5 Unconventional Ways to Easily (and Consistently) Create Great Content

Part of running a successful business is putting out great content consistently.

Whether you’re creating video training courses, writing newsletters, submitting articles to magazine or developing presentations or pitches to JV partners, Boards of Trustees, or investors… you need to be able to produce great content and you need to be able to do it easily.

Not being able to do this can really hang you up, take up a huge amount of time, and generally spin you out.

(If you’re spinning out about this or anything else in your business, I offer you a 5 minute mindset tool that will completely stop your spinout. Get it here.)

We don’t want that. Instead of struggling with this, let’s figure out how to approach this necessary component of your business with ease.

I’ve compiled five of my favorite, unconventional strategies for creating your content easily. They’re unconventional because they go against some of the tried and true methods that are out there. They are my own particular twists and innovations that I’ve used to make my creative production faster, easier, and more true to my own spirit and message.  

Since I believe in creating ease in my business, I pay attention to when things are easier for me. That’s where many of my innovations often start and this leads us to tip #1…

Tip #1: Pay attention to when things are easy for you.    

There is so much to learn by simply paying attention to when things are easy for you. You’ll notice all sorts of patterns. 

How do you find it’s easiest for you to write your blog posts, do your videos, draft your courses, finish your book, build your powerpoint presentations?

For me, I’m super creative and alive in the mornings. It’s when I do my best writing and content creation. It just all spills out so easily. The creative downloads pour in and it appears that I just channel the info and viola, out it comes. Easily.  

For you, is it after you’ve meditated? Is it following a great inspiring conversation with someone? Is it during a walk? (I often compose entire pieces in my head while walking and talk them into my phone for editing later.)

Conventional wisdom says work needs to be hard and a struggle. I believe we can always find an easy (or easier) approach that works for us. 

Tip #2: Know your daily rhythms and energy cycles and work with them, rather than against them. 

For instance, it often feels like an uphill struggle for me to do my big content creation in the afternoons. That’s not when my energy is conducive to creative expression, so I don’t do that anymore. 

For a long time though, I tried to force myself to create content whenever I had time, including the afternoons. Conventional wisdom says make use of ever free moment you have.

Yet, I found that it actually took me longer and was depleting to do this kind of work in the afternoons. This in turn created an even larger energy drain and thus had many negative follow-on repercussions. 

Tip #3: Set up your schedule to support what works for you. 

For me this means getting up early and having 4 hours of uninterrupted me time before my first client call. I don’t book any calls prior to 9:30 in the morning. Conventional wisdom says make yourself widely (always) available to clients so you don’t “lose the sale.” But in actuality, you do everyone a disservice by not creating space for your important business development work.

[By the way, not all of that time is content creation time… there’s breakfast, walks with the dog, and the mindset practices and centering rituals I use for myself. This is part of how I set myself up for success every day. The point is, I consciously created my schedule this way. I developed it to work for me, rather than being fear driven or reactive to what I think others may want.]

Another example of this is that I used to think that I needed to set aside a whole day for content creation or block out a weekend to create a month’s worth of newsletters, for instance. I’m seduced by this idea. It makes so much sense, yet it never works for me. (It might for you though!) That’s not how it’s easy for me to create content. It feels like a struggle and I don’t want that struggle energy in my business or my content. Instead, I chose a structure that works for me. What structure would work for you?

Tip #4: Pay attention to the ideas and interactions that strike you throughout the day. 

For instance, this series of tips was sparked by a comment in one of the threads in my Facebook group a few days ago. I had a distinct thought… “Oh, I could share my experience with her” and today, it popped in my mind again… so I followed it. Easy. 

What’s hard for me is going back to a list of titles or ideas I’ve got written down that no longer have a spark for me. This works for some people (and is suggested by many experts) but I tried it and it didn’t work for me. (If it works for you, do it!) 

However you work best with your inspirations, do that! The key point is to pay attention to those ideas… don’t blow them off. They’re beautiful gifts!

Tip #5: Have a very distinct and friendly audience in mind. 

For instance, I often start my writing on Facebook with the female entrepreneurs in my group as my audience. I know them well through all our interactions, so writing becomes like a conversation. I then take it and use it elsewhere. I augment it and develop it. This is a tool that helps me get over any formality blocks that tend to come up for me and block my creative expression. 

Conventional wisdom says to speak directly to your ideal client. It’s great advice… but not if it causes writer’s block or keeps you from actually creatively expressing yourself. Take the pressure off and imagine a very friendly audience who “gets you.”

Maybe you it’s your BFF that you pretend to speak to when you do your video? Maybe you could imagine presenting to your networking group that you know well when you do your podcast? Maybe you imagine a room full of your enthusiastic ideal clients reading your content on their laptops? Maybe it’s the always supportive board member who’s got your back?

Keep a well-known, friendly audience in mind and speak directly to them as you create your content. When you imagine speaking to a friendly audience, you quickly get over the fear of “saying it wrong.” You have rapport with them and know they understand you and are forgiving. 

There you go… 5 somewhat unconventional tips to get you in the flow and consistently producing your great content.

This is how I’ve made creating content something that gives me energy rather than saps me of energy. 

Some of these ideas goes against the tried and true advice that’s out there. But you know what? I’d rather do it my way and have it be easier. You too?

Figure out what works for you and do that!