Lots of people ask me how I manage to find the ideas and the time, to publish so much content online. For those who don’t know, as well as writing posts here most days, I have also recently written and published 28 updates on my soon to launch site, over at jimconnolly.com.
That’s a total of around 40 posts published in less than 2 weeks; as well as working every day with my clients.
Here’s an insight into the 4 things that I believe make it easy for me to generate the ideas and the time required to maintain a regular blogging schedule:
1. I study – A lot!
I have studied my subject, marketing, every working day, for the past 25 years. I have read thousands of books and reports, from leading marketing experts world-wide. I have studied every process within marketing and tested them until I knew precisely how they worked. Please do not confuse this, with JUST reading about my subject. That process is about consuming.
To truly understand marketing, you need to be proactive and create experiments, to test theories. The results from all these years of study, is then invested in the work I do with my clients. However, it has ALSO given me an enormous library of material to write about.
2. I’m not a TV consumer
Other than sports, I’d guess I consume around an hour’s worth of TV in a week. I’m not anti-TV in any way. It’s just that I’m not attracted to the idea of spending 2 or 3 hours each evening sitting in front of a TV set. I’d rather hangout with my family, relax with friends, read a book, go for a walk, write a blog post or listen to some music etc. TV is one of the most influential mediums in the world. Because everything we encounter influences how we think and what we think, I tend to think differently to the 99% of people who watch TV each day.
This one thing alone allows me the thinking space to create, rather than consume. I’m writing this post during TV prime-time, by the way :)
3. I have more time than most people – I’ve already had an extra 5 years!
According to Nielsen, the average American watches 153 hours of TV a month. I’m not sure what the UK figures are, but based on Nielsen’s findings I have gained 1,912 full days, which is well over 5 years of (extra) time, since I dropped TV from my routine, when I was 21. I have no idea how many amazing people, inspiring conversations and creative ideas I benefit from every month, simply by having all that extra time to think, relax and create.
4. I seek out diversity
I make sure to spend time with a diverse mix of people. I love to learn what different people think and how different people think. I also listen to a diverse range of music and eat a diverse spectrum of food etc. I believe that if we only expose ourselves to people and ideas, which are in tune with our own, we make it harder to discover anything new. It’s like being stuck in a time bubble. I also find that it stifles creativity.
The ideas within those 4 points
I fully appreciate that some of the ideas I have shared with you are going to be way, way too much of a change for most people to even consider. They are based on what I do and are not intended as some kind of blueprint. However, I believe that within those 4 basic points are ideas worth exploring, such as; making time every week for study, listening to a more diverse spectrum of voices and considering altering your content consumer / content creator, balance. That’s why I shared them with you.
So, what are YOUR tips for increasing your creative output?
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