Stop procrastinating in your content creation
The best content, content marketing or marketing strategy won’t work without the right mindset and taking action.
Do you find yourself sitting at your computer struggling to write a social media post?
Maybe you put off starting that blog or podcast because it seems "too hard".
You might be procrastinating something that will MOVE THE NEEDLE in your business. So we are here to help! This week we are exploring the mindset and procrastination around marketing and creating content in our business.
You DON'T want to miss this one. It is time to embody "don't think, do".
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is all about delaying the work you need to do until it is the night before or very last minute (and maybe even past its deadline) and you’re stressing about it not being done.
Verywellmind.com has an awesome definition of procrastination that hits all the points as to why or how we can fall into procrastination, so make sure to check that out.
Whether it is getting stuck in front of the TV, being distracted by your phone, or even cleaning the entire kitchen before getting that one task done (I did just in year 12 when I was burnt out from study), everyone has fallen victim to procrastination at least once in their life.
So, remember, if you are in the procrastination boat, you’re not alone!
Procrastinating once in a while isn't that bad, but if it tends to happen a lot for you, this could end up impacting your work, school, or life in negative ways, and we don’t want that!
Even in your business, procrastination can be the cause of many unfinished projects or launches that didn't quite make it, it can even impact your content/marketing strategy - but how does it impact it and how do we fix it? Let’s have a look…
How does procrastination relate to the marketing strategy?
Earlier we mentioned ‘moving the needle’ in our business, when we say this we don’t mean it literally.
Moving the needle means working towards and completing tasks/projects/launches that will lead our businesses to succeed in the future.
Unfortunately, what can hinder this process is, you guessed it, procrastination!
Procrastination is notorious for getting in the way of consistency with our content/marketing strategy.
We have had things in place we want to get done but then procrastination sets in and we never end up completing the tasks we set out to do.
Whether this is writing that first blog, hitting ‘submit’ on a podcast episode, creating next week's captions, or starting to plan your next launch (the list goes on), we like to think that these things will get done but then, of course, procrastination comes around and sets us back.
We need to get back to moving that needle.
What you can do to overcome procrastination
So we’ve established what procrastination is and how it can affect our marketing strategy, but what can we do to fix it?
Luckily, we have a few quick tips to implement when you’re feeling like time-wasting may be around the corner.
Set a 20 min timer and do some “deep work”. This means that for those 20 minutes you just focus on what you need to do, remove all distractions that surround you and just get sh*t done!
Identify what is holding you back and address it - Is it the fear of judgement? Is it the fact that it isn’t ‘perfect yet? Ask yourself these questions and address them out loud, why are you feeling these emotions and what is the worst that could happen?
As a bonus, use the 7 techniques below to guide you further.
The seven procrastination beating techniques
1. Big steps into smaller steps
Break down the goal. For example, Content Queen wanted to revamp the website so how did we do this? We set the goal of revamping the website and then broke it down from there, first to get a designer, then to set a budget, and so on. Breaking up your goals can give you actionable steps to make the task seem A LOT less intimidating
What task can I do today and get done (even if it means starting small)?
Use an application like Clickup to project plan!
2. Do things that move the needle
Even if it is ONE thing! Just completing one task a day can put you on your way to achieving those big goals
Don’t FILL with busy. By this we mean to not use ‘I’m too busy” as an excuse, there is always time to get the things done that REALLY need to get done. While we would like more hours in the day, this is when priorities help.
Don’t add little things. Focus first on the big stuff and main parts of your task, the other things can wait.
Self-awareness - Realise what is stopping you, be aware of it and hold yourself accountable.
Even Content Queen has lost focus on moving the needle. Sometimes we can get so caught up in thinking the little admin tasks throughout the day need to be done, but guess what? They are just helping you procrastinate! Our favourite was sending proposals to clients or cleaning our desktop - but these things can wait.
3. Get the priority sorted
Having quarterly goals rather than heaps of projects going at once. Even at Content Queen, we had SO many projects happening that it became confusing and overwhelming, so instead we broke it down to KEY quarterly priorities and set out our goals for the year that way. Let me just say: life-saving!
4. Get something down and refine later
Sometimes you need to just get started! Worry about refining your strategies later on - not everything has to be perfect, especially straight away.
5. Understand the marketing foundation
Find the channels that work for you to save you time and energy in content creation. We have the Content Queen quiz to help you find which channel is best for you, have a go at it here
Focus on gaining a strong foundation in what you do and know the main tasks to get done, after that, everything else is icing on top
Break it down to what we CAN manage - don’t spend time stressing about the stuff you can’t do right now
Having the strategy - trust me when I say, a marketing strategy for your content will save your life.
Know your goals for the next 3 months and what is going to get you there, those are now your priorities.
Think about what you want to be known for and how you will achieve that. This will help you specify the tasks you need to undertake to get there.
6. Working in advance
Batch content - this can help you get ahead in the project work you do not just for your business but for clients as well. Try to spend one week batching ahead of time to give you more time in the following week, it can feel overwhelming but is worth it!
It doesn’t have to be weeks ahead, you just don’t want to limit yourself to having to do something the DAY that it is due.
7. Be realistic
Are you doing the work of a small team? Maybe think to see if anything you’re doing or the tasks you are undertaking can be outsourced.
We know this doesn't always feel easy but it can save you so much time in the long run!
Procrastination and perfectionism
The key to dealing with perfectionism, which can definitely lead to procrastination is to understand you have more to learn than to lose from failure.
If a blog doesn't do the best or a podcast doesn't reach as wide as you want it to, that’s okay! We learn by doing, just because it didn't reach the goal you wanted it to, it doesn't mean you failed - it’s just an opportunity to grow and adapt to eventually try again and reach that goal!
Trust yourself, go for it and be prepared to fail - it’s OK!
Why are you procrastinating?
The key to understanding procrastination is to ask yourself why you procrastinate. Think about it and call yourself out - be accountable!
BUT don’t be too hard on yourself, work out what you can do to get through it and implement those things. Once you get the hand of the techniques, it will get easier I promise!
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, all you need to do is start small. Try and remain accountable, break up your goals and don’t allow perfectionism to sneak in - this will simply hold you back.
We have a saying at Content Queen which is “Don’t think, just do!” and we love it! This doesn't mean not caring about the content you are writing, but instead, once you have decided you want to action something, simply do it.
Do you need a content marketing strategy to keep you focussed? Get started below!