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How To Just Start Get Writing Your Content in Easy Steps

How To Just Start Get Writing Your Content in Easy Steps

by | Planning-Organization-Productivity

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Just Start
Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Just Start

Content creation can be daunting, especially when faced with a blank page and a seemingly taunting blinking cursor. You might sit down to write and find yourself stuck, unsure where to begin. That’s when the mantra “Just Start” becomes invaluable. Taking the first step is often the most important part of the writing process.

The Challenge of Starting

Writer’s block is a familiar obstacle for content marketers, freelance writers, and business owners alike. Many of us feel overwhelmed by the pressure to produce high-quality content, whether it’s blog posts, social media updates, or web content. It’s tempting to procrastinate, finding excuses to delay writing until the deadline looms. But the good news is there’s a way to overcome this.

The best way to tackle the blank page is to focus on a single word, a simple idea, or a piece of content you’ve already brainstormed. Set a timer for just 10 minutes and allow yourself to write freely. This step-by-step guide can help:

  1. Set a Timer: Start with a manageable block of time, like 10 minutes. Focus on typing whatever comes to mind without judgment.
  2. Choose a Main Point: Identify a key topic your target audience cares about. This could be tips for blog writing, content marketing strategies, or ways to improve writing skills.
  3. Keep it Simple: Don’t aim for perfection. The first draft is about getting words on the page.

Developing Good Writing Habits

Consistency is critical for building your online presence. Professional content writers and content marketers often rely on an editorial calendar to stay organized. Planning ahead reduces decision fatigue and helps you prioritize tasks like:

  • Writing blog titles that capture a reader’s attention.
  • Drafting long-form content that provides value to potential customers.
  • Repurposing content into social media posts, YouTube videos, or LinkedIn updates.

If you’re struggling with writer’s block, try these practical tips:

  • Use AI tools to generate fresh ideas or refine your writing.
  • Start with an outline to organize your thoughts.
  • Focus on writing one piece of content at a time.

Creating Content with Purpose

Content creation isn’t just about filling space; it’s about engaging real people with real problems they are looking to solve. Whether you’re building a personal blog or managing your own blog to share your unique perspective for your life coaching pratice, each post should reflect your unique voice and writing style. Think about your potential clients or readers. What do they need? How can you solve their problems?

A great way to start is by repurposing content. For example, transform a blog post into a YouTube video or create a step-by-step guide from a podcast episode. These approaches not only save time but also expand your reach across multiple platforms. Search engines reward consistent, high-quality content, improving your search results and boosting brand awareness.

Using AI Tools to Kickstart Your Writing

Sometimes, brainstorming and organizing content ideas can feel like a hurdle. This is where tools like ChatGPT or Claude can be a great alternative. Use ChatGPT or Claude to:

  • Brainstorm fresh ideas for blog posts or social media content.
  • Create detailed outlines to guide your writing process.
  • Flesh out content ideas when you’re stuck or need inspiration.

You can also use Perplexity to conduct topic research and gather insights to enrich your content. After identifying topics of interest, complement this research by using Google to check what appears in the AI overview. This approach ensures you address the “how,” “why,” and “what” questions your prospective clients might be searching for. Answering these questions thoroughly and informatively will help your content align with the way real people search for information online.

These tools act as your writing assistant, helping you move past blocks and stay productive. With the right prompts, you can quickly generate ideas or refine your content, making the entire writing process smoother and more efficient.

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Just Start

Tracking Your Creative Flow

Do you notice certain times of the month when creating content feels easier? If not, try noting a simple rating in your planner or calendar after each content session, reflecting how easy or challenging it felt to write. Over a couple of months, you may notice patterns of when your creative flow is at its peak.

For example, I’ve observed that I write most effectively during specific times of the month. Recognizing this pattern allows me to maximize productivity. During my less creative phases, I focus on tasks like research and planning blog topics, saving the actual writing for when I’m in a creative spike. This method helps balance my workload and ensures I’m always moving forward, even if I’m not actively writing.

SEO Optimization: Why It Matters

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important part of content creation. It ensures your content reaches the right audience by improving your visibility in search results. High-ranking content can drive traffic to your website, establish your authority, and ultimately attract potential customers or clients.

Incorporating keywords naturally into your writing is a key part of SEO. Tools like Rank IQ can help you identify the best keywords for your content, enabling you to rank faster and more effectively. Rank IQ provides insights into search engine trends and helps content creators optimize their writing without spending too much time on research.

When writing with SEO in mind, consider these best practices:

  • Focus on creating high-quality content that answers your audience’s questions.
  • Use relevant keywords in your blog title, subheadings, and throughout the text.
  • Be careful to create a well-written copy with the use of keywords naturally occurring without keyword stuffing.
  • Write meta descriptions that entice readers to click on your link.
  • Structure your content to make it easy for both readers and search engines to navigate.

By prioritizing SEO, you’re not just writing for search engines—you’re creating valuable content for real people who are looking for solutions to their problems.

Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination can feel like a constant companion for writers. But it doesn’t have to control your productivity. Here’s a good idea: reframe your writing time as an experiment. Use these strategies to stay motivated:

  • Set Small Goals: Break your writing tasks into manageable chunks.
  • Delegate Non-Writing Tasks: Focus on writing while outsourcing other responsibilities, like graphic design or proofreading.
  • Celebrate Progress: Recognize even small achievements, like completing a first draft or brainstorming new ideas.

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Building a Long-Term Strategy

To become a great content marketer or writer, focus on developing a long-term strategy. This includes:

  • Building a blog that reflects your expertise and engages readers.
  • Leveraging best practices for search engine optimization (SEO).
  • Writing your own content gives you the perfect platform to showcase your extensive knowledge through blog posts, social media, and other digital content highlighting your brand’s value.

Final Thoughts

Remember, the first thing to do is just start, get writing your content. Writing content doesn’t have to take much time and feels like a struggle if you use simple steps and stay focused. The important thing is to keep going. A blank page isn’t the enemy—it’s the starting point for something great.

So, set your timer, take a deep breath, and start writing your content. Over time, you’ll build the skills, confidence, and online presence needed to succeed as a freelance writer, business owner, or content marketer. The best advice? Just start, and the rest will follow.

How to Value Your Time As A Small Business Owner

How to Value Your Time As A Small Business Owner

by | Online Business, Planning-Organization-Productivity

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | The Power of Valuing Your Time: Strategies for Small Business Owners

Several years ago, sitting in the bleachers at a basketball game, surrounded by the usual chatter and cheers, I overheard something unexpected—a teenager’s profound words: “If you do not value your time, no one will.”

These simple yet powerful words immediately caught my attention. Who was offering such insightful advice, and to whom? It turned out to be one teenager chatting casually with a friend. I couldn’t believe it! You’d expect to hear these words from business leaders or successful business owners, not at all from a high school student at a basketball game. To have such a realization at a young age, I'm only guessing she has a good leader as a parent who understands the value of time.

I quickly jotted the phrase down on my phone as a content idea. As a small business owner, those words carried immense weight. In this digital age, where distractions are endless and time management skills are one of the most important things for a business owner to master, this was the reminder I didn’t know I needed.

Why the Value of Your Time Matters

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on that moment. Why did this one sentence resonate with me so much? I realized it’s because I’ve struggled to practice what I preach: valuing my time.

Growing up, my mom instilled in me core values like putting others first and being considerate of other people’s time. These lessons were a blessing in my personal life but a challenge in my business. Like many new business owners, I often found myself putting client needs, my team members, and day-to-day tasks ahead of my own goals.

But here’s the truth: If you don’t prioritize important tasks that move your business forward, your business growth will suffer in the long run. Without proper strategic planning or focus on revenue-generating activities, it’s easy to fall into the trap of poor time management.

The First Step: Conducting a Time Audit

One of the best ways to regain control of your schedule is by conducting a time audit. This process helps you understand exactly how you’re spending your working day. Here’s how to start:

  1. Track Your Time: Write down every activity you do over a week. Include everything—from answering emails and handling customer service to personal errands and social media scrolling. I know, right? Not the most fun activity, but at the end of the day, it will provide valuable insight into where you are spending time.
  2. Categorize Tasks: Separate your tasks into strategic activities,  day-to-day operations, and where you waste time.
  3. Evaluate Your ROI: Ask yourself, “Is this worth the dollar value of my time for each task?” Use your hourly rate as a benchmark to assess whether a task is worth doing yourself or should be delegated.

Strategic Delegation: The Easiest Way to Save Time

Once you’ve completed your time audit, the next step is to determine which tasks to delegate. Successful business owners know that their valuable assets include not only their expertise but also their ability to focus on long-term goals and business success.

  • Virtual assistants can handle routine tasks like managing your to-do list or scheduling social media posts.
  • Automating repetitive tasks with tools like project management software is another good time management technique that frees up additional time.
  • When I did this activity, I took the number of hours I was spending on tasks and gave them all a dollar value. The bottom line is that it was eye-opening to see how much money I was potentially leaving on the table.

These strategies allow you to focus on the most important things: growing your client base, creating a healthy work-life balance, and building a successful business.

How to Identify Tasks for Delegation

One of the best tools I’ve used for this is the Eisenhower Matrix, a simple framework that categorizes tasks based on urgency and importance. Here’s how it works:

  1. Urgent and Important: Do these yourself immediately.
  2. Important but Not Urgent: Schedule these for later.
  3. Urgent but Not Important: Delegate these tasks to someone else.
  4. Not Urgent and Not Important: Eliminate these tasks altogether.

When I started using this tool, I realized I was spending a lot of time on tasks that were necessary but not impactful, like creating graphics, uploading my podcast, and publishing blog posts. At first, I thought, “I can’t afford to hire help.” But the truth was, if I stayed buried in these tasks, I wouldn’t have the time to focus on the work that truly made a difference for my clients.

That’s when I decided to hire a Content VA to handle those routine tasks. This decision freed me to focus on what I do best: helping solopreneurs take back their valuable time by creating strategies that prioritize revenue-generating activities.

If you’re not ready to hire help yet, that’s okay. Start by identifying the tasks you could delegate in the future. Then, when you’re ready, you’ll have a clear plan for what to offload.

Strategic Delegation: A Game-Changer for Small Business Owners

Delegating isn’t just about lightening your workload—it’s about using your time more strategically. Tasks like managing your to-do list, scheduling social media posts, or creating graphics can often be handled by virtual assistants or automated with tools like project management software.

For instance, content creation is a time-consuming but essential part of running a successful business. That’s why I offer content repurposing services to help small business owners maximize the value of their existing content. Whether it’s transforming your podcast into a blog post, turning blog content into social media posts, or creating an email series from your top-performing episodes, I specialize in helping you get the most out of the content you’ve already created.

These strategies allow you to focus on the most important things: growing your client base, achieving your long-term goals, and building a healthy work-life balance.

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | The Power of Valuing Your Time: Strategies for Small Business Owners

It’s a Good Idea to Plan Your Week

After completing a time audit, it’s time to put those insights to work. One of the best ways to gain clarity on how to manage your time effectively is by creating a time bank. 

For me, using a simple spreadsheet to map out my 24-hour day was a huge eye-opener. I blocked every hour of the day and color-coded the time based on how it was spent—daily tasks, family time, personal activities, and even downtime. Seeing my time blocks visually made it clear where I was overspending time and where I had room to improve.

This method is a great way to incorporate time management tools into your routine without overcomplicating things. It helps you visualize your schedule and make adjustments to reclaim your day.

Key Questions to Ask Yourself

  1. Where Are You Giving Too Much Time? Are there activities that eat up more time than they should? For example, are you spending too much time on email or perfecting small details that don’t significantly impact your business? Recognizing these areas can help you free up time for revenue-generating activities and tasks that maximize productivity.
  2. Are You Avoiding Tasks You Don’t Like? Be honest: Do you find yourself gravitating toward tasks you enjoy while procrastinating on the ones you dislike? While it’s natural to want to spend time on things you love, effective time management means balancing enjoyable tasks with the essentials, even if they aren’t your favorite.
  3. How Can You Cut Down and Refocus?
    Once you’ve identified where your time is going, use this insight to make changes. Look for opportunities to streamline or delegate tasks that aren’t worth your time. By doing this, you can create a realistic weekly plan that aligns with your priorities and allows you to focus on important tasks.

The Power of Planning Your Week

When you use your time bank as a foundation for planning, you’ll find it easier to set realistic goals and stick to them. Combine this approach with productivity tips like batching similar tasks, using a project management tool, or setting time limits for specific activities.

As a former Online Business Manager, I've worked with several small businesses to understand the power of planning your week. Like you, they started a business for freedom of time, and planning a week made them feel as if that freedom was taken away.

These strategies not only boost effective time management but also reduce the mental load of constantly deciding what to do next.

Planning your week doesn’t just help you get more done—it gives you the freedom to enjoy your downtime without guilt because you’ve taken control of your schedule.

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A Personal Takeaway

Hearing those words from a teenager reminded me to take small steps toward valuing my time. Since then, I’ve prioritized my most productive time for strategic planning and creative work while delegating tasks that don’t require my direct input.

The result? Not only am I spending more quality time with clients and team members, but I’ve also lowered my stress levels and found more free time to enjoy the things that matter most in my personal life.

Time to Wrap This Up

If you’ve ever felt like there aren’t enough hours in the day, it’s time to take control. Conduct a time audit, delegate effectively, and embrace good time management strategies. As the teenager’s wise words taught me: If you don’t value your time, no one else will. Thank you so much for your value time. I appreciate you and hope you make it a wonderful week.

Header Photo by Rachael Crowe on Unsplash

Overplanning Crushing Your Dreams?

Overplanning Crushing Your Dreams?

by | Online Business, Planning-Organization-Productivity

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Overplanning Crushing Your Dreams?

You’ve got big dreams, a vision board full of inspiring ideas, and the determination to make it happen. But here’s the hard truth: if you spend too much time crafting the “perfect plan” and not taking action, overplanning might be holding you back and crushing your dreams. Successful people know this: the first step toward achieving your goals isn’t about creating a flawless strategy—it’s about taking action, even if it’s imperfect.

So, let me ask: Are you stuck perfecting the plan, or are you moving toward your dream life? Let’s talk about how overplanning could be crushing your progress and how to get out of your way finally.

Hello, friend. Let’s talk about something I see too often among small business owners and entrepreneurs: overplanning. It’s a habit that can feel like a great place to start, but without the action, it turns into a dream crusher, keeping you stuck instead of moving forward.

Overplanning Crushing Your Dreams: A Cautionary Tale

When the new year rolls around, we often set ambitious yearly goals. We’re full of energy, ready to tackle our big dreams, and we create a solid plan to achieve them. But here’s the cautionary tale: if you spend too much time perfecting your action plan, you might never get to the first step.

Successful people understand that the best thing you can do is take consistent, imperfect action.

Overplanning waters down your progress. Instead of focusing on one area of your life, you end up spreading yourself too thin. And the good news? There’s a powerful way to break this cycle and achieve your dreams on your own terms.

 

The Fear of Failure and the Cycle of Overplanning

Why do we over-plan? Often, it originates from a fear of failure. Our brain tricks us to keep us safe from the unknown; it is the best way to keep us in our comfort zone. We think we'll avoid mistakes if we create a foolproof plan. But in real life, overplanning keeps us stuck in the same place. Becoming our dream crushers.

Instead of taking the next step, we spend a lot of time running through “what if” scenarios in our heads. Attempting to work out every little bit.

Let me tell you: the first step to breaking free is recognizing that overplanning won’t get you to your long term goals. The key is to take action. Even small, daily actions can help you build momentum and accomplish amazing things over time.

The Impact of Overplanning on Your Dream Life

Overplanning doesn’t just slow you down; it can crush your dreams entirely. Imagine you’re trying to build a small business or accomplish a long time goal. You have a vision board filled with inspiring ideas and a sense of purpose guiding you. But instead of taking important steps, you’re stuck refining your plan.

The result? You’re no closer to your goals than when you started. You may feel further away. 

I’ve lived through it, and I’ve learned that the best thing you can do is take the next step, even if it’s not perfect. I still have the mantra on my chalkboard in my office: business goals are achieved with messy, imperfect action.

When you're learning to transition from employee to business owner on a mission to find your true purpose, you have a big dream. It can feel daunting when it feels like the finish line keeps moving.

I've described this as building too many bridges. Another way that I see overplanning too many important goals is trying to run more than one race at a time. Think about this again: you would not attempt to run two or three marathons simultaneously. Think of your goals as marathons. You have a training plan before you start and do the daily hard work to run the race and reach your finish line.

How to Stop Overplanning and Take Action

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to let overplanning crush your dreams. The first place to start is by narrowing your focus. Pick one big goal and break it down into actionable steps. Think about what you can realistically accomplish in the next week. Then, block out time on your calendar to work on those tasks.

If you’re juggling multiple responsibilities in your current situation, consider aligning your projects with your mental bandwidth. For example, if you’re tackling a big project in your personal life, like remodeling your house, choose a smaller, more manageable project for your business. This balance is key to staying on track. Because, friend, decision fatigue is a real thing. Be sure to look at your whole life when deciding to tackle goals.

Building Accountability and Staying Consistent

One powerful way to stay consistent is to bring in an accountability partner. Whether it’s a great friend or a coach, having someone to check in with can help you stay focused. Remember, successful people don’t go it alone. They create systems and find support to help them stay on course.

Another helpful tool is to create a project parking lot. This is a place to store your new goals and big ideas so they don’t distract you from your current priorities. You’ll get to them in time, but for now, keep your focus on one goal at a time.

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Overplanning Crushing Your Dreams?

Overplanning vs. Taking the Next Step

Overplanning often comes from wanting to reach your full potential. But here’s the truth: you can’t get to mile two without completing mile one. Taking the next step—no matter how small—is the most important thing you can do to move forward.

Think of it this way: every small victory you achieve fuels your journey. Celebrating these wins builds momentum, giving you the energy and motivation to keep going.

Practical Tips for Achieving Your Goals

If you’re ready to stop overplanning and start achieving, here’s what I recommend:

1. Do a Mind Sweep: Write down everything you need to accomplish your goal. Get it all out of your head and onto paper.

2. Prioritize Your Tasks: Decide what’s most important and focus on that first.

3. Create an Action Plan: Block time on your calendar for each task. Remember, your timeline may take longer than expected, so give yourself grace.

4. Stay Accountable: Share your goals with a trusted accountability partner.

5. Focus on Daily Action: Consistent, small steps lead to big results.

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Your Dream Life Is Within Reach

Friend, you have everything you need to achieve every new dream your heart desires. Don’t let overplanning hold you back in your own life. Take the first step, focus on what matters, and watch your big goals become real-life accomplishments. Remember, your dream life is built one step at a time—on your own terms and in your own way.