Q&A Tuesday is coming at you, Don't you want it?
Don't you want it?
Yeah!
Q: Hey, it's Marie Forleo and you are watching MarieTV- business and life advice that works.
Today's question comes from Sidsel and Sidsel writes:
Hi Marie!
I'm finding that it takes forever to write my newsletters.
I know that I should be sharing content and connecting with my audience but there's just
so much else to do.
Any advice you can share on how to write faster?
A: Sidsel, awesome question!
Sidsel, first let me say that everybody I know struggles with this very issue, especially
when you are first starting out.
When I started my business and I had to write a lot of content sometimes it would take me
two to three days to get out one good article so I totally know how you feel.
And even to this day, I'm still looking for ways to write faster.
The truth is, creating high quality content does take some time but the good news is I've
got eight great strategies to help you create high quality content even faster.
#1.
Flip your script.
If you want to change anything in your life, you first have to take look at your internal
script.
What are you saying to yourself?
What's the story you're telling yourself about the thing you want to change.
So, for example, if you are telling yourself, “I'm a really slow writer and it takes me
forever to write my newsletters,” well guess what?
You will be a really be a slow writer and it will take you forever to write your newsletters.
Your subconscious mind is a powerful little biatch and let me tell you, you want her on
your side.
"B*tch you slow!"
Baby, let's flip that script!
"Mama, you so fast!"
Uhum...
So before you do anything else, flip your internal script.
#2.
Is begin with the end in mind.
You want to think about your end result.
What is the thing that you want your reader to walk away with?
What action, if any, do you want them to take?
Then you have to reverse-engineer your content to get them there.
For example, as I was creating the answer to this very question, I asked myself, “What
do I want you to walk away with after this video?”
And my answer?
A highly actionable list of things that will help you write faster and a video that you'd
want to share with your friends.
#3.
Keep a topic list.
Now tell the truth, you waste a ton of time trying to figure out what you should write
about in the first place.
Here's the fix: Keep a running topic list of all your ideas.
So, for example, if you get inspired by magazine articles or interviews or anything you watched
on TV, write it down.
Or something really good that really works for me is questions that people ask you all
the time, great fodder for content.
So you can use a notebook or you can use Google Docs or you can use Evernote which is amazing.
Or you can even use your iPhone and get little Miss Siri to help you out.
Siri, remind me to write an article about Evernote.
Siri: Marie, you should be focused on making videos, not creating content.
#4. Make it short and sweet.
Remember that high quality content does not mean long a** content.
Sometimes the best way to serve your audience is to make it short and sweet.
Remember, nobody's not gonna read your content because it is too short so try just sharing
one tip or one idea.
#5.
Plan it out.
Create an editorial calendar for your content.
So you want to spend about 1-2 hours planning out your content for the next three to six
months.
This takes the decision out of what you are going to write about each week and it just
plans everything out for you so when it's time to write, you just go to your plan, you
follow your plan and you're done.
And as you are writing your content, you don't have to wonder, “Should I include this whole
section here, or should I save it for another post?”
You can just go to your editorial calendar and you'll say, Oh!
This idea's gonna be great for July 5th.
#6.
And this is a biggy...
Don't write and edit at the same thing.
Get everything out and don't edit as you go because it only slows you down.
So, for example, if you are writing and you think of better way to say something, don't
delete what you just wrote.
Just stop, write the sentence the new way and keep going.
This frees you up from making it perfect the first time and allows you to just get everything
out.
Editing is usually much faster process when you have a lot of content on a page.
#7.
Remember Mr. P's Law.
That would be Mr. Parkinson and he says, “The amount of time one has to perform a task is
the amount of time it will take to complete the task.”
Another way to say it is work expands the time allotted so give yourself a time limit.
Now Mr. Tony Robbins kicked my ass on this topic and I wrote a whole article about it
and you can check it out in the link below.
#8.
Be the vessel and not the source.
One of the most powerful things to remember is that you're the vessel and not the source.
You know Marianne Williamson said once that she is the faucet and God's the water.
And Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray and Love, she has this great saying.
She thinks that each of us have our own genius that comes to visit us and inspires our creations.
Now I know this one may seem a little woo-woo, but it really works.
It takes the pressure off so you don't have to do everything by yourself.
You're responsible to show up, be the vessel for the great work to come through you.
So there you go Cecil, eight great strategies to help you write faster.
I hope it helps you and please come back and let us know how it goes.
Now if you've got strategies on how to write faster or you want to let me know what strategy
from this video resonated with you the most, I want to hear it and tell me about it in
the comments below.
Like this video?
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I'd love to have you on board!
Thank you so much for watching and I'll catch you next time.
Marie: Hey!
B-School is coming up.
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Marie: Papa Smurf moment!
Where did that come from?!
That was dumb.
Okay.