Content writing is an incredible tool when it comes to generating leads for your business, product, service, or agenda. This is because most people look to make informed decisions before associating with or purchasing from you – based on what you put out. The quality of content can attract or diverge potential visitors, investors, or clients from your site. Whether you have great page layouts or user-friendly interfaces, they matter little if the content is not refined or polished.
The saying is true, ‘Content is King’ and content writers have become invaluable resources for websites, blogs, and ads among other mediums. However, writing is not as simple as many suppose it to be. It has its fair share of twists and turns. At times, content writers, do struggle to write due to factors such as anxiety, stress, lack of motivation, complex topics, and unrealistic strict deadlines.
These and more factors may weigh on writers and reduce their productivity while writing. Luckily, there is a way to help mitigate the disempowering effects of these factors and completely optimize your writing time. Here’s how.
1. Win the Mind Game
Most writers stand defeated even before they start. A positive state of mind goes a long way to make your writing, enjoyable and less exhausting whereas a negative state of mind does the exact opposite. What you say and think to yourself concerning the piece you are just about to write, WILL have an impact on your writing experience and the quality of your output.
However, boring a topic is or excruciatingly long it’s supposed to be, don’t dwell upon that. Instead, think of how great the result will be and how your readers will immensely profit from your hours of labor and late nights.
Positive thoughts tend to inspire a willingness to see the task through. They give you a reason and motivation to excel in the task. So before you start writing again, stick a quote that ravishes you with inspiration on your work. You may as well, write down some positive things you can say or think to yourself when you feel vexed, irritated, or overwhelmed while writing.
2. Minimize Interruptions
The other great enemy when it comes to productive writing sessions is an interruption. You may well be deep in ‘the creative flow’, only for your phone to ring, your oven alarm to go off or your friends or kids shriek with joy while watching tv. It gets irritating when you try to recall what you wanted to write but can’t quite remember it the exact same way.
These interruptions do interrupt the flow of thought and your brain needs time to re-orient for you to regain your creative flow. Some interruptions are self-inflicted, like going through your snap chats and Instagram feed while writing, whereas others are nearly inevitable.
How to deal with such situations is by removing all possible and foreseeable interruptions. Turn off your phone or set it on silent and tuck it away in your drawer. Move to a quieter room, where no people are walking around and talking. If you are writing from home, stick to a definite time, and inform your friends and loved ones, so that they are mindful of how loud they get during your writing time. Plan your time, have nothing else you are attending to while writing. If the worst comes to the worst and you cannot evade the distractions, invest in good quality headsets that can muffle out any noise.
3. Set the Mood
Develop a small pre-writing tradition that will help you attune yourself to the work at hand. It could be having a relaxing bath or a brief walk to clear your head or even sitting at your writing desk. These simple activities are geared to condition your subconscious and conscious mind to begin to write. Once you develop your minitradition, stick to it. You will progressively notice that your mind, thoughts, and emotions ‘transition’ into a writing space, enabling you to be more alert and present as you begin writing.
4. Edit Later
Another grand mistake, writers tend to make is write while editing. This not only cripples your flow of thought but also makes you write slower and for longer. A simple trick to avoid this pit is to discipline yourself to write from start to finish without correcting any errors or rephrasing.
Remember, first, say what you want to say then refine what you said. Don’t rephrase your paragraphs mid-way, don’t delete your sentences because you have a better way of putting your point across. Simply write out the point and continue without figuring out if everything was ‘well-captured’ or ‘effectively communicated’. Once you have put down all you would have wanted, you can then begin to edit the work.
5. Say It in Your Own Words and Style
Did you know that being authentic saves you time? You don’t have to cross-check every point to see whether you adequately paraphrased or captured every key point of the borrowed text. The key to avoiding time-wasting and the sheer frustration of moving back and forth between sources is to, read, understand then write.
Additionally, being authentic helps you to write naturally as opposed to mechanically. Writing naturally means writing conversationally. When talking to a friend or explaining concepts to a beginner’s face to face, you typically would not use jargon, numerous quotations, endless lists of items, several definitions, and the like. You would be as simple and precise as you could be but also very informative.
In saying things in your own words, you can intimately interact with the content, ask the right questions, and arrange it in a manner that can be easily understood by readers.
Final Thoughts
Content writing can be fun if approached correctly. With these simple yet effective tips, you will be able to revolutionize your writing time and make it enjoyable, effective, fast, and more productive. As an additional tip always analyze your strategy to incorporate new ways to boost motivation, ingenuity, the flow of thought, and clarity in your work.
