How to Blog While You’re Procrastinating

 

You read that right. “How to blog while you procrastinate”. You know how it is, you really want to get a blog post up but don’t know where to start or you can’t seem to stop procrastinating and start writing.

Hashtag relatable.

You’re sitting there watching TV eating a bag of Cheetos and you think to yourself “Okay, after this I’ll get writing.” Then you decide that you should maybe have a real meal and cook yourself a feast. Oh, but then you’re so full that you need to relax for a bit before you crank out your masterpiece.

In the blink of an eye, it’s night time and you really aren’t feeling it anymore, so you put your computer away and promise yourself that tomorrow is another day and you’ll write a million blog posts tomorrow.

…And the cycle continues. UGHH am I right?

So just for you (and not at all for me…at all…nope) I’ve come up with ways you can write while you procrastinate, so that you feel as though you’re relaxing and procrastinating but you’re actually being productive. You’re essentially tricking yourself into being productive.

1. Watch your favorite show on TV or Netflix or whatever floats your boat.

By now you’re thinking “Wait, WTF Tiff how is this being productive?” Wait for it…

I have always had a firm conviction that everything can be a lesson. If you really pay attention, there are hidden knowledge bombs everywhere you look, even in the silliest places. So next time you turn on your favorite show, look out for any hidden gems and write them down. Did you hear a cool quote that you liked? Write it down. Did that episode of Castle really resonate with you? Write about it. Find the lesson and make it into a blog post.

If you consciously think that everything can be a lesson, you’ll be amazed at how many things inspire you to write.

I’m not saying that this will all turn into a blog post, but it will get you off your metaphorical butt and thinking/writing about ideas.

 

2. Open your blog admin page – and keep it open.

Whenever you’re just chilling and having a snack, have your blog open and create a new post. As you’re going about your procrastinating, just write blog titles. That’s it!

You don’t need to force yourself to write, you don’t need to turn off the Food Network. You don’t even need to put down your bag of Cheetos. Just write titles.

Catchy titles, interesting titles, silly titles, anything that even remotely relates to your niche.

It won’t inconvenience you, but chances are that once your procrastinating sesh is over and you look back at your titles, you’ll have plenty of ideas to fuel your productivity. And even the ones you decide to scrap may come in handy eventually, so don’t discard them!

 

3.  Talk, talk, talk.

Talk about anything! Talk to your mom, your dog, your friend, even yourself! (No, seriously you need to be talking to yourself)

So many times when I’m talking to someone, I get a lightbulb moment where I get a blog post idea out of nowhere. I have notebooks literally (and I don’t use that word often) everywhere around my house so I never risk losing an idea.

Say you’re a beauty blogger and your friend just told you a story about how her coworker was so tired that she fell asleep on the keyboard. Lightbulb! You can write a “How to look presentable when you’ve had NO sleep” post. Or “Vanish under-eye puffiness to look like you’re actually awake”.
You had a fun conversation AND you ended up with one or more ideas for your blog. Ta-Da!

 

4. Make Social Media your muse.

It’s late at night and you really don’t feel like writing a whole blog post. You just want to catch up on your bajillion social media outlets and get your beauty sleep. I get it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be collecting ideas while you’re double tapping, pinning or retweeting!
[Disclaimer: I’m not saying you should spend all of your time on Instagram, I’m saying to use your Social Media time wisely.]

•  Have a secret Pinterest board set up where you can pin ideas for blog posts.
•  Look at what people in your niche are saying, read your target audience’s tweets. Find what they’re struggling with + their pain points and favorite/write down their tweets. Next time you need a post idea, take one of their problems and try to solve it.
• Do the same on IG. You can also find your target audience and see what hashtags they use, this will come in handy because you’ll be able to use the hashtags that your ideal readers are using and likely following, and that way when they find your post and see that you’re the answer to their problems, they will L O V E you for it!

There you have it. Four easy ways to productively procrastinate. Now go on with your bad self and procrastinate on, and build your empire while you’re at it!

PS: Hey, you know that thing you’ve been struggling to get done lately? I want to know what it is so I can help solve it for you, so tell me all about it in the comment section or shoot me an email if you’re not keen on spilling the beans (is that how that saying goes?) in public.

Love,