A Kick in the Butt Gets You Out Of Your Rut
Is your site tired, run-down, listless?
Does it poop out at parties?
Is it unpopular?
The answer to all your problems is… give yourself a kick in the rear. *
Get out of the rut you’re stuck in. That’s easy to say, but it’s
excruciatingly difficult to do at times. The thing about being stuck
in a rut is that the longer you keep plowing on and trying to make it
work, the deeper your rut gets, like a scratch in a record, and the
difficulty to escape becomes exponentially worse. You need something
to boost you up, give you a kick in your pants, for you out of that
stuck place. You need to do something crazy, something out of the
ordinary. Literally “extraordinary”. Here are some suggestions:
1. Change the subject – If you have a one-topic niche blog,
it’s easy to feel like you’ve looked at your niche from every angle
and described what you see ad nauseum. And maybe you have. Try adding
something new, maybe start a new category. If this doesn’t work for
your blog, do a guest post for another blog about something you’re
interested in or know a lot about that is not related to your blog.
If you usually blog about technology, take a break and write something
about poetry or your children. Even if you don’t post this anywhere,
it’s a change and unlocks a new part of your creativity.
2. Take a trip – Whether just under a tree in your backyard, or
half way across the world, change your environment. See something
new, and you can see yourself in a new light. Take the time to notice
the scenery and people around you. Are there things you haven’t
experienced in your own neighborhood? What are you waiting for?
3. Become someone else – See your site and yourself through
someone else’s eyes. Change yourself in a radical way. Get a
piercing, a tattoo, or a new haircut. Take up an extreme sport, learn
pottery, take some risks. Become the person you’ve always wanted to
be, but have held yourself back from becoming.
4. Change your tune – Get a friend whose tastes you admire to
recommend a CD, something you wouldn’t normally listen to. Listen to
it, really get into it. Come to appreciate why this artist performs
the way they do, and what issues are important to them. What is their
motivation? Why did they chose their style? Then write from your new
perspective.
5. Get a buddy – Ask a friend for suggestions. And then LISTEN
to those suggestions. This friend could be online or offline,
preferably someone who knows a bit about your niche, but is still far
enough removed from your site to be objective and like a regular user.
6. Be a mentor – It’s so much easier to give someone else help.
We can see the spinach in their teeth, but not how our own hair
sticks up in the back. Give good advice, and constructive criticism.
Give encouragement, and when someone asks a question, help them if you
know the answer. But while you’re doing this, listen to yourself.
What did you just say to them? Isn’t that what you should be doing
with your site too? Hmm?
7. Change your medium – There are all kinds of writers, just
like there are all kinds of sculptors and painters. Artists use a
number of mediums – paint, clay, stone, metal, ink, wood, etc. If one
medium- a computer, for instance- isn’t working for your creativity,
try another. I prefer using my laptop to write, but sometimes there
is nothing better than a beautiful journal with a fountain pen to get
ideas coming. Other people use notebooks, index cards, or a
typewriter. Whatever works for you. If you’re into presentations and
teaching, you can even make your notes on a marker board, talking as
if to an audience! Maybe physically writing isn’t the best thing for
you at all. Get a tape recorder (or a very good friends with typing
skills) and talk it out. A bit of video blogging or audio blogging
might be just the thing to fix you up, too.
8. Challenge yourself – Challenge yourself to write for a set
amount of time, or a set number of words, without stopping. It
doesn’t have to be “good” or make sense. Just the act of writing
words down on paper can clear your mind of all the “stuff” that is
clogging your brilliance. You can always go back and glean out the
good stuff from the crap. This is actually a great exercise to do on
a regular basis, even when you’re not having problems.
9. Go on a diet – Not necessarily a weight loss diet. But
change your eating habits for a while, even just for the day. Eat
something healthier than usual, quit binging on fast food. Or treat
yourself to a luxury you don’t get often – European truffles, smoked
salmon, an exotic fruit. Treat yourself to a 5 star restaurant.
Whatever your definition of luxury is. Why? Two reasons. It’s said
that eating a healthier diet, and especially large amounts of raw
fruits and veggies can help you feel energized, clear-headed and less
stressed. On the other hand, eating chocolate or other treats can
make you happier overall. If you’re happier, with less stress, it’s
easier to write. So either way, you’re covered. Maybe some chocolate
covered fruit? 
10. Time for change – Change the time of day that you do your
writing. If you’ve found yourself staying up until 2 AM trying to
finish an article, flip it. Go to bed early instead, and wake up at 6
AM for a change. You’ll be amazed at what you get done. Of if you
feel like you’re getting up way too early and your brain can’t
function, have an extra coffee and write when the kids have gone to
bed and the world is quiet. Whenever you write, be sure to set aside
a time with no distractions. Switch off the TV, ask your family to
leave you in peace for 30 minutes, put the answering machine on and
turn the ringer off. If e-mails and instant messages are distracting
you, disconnect from the Internet. Or go to that pad of paper for the
ultimate non-multimedia writing session.
Hopefully these tips have given you the kick in the pants you need to
set you up a notch and get into the next gear. The nice thing about
habits and ruts is that they can work positively, too. If you can
establish a set habit of writing everyday, it feels weird to not do
so. It will become as second-nature as brushing your teeth. Just
don’t neglect it.
*roughly adapted from “I Love Lucy”’s famous monologue
This is a guest post by Leighann Garber of The News Base. Leighann is a 28 year old blogger, mother, wife, WWOOFer, cook, gardener, gamer and much more. You can find out more about her here.
Note Taking Made Easy
Following on from my previous post, I thought it would be a good idea to go into some detail regarding my latest software installations. The first of which is Evernote.
I have a serious issue when it comes to getting focused on one particular project as well as coming up with ideas and then forgetting them when it comes to trying to implement new features. Evernote is a comprehensive note-taking application that will allow you to synchronise notes taken from a variety of sources. You can install the Evernote software on a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone/iPod Touch, a Windows powered Mobile, your browser or even just from a SanDisk U3 Flash Drive.
The notes that you take using Evernote don’t have to be limited to text. You can also include images, audios, hand-written notes (or mouse-drawn), PDF files and other attachments.
The video below is less than a one minute video that describes the basics of Evernote very simply.
If you took the time to watch the video you will hear that Evernote offers both a free and a paid account. I doubt majority of users will be required to upgrade as you are offered 40 MB of upload allowance per month without paying a penny!
I highly recommend Evernote as a way of keeping track of various projects and allowing you to keep an up-to-date set of notes that are central to one location. It saves having a mass of papers that you carry around everywhere and there is a massive reduction in the possibility of you losing or misplacing any notes that you may take.
