When we first start coming up with content ideas, we have the best of intentions.
We’re going to publish more frequently.
Stick to a schedule. And, of course, make sure all of it is high-quality stuff that people actually want to read.
The first week or two are good … and then …
You fire up your WordPress dashboard. You click to add a post. And you spend more time than you want to admit staring at that depressing expanse of blank white space.
You’re out of article ideas. You don’t know how or where to get an idea. And you really, really don’t want to write this $%&# post today.
It sucks — but it rarely happens to folks who write for a living.
And that’s because professional writers have a “secret weapon” tucked into their toolbox that you don’t have. But you can get it … today if you want to.
That “weapon” is a solid, reliable process for capturing interesting thoughts as they float past your head.
Because the best way to have more ideas is to capture more ideas.
How to capture more creative content ideas
When you capture as many creative content ideas as you can on the fly, you’ll find that your brain starts to make more ideas.
It’s like there’s a part of your brain (Stephen King talks about the muse in the basement) that has the job of coming up with ideas.
“Hmm, it seems my person is very interested in ideas these days. I’d better start making more of them.” – The muse in the basement
Some of your ideas will be total garbage. Not a problem. Capture them anyway. A few of the really stupid ideas will turn out to be the seeds of something interesting. And the rest won’t do any harm sitting there in your system.
If you want a fun, creative jumpstart, challenge yourself to write down 10 blog post ideas today. Give yourself permission to include the wildly stupid ones. Do that for a week.
At the end of the week, you’ll have a bunch of okay ideas, a few nutty ones, and a couple of gems.
Do it for a month and you’ll feel a genuine shift in your creative productivity. And it’s easy and fun to capture 10 ideas a day.
Different writers approach this task in different ways, but nearly all professional writers have trusted systems that let them catch that lightning in a bottle.
Here are some options.
Option #1: The notebook or bullet journal
Some of us just really dig paper and pen.
I use a hardcover bullet journal to keep track of what I need to do when I need to do it, and the tools or resources I need to get it done. And I keep a running list of ideas for all kinds of content — from lesson ideas for courses, to blog post ideas, to topics for video ads.
It’s also a great place to doodle, scribble with colored pencils, and use a half-dozen different fountain pens (all running different colored ink).
Some people have gorgeous Instagram-ready bullet journals with fancy headers and beautifully designed “spreads.” I have the other kind. My notebook is ink-splattered, coffee-stained, scribbled, lumpy, and defiantly messy. Just like (in my opinion) a creative journal should be.
A writer’s notebook is like a painter’s sketchbook. It’s a place to hold ideas, develop them, capture new ones, and spark experiments and creative connections. You can even brainstorm and take notes about how to create digital products related to your blog.
It’s not a place to hold yourself to an unreachable standard of perfection … although if you want to practice your calligraphy in there, go for it.
If you use a physical book to capture content ideas, it’s helpful to have a way to find them quickly again. I use a dedicated color of washi tape to mark my “Content Ideas” pages. Colored post-it flags would work well, also.
Option #2: The index card
My friend, speaking coach Victoria Labalme, is a big proponent of the index card. It’s flexible, it’s super portable, and you can shuffle and shift them around when you’re planning out your content.
She uses them to plan out presentations and talks (in other words, complex, long-form content), and I find them particularly well-suited to that. The ability to spread the cards out on your desk or floor, and rearrange them over and over, works really well for complex projects.
They’re also just handy to make stray notes about creative content ideas. I keep a few index cards tucked into a wallet or bag if I don’t feel like carrying my notebook somewhere. It’s a great way to catch fleeting ideas … no matter where I am.
Option #4: The giant bag of content ideas
One nice thing about digital tools is that they make it easy to switch between devices.
Evernote makes it easy for me to grab an idea on my phone — in text, audio, or a quickly snapped photo — then bring it up on my laptop when I’m ready to start working.
Evernote becomes my “giant bag of content ideas,” with all kinds of connections, links, sparks, and tangents. Like my bullet journal, it’s messy, with minimal formal structure.
Unlike my bullet journal, it’s very easy to find things again when I need to.