Blog Post Inspiration
Blog topics can come from many different sources. But where do you get your blogging ideas? Here is a bit of inspiration for you.
1. Other blogs
Read and subscribe to other blogs and then elaborate on their ideas. You probably will read something and say, "Yes, but....". Write about it and let us know your thoughts. Don't take someone's ideas and call them your own. Add to their ideas and link to the original blog so the author gets some of the well deserved credit for their work.
2. Newspapers and magazines
Everyone reads at least one newspaper or magazine. What did you find interesting? What made you think a little bit?
3. Middle of the night ideas
Keep a little notebook handy. Ideas can come to you at the oddest times. When was the last time you had a great idea in the middle of the night, at the grocery store, or while talking on the phone? When that idea comes to you, write it down so you don't forget about it. When you want to write a blog post, just go to your little book to see what you have been thinking about.
4. Snippits
Snippits are great. They are part of a conversation you hear as you walk down the street. You only hear about 2 or 3 seconds of a conversation and don't really get the whole gist of what is going on, but you can take that snippit and make it into a great blog post. What did it mean to you? What do you think the conversation was about? What did it remind you of?
Lately it seems that everyone has a blog. You need to make yours informative and original in order to get and maintain a steady flow of constant readers. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Hopefully I have given you a few ideas on where to find it.
Create an Interruptions Log
You have a busy life. Are you a WAHM? Do you run a small business? Maybe you go to school in addition to working full time. Whatever your situation, you are probably interrupted frequently and can't seem to understand where the day goes. I recently read an article titled 10 Time Savers. I found one tip extremely interesting. Run an interruptions log. What a great idea. Keep track of every interruption you have and rate them by importance. After a week or so, figure out a way to eliminate the worst interruptions. Of course, keeping a log is an interruption in itself, but it will pay off in the long run. I can't wait to see my results and would be curious to know what your interruptions are.
JUST DO IT
Just Do It. I don’t know where Nike came up with that slogan, but it works.
Procrastination is a major problem for a lot of people. Who knows why. Maybe it is fear of getting the job done. Maybe the job is so big you don’t know where to start so you just put it off until another day. Maybe you really don’t want to do it in the first place.
Whatever the reason, the answer is to Just Do It. You are going to have to do it one way or the other so figure out a way to get it done. If the job is just too big a project, break it down into little segments and work on one part each day until you are finished. If fear is the problem, think about what it is that you fear and work from that angle. If you just don’t want to work on that particular project, well, get over it and Just Do It. The sooner you start, the sooner you will be done and you can move on to something more exciting.
How Does Your Email Signature Read?
Most businesses have a "signature" at the end of every email they send. Some are very lengthy and colorful and some are short and sweet. But what is best. Below are some tips on how to get the most out of your email signature.
1. If you keep your signature simple it will not take away from the important facts in your email. Include your contact information in simple fonts. Avoid colors and graphics. Last thing you want to do is confuse your reader.
2. Decide what is most important and include the basics. Do not list multiple addresses and phone numbers. Include numbers where your readers will be sure to reach you. No need to include your mailing address. Not everyone wants or needs this kind of information.
3. Hyperlinks do not always work so include a written URL so your reader will be able to find you.
4. Always include your email address as you can't always rely on your email client to include this header information in replies and forwards.
5. Reconsider using a quote at the end of your signature. You don't want to offend someone or give them the wrong impression.
