingers essentially HOPING they’re going to get everything they need internally to take themselves to what their dreams are. Thanks for sharing!
Exactly! Hoping inspiration will show up at the right time really isn’t much of a system. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!