7 Ways to Find Outstanding Content Ideas in 10 Minutes Per Day
You’re not creative.
Your ideas are stupid.
There is nothing new or interesting for you to write.
At least, that’s what you tell yourself.
It doesn’t even matter if this is true or false. This unhelpful brain chatter keeps you from creating and publishing your content.
And without an online presence, the people who need your help the most can’t find you.
What if there were some simple hacks to finding ideas quickly?
Lucky for you, there are.
Here are some quick tricks that content creators use to regularly generate outstanding ideas in just minutes.
#1: Kill The One Thing That Blocks Idea Flow
Have you tried brainstorming on your lap top, only to have lost 2 hours and gained a browser cache full of cat memes?
Here’s a more productive way to “waste time.”
Take a walk in nature, go for a run, or take a shower, and you’re brimming with ideas.
What happened?
You gave your brain the flex time it needs to come up with ideas.
This works especially well when you are solving a problem. Your brain still works on it while you step away.
#2: Bend Time and Maximize Your Creativity
Modern life runs on calendars, reminders and alarms.
Starting in elementary school, we’re taught to mind our days by the clock.
But creative thinking doesn’t run on time the same way.
Your creative bursts may be early in the morning or late at night.
What’s your perfect timing for idea generation?
Experiment and find what works for you.
Then, make it part of your daily routine. Use your calendar to block out that creative time, and commit to using it.
#3: Train Your Inner Voice to Deliver the Goods
Staring at the blank page wondering what to write?
The empty screen can be intimidating, and make you want to quit before you get started.
The good news is that you don’t need to write a single word to have starter material on your page.
Instead of sitting down and writing, start by talking your ideas out into an audio recording.
Use your computer or smart phone to record voice memos, and then get them transcribed.
#4: Easily Tap Into Trending Topics
Spend any time at all on social media, and you’ll see people talking about the same few topics.
On Twitter, you can see trending hashtags.
Click through to different topics on news sites, and you’ll also see similar headlines.
Scan your email inbox, and you will see similar themes in subject lines. Especially around holidays.
These topics are already top of mind. If you can weave them in, your content will be timely, relevant, and capture more attention.
#5: Get a Little Help From Your Friends
It’s almost impossible to write well in a vacuum.
The best writers have friends or writing partners to turn to when they’re stuck. They can bounce ideas off each other, and give constructive feedback.
You don’t have to write on your own either.
Who can you turn to for feedback? Some people might be:
- Trusted colleagues
- Mastermind partners
- Other complementary business owners
Ask them for their gut-level response to your topics. In a few minutes, you’ll know if your content is on the right track.
#6: Leverage Your Rivals For Even Better Ideas
Make a list of about 7–10 of the top thought leaders in your space and start reading their content on a regular basis:
- What topics are they writing about the most?
- Which of their social posts get the most comments?
- Who are the other leaders that comment and cross-promote their ideas?
Then, write your own take on what they’re writing about.
Be careful not to copy anything word-for-word: that’s plagarism.
#7: Cross Breed to Build Better Topics
A curious hunter noticed burrs hooking onto his pants in the woods. He took this idea from nature to create a hook-and-loop fastener called Velcro.
An inventor came up with the idea of crossing a doll with an army man, to create an action figure named GI Joe.
How do you cross-breed topics?
- Get an idea notebook
- Carve out time to write down your ideas
- Commit to writing down 10 ideas per day
Let them sit in your notebook without judgment or editing. Re-read them.
Make sure to use idea creation method #1 to let your brain marinate on the topics and create new connections.
Let Those Outstanding Ideas Flow
Even if you don’t think you are a creative genius, or if you had trouble coming up with ideas in the past.
Now you know how to tap into your own brilliance.
Imagine what you’ll do with all that extra time you have that you used to waste spinning your wheels.
Imagine how great it will be to regularly click publish on the regular without worrying that you’ve used up your last good idea.
And just imagine how your work will be out in the world to help change the lives of millions of readers.
Go get ‘em.
