I want you to do something for me, alright? Go to their social media profile. Twitter, Tumblr, I don't care, as long as it has some kind of messaging system. Click on that message button, and write them a letter telling them how fantastic and amazing they are, and how much you love and/or appreicate their work.
Because making regular content? It's hard. Like, really hard. Whoever said that deadlines motivate you was wrong. SO, SO WRONG.
Now clearly, I am no expert on making regular updates. (If anything, I'm an expert on breaking promises to complete strangers.) But hey--it's been just over two years and this blog is not only alive and kicking, but with three times as many weekly updates as I started with! Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.
So, over the past two years, I have learned a few tips and tricks for making sure that your regular updates--whatever the project may be--stay regular.
TIP #1 - SET A SCHEDULE
First things first: if you want regular updates, you need a day to update on, whether they're weekly or monthly or somewhere in between. Pick a day and label that as your update day--that is the day your content will go live, so make sure it's ready!
TIP #2 - BREAK IT UP
When I first started my blogging experience, I wouldn't even think about my Friday post until Friday afternoon. In fact, that's the entire reason I picked Friday as my update day--I was a student, so blogging on Friday meant I could focus on it entirely, without having to worry about finishing up last minute homework. It seemed like a good idea a tthe time.
I very quickly realized, though, that it wasn't the best system. It involved too much staring at a blank screen, procrastinating the hours away, and stressing over the fear of never having anything to blog about ever again. If you've been here since the beginning, you know that many of my Friday posts were uploaded on Saturday, Sunday, even Monday. They were starting to look less like "regular" updates and more like "whenever" updates.
Don't be like me--break it up into smaller chunks, to be done over the course of several days. Your content quality will be smoother and better overall! For my Friday posts, I try to finish the rough draft on Wednesay, edit and revise on Thursday, with one final readthrough before uploading on Friday! It works (sometimes).
TIP #3 - BRAINSTORM
Trying to come up with a blog topic on the spot is not fun, especially when you feel pressured by a close and fast approaching deadline. Some weeks I'm lucky, and know immediately what I want to write about.
Other weeks, not so much.
If I don't have any immediate ideas, I spend the majority of the week thinking and brainstorming up ideas--evwen if it's only Monday. It also helps to make a list, so you always have something to check when you're super stumped. But that also brings me to...
TIP #4 - DO IT EARLY
If you have a sudden strike of inspiration, get the whole thing down. Right now. I don't care how early it is...do you know how rare these sudden bursts of simultaneous inspiration and motivation are? Take advantage of it! I don't know how many times I hda an idea for what was destined to be the Best Blog Ever, only to completely forget what it was when I finally got around to writing it! Any note I had left myself wasm ost often too vague for me to remember what the idea actually was.
Besides that...getting it done early feels amazing, and you have the rest of the week to
When the inspiration's gone, it's super hard to get it back. Make the most of it when you can!
TIP #5 - MAKE A BUFFER
A "buffer" is, essentially, a supply of pre-written blog posts or pre-drawn comic pages, ready for upload weeks and months before they're scheduled to be finished.
You know what's awesome? Vacation time. You know what's not so awesome? Having to worry about uploading content instead of relaxing, or knowing that your previous streak of uninterrupted updates will be shattered over the course of a weekend.
We all need a break sometimes, even from the things we love. When I was in Disney World, do you think I wanted to spend all of my time thinking about blogging? HELL, NO! I wanted to spend every minute I had soaking up the Disney magic!
Most arty, content-related websites had a scheduling feature, so use it to your advantage! Get all of your content ready before you leave, and schedule it to upload while you're gone. Nobody will notice any different!
(Side note: It's also nice to have a back up buffer, consisting of one or two pieces, just in case you're unable to find time to update because pesky 'ol Life decided to intervene. When you have a chance, spend a day whipping up content in bulk. Leave it on the side as your emergency stash, or schedule it for upload and keep up with your schedule as normal. If you ever get sick or stressed or in any way don't think you'll be able to provide content for the week, you won't feel guilty!)
TIP #6 - START SMALL
When I get a new idea, I get extremely impatient. No, I don't want to wait until I finish this other thing....I want to do it RIGHT NOW! When this happens, there are two expected outcomes:
1) I give in and work furiously on this project, only to lose interest quickly (normally after the appearance of a new New Idea), my previous passion burning out like the end of a sparkler;
2) I succeed in avoiding the temptation of this New Idea...but in an effort to avoid working on it, I end up playing Sims, instead;
OR SUPER SECRET OUTCOME 3) I try to add the new project to my workload ("I've got some spare time, I can handle it!"), only to get stressed and overwhelmed ("oH MY GOD I CAN'T DO ANY OF THIS"), which eventually leads to the extremely helpful (</sarcasm>) coping method of just shutting down and playing Sims. ("I may be a failure, but my sim is PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD!")
With this blog, I wanted it to be different. I wanted it to last. Sure, I had all of these ideas for challenges and multiple update days and whatnot...but I knew if I started it all right away, this project would end up like all the others--sitting in a lonely little corner of the internet, collecting dust for the rest of time.
So, for the love of God, START SMALL! Pick one project, with one regular update, and focus as much time into it as you can! Eventually, you'll start to recognize what you're capable of doing and how quickly you can get things done, with the added bonus of improving the more you successfully do it! Only then will you be able to tell when you're capable of adding more to your plate.
TIP #7 - DON'T GIVE UP
Obviously I'm not perfect. I miss updates all the time. (This post may or may not have been intended for last Friday.) I've gone months at a time without so much as a peep, for a variety of reasons.
But one missed upload does not equate to failure. Failure is thinking you've failed after one mistake and giving no effort to rectify it. If you miss a day, try not to feel bad or guilty about it! Post something late, or start getting ready for next week!
BONUS: DON'T FORCE IT
If something's not working, there's a reason. Whether you need to revamp it or set it aside completely is something only you can decide. I've started dozens of blog posts, only to realize midway that the idea itself wasn't as good as I imagined it to be.
Sometimes, an entire project isn't working. Figure out why. You aren't giving up if you're making the conscience decision to let it go and move on!
I hope some of these tips will help you with whatever projects you have growing inside those huge minds!
Until later,
- Justyne
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