Are you a content-noob battling overwhelm or writing anxiety?

If you produce more mental static than actual content, it’s time to get that pressure and self-doubt under control, so you can do more of the work you really love… and then write about it!

Make a Container of Writing
(your sacred COW)

(Hi. My name is Laura. I like acronyms, mixed metaphors, and dairy products. Let’s be friends.)

If you’re not sure when or how to get into the swing of a content process that serves your business goals, that lack of certainty can be a breeding ground for procrastination and self doubt.

When self doubt picks up steam, it can mess with your mind even when you’re doing exactly what you should be doing, like client work (or CPR!).

First you beat yourself up for procrastinating or not posting enough.

Then you worry about over-focusing on “fun stuff” instead of doing what you “should” to grow your audience.

Then you question your decision to even start a blog. Until finally you decide once again that you hate the internet and its incessant demands.

Maybe somewhere along the way you got it in your head that freelancing, or any kind of success, requires pain, suffering, and an endless grind. So all this mental strife is a necessary evil, right?

Wrong.

Whatever your personal mix of angsty poison, it goes without saying that it doesn’t serve you. No amount of dread or worry gets you any closer to Done, on anything. Ever.

And if it’s site content you’re worrying about or avoiding, then build yourself a Container of Writing (the sacred COW!) and park all that energy -- good, bad, whatever.

Then review and empty your container on a regular basis to get control of those distracting, unproductive mental loops .

Blog Blueprints + Weekly Batches = Your Container of Writing

A writing container is basically two parts.

Blog Blueprints: This is where you keep track of what you want to write and the status of articles you’re working on right now.
Bonus points for assigning a deadline for each future article.
Besides mapping your blog’s future, this eventually becomes a living inventory. Over time you can come back here and mine topics for new content. Update something you wrote a year ago and share it with new readers. You may have heard of this thing called Working Smarter. That’s what repurposing old content is.
Weekly Writing Batches: These are writing sessions you schedule for the coming week.

Bonus points for scheduling your batches at the same time each week. It’s easier for your brain to be creative when you engage it consistently.
Batching Tip 1: When you’re just getting started, or if you dread writing (or both), think of the smallest possible time frame you can tolerate, and schedule that. Then multiply that tiny amount into how many ever batches you need to reach your weekly writing target.
Example: Weekly Goal = 4 writing hours
- 4 batches, 1 hour each
- or 8 batches, 30 minutes each
- You can bring this down to five or ten minute increments.
  Whatever works to keep yourself focused.
  This is not the time to “Go big or go home.” This is the time to go for low hanging fruit, my friend.
  
  There’s no shame in going for smaller wins. It’s a proven strategy.

If your mind starts to wonder after five minutes of writing, then set the timer for five minutes. Pat yourself on the back. Then set the timer for another five minutes. Then enjoy the surge of momentum that happens when your brain experiences success.

Batching Tip 2: You only need one label for your weekly batches: WRITING. No need to include blog titles or details on your calendar (unless you really want to).

Topics are secondary.
The most important part of any scheduled writing batch is SHOWING UP.
Once your pen/keyboard/recorder is ready you can always check the blog blueprint if you’re not sure what to write.

In this image we’ve hijacked a shipping container to serve as visual representation of our Container of Writing.

Other stuff to put in your container: neuroses, negativity, you name it

Once you start using your sacred Container of Writing, you’ll see just how much stuff will fit inside of it. This is more than a blogging blueprint with a calendar. It’s an official place to park all the energy (hopes, dreams, dread) swirling around this creative process.

Because, when you’re working on some other part of your business, a part that doesn’t involve writing, that work deserves your full attention. It’s not the time to think or feel guilty about your business blog.

Make a space to deposit random blog-related thoughts.
According to David Allen, my favorite khaki-clad mental ninja, the first step in Getting Things Done is to capture what has your attention, somewhere outside of your head.
Tell your brain you’ll come back to any thought-deposits during your next scheduled writing batch. And then do that.

I have a CoW notebook in Evernote where I list ideas along with any odds and ends I decide to jot down. Sometimes a random note will grow into an anecdote, inspire an article theme, or result in absolutely nothing at all. Whether they’re used again or sent to the trash bin, it’s better that they take up space in Evernote than the area between my ears.

If you’re showing up to scheduled writing batches, you’re doing enough.

The longer you stick with weekly writing times, even when your output is less than productive, the less you’ll deal with guilt and anxiety.

Consistently showing up, consistent action, is antidote to guilt and anxiety.

Here we have the same hijacked shipping container with other stuff added to it. In related news, I’ve just added a brilliant idea to my own CoW notes in Evernote: Hire a graphic designer.

The call is coming from inside your house!
and by house I mean head, and by call I mean…

As a reminder: Nagging, fretting, self-sabotaging thoughts, about writing or otherwise, are not piped in from an external source.

They come from you.

Not your best or bravest You, not the You who should be running the show, but the You that could use a little guidance and compassion.

Let’s call her Nelly.

Be gentle with your inner Nervous Nelly. She’s trying not to freak out, so don’t be judge’y or scornful. We all know what happens when you yell “Don’t freak out!” to someone who’s trying not to freak out. It’s not unlike the brilliant strategy of telling an angry person to calm down.

Nelly’s on the line.

She’s nervous again.

When that version of yourself starts winding herself up, instead of squashing or condescending to her, just gently reassure and remind her who’s boss. (That’s YOU, Queen!)

It helps to be specific, especially if Nelly’s anxiety is specific.

“Hey, Nelly. Thanks for your concern, but I’ve got this. I know you’re worried that I’ll never get all the research done for that article, and then I’ll never finish, or I’ll post garbage, but I promise I’m handling it. I’m not trying to get rid of you. I know you’re just looking out for me. So I’ll be back this Tuesday at 2:00, just like always. And we’ll talk then. I promise.”

Invite Nelly to make herself comfortable in your Container of Writing. Then show up as promised at the designated time. Because you’re a boss, and that’s what bosses do. At least the good ones.

Be a Good Brain Boss. Know when to ask for help.

A good boss knows how to keep her weak links from bringing down the whole operation. Here are some other hallmarks of good bosses:

Stick to your deadlines, and show up for your scheduled writing batches.

Show up even if the only things in your container are dates, times, and doubts. Show up especially then.

Know when to ask for help. If you repeatedly miss writing targets or fail to show up for your scheduled batches, it may be time to look for outside support.

Find a writing accountability-buddy
Sometimes the only way to keep a promise to yourself is if someone else is holding you to it.
Hire a professional coach
This is like an accountability buddy, but one you pay to be serious about the things you need to be serious about. If your friend is way too forgiving of your lame excuses, it may be time to invest in a coach.
Hire a content professional
Of course there’s always the option of outsourcing your writing and just getting on with doing the things you would rather be doing.

CONTAINER TAKEAWAYS

The framework of your content container includes a blog blueprint (or inventory of plans and current writing status) and weekly writing batches. Earn yourself bonus points for using deadlines and consistent batch schedules.
Start small with your scheduled writing sessions. Better to spend less time and stick with it, than more time and not. Consistency trains your brain to be the way you need it to be when you want it to perform.
A Container of Writing holds any kind of thought, idea, or concerns related to your blog or site content. Good, bad, or indifferent. Put all that stuff in its place, and come back when you’re scheduled to care about it.
Be gentle with your insecurities, and know when to seek outside support like an accountability partner, coach or content expert.