Blog Inspiration and Motivation:

Productivity for Bloggers & More!

Trying to craft a blog post can often create a demanding and difficult challenge that is hard to overcome. As a business and marketing degree holder, I guess you could say I have no business writer, or at least that is what one would say about someone with my background a few decades ago. Of course, anyone can write. Coming up with ideas on what to write can become a problem for most, especially when you are burnt out from the hot summer sun and running ragged on a few hours sleep. 

This week I am going to share a few great finds that I stumbled upon over the past week related to finding your blog inspiration, or discovering what to publish and when to post it. As you may or may not know, Five Finds Friday is a fairly new feature here on MamaNYC. Each week will focus on a new blogging/social media networking/marketing related issue in the news headlines, or general tips and advice that I think will benefit my readers. 

Instead of listing five articles and titles, I will give a bit of an insight, opinion, or back story to how this article has been beneficial. With a few paragraphs of commentary to each of my Finds, I hope this will be a little more than a basic weekly meme list for my readers! All articles listed on Five Finds Friday will be recently published (within the last 7-10 days max).

Writers Block has nothing on Bloggers Block!

NMX/BlogWorld - 12 Places to Find Inspiration for Your Next Blog Post

It’s always nice to know you aren’t alone on something, but it’s even nicer to know that your fellow bloggers feel your pain. This BlogWorld contributor writes of her troubles and that feeling you get when you are staring at your blog dashboard and a clean slate to write anything you want – anything. What will you write about? {tap, tap, tap the keyboard…} "I’ll come back to this blank slate later". 

The problem for me has been a wandering mine whenever I am missing my drive for blog inspiration and creativity. I’ll stare at my blank space, ready to compose a post that’ll be considered the next great thing, but my focus diminishes as I switch tabs to checkout Facebook or read my emails. I’ll come back, but it will be hours before that happens. 

Trying to find your blig inspiration doesn’t have to be a soul seeking, inner dimensional, or poetically balanced moment of feelings. You can get inspiration from the same places that you love to hangout, read, or surf throughout your ‘normal’ day! Pinterest, YouTube, Google, and even your own blog archive will serve as great tools for finding ideas on what your next blog post should focus on. 

Ready to take the leap? Think you have what it takes to write up a few inspirational posts today?

Find your next inspiration for blogging, or at least figure out where to find it over at BlogWorld!

Business2Community – Blogging: Easy Ways to Come up with Great Topic Ideas

I love when a blog article completes my thoughts; it’s like we are in the same room completing one another’s sentences when I read this article from Business2Community. Starting out by reassuring me that even the most prolific blogger will sometimes have days where their mind is a complete blank, I was sold and had to read the rest.

I am far from being the most prolific blogger, but I also know that anyone (yourself included!) can do this if determination, drive, and focus are put to work. That’s the beauty and magic of blogging. You don’t have to be a novelist or the next great poet. You can be a housewife looking to share her best parenting advice, or complain about your family (or, both!) all in the same day. 

In an attempt to find a fairly wide variety of inspirational ideas this week, I fell upon this post that goes beneath the surface of Google searches or browsing Pinterest. You don’t need to go on a hunt for your soul, or escape death to have a story to tell, but you do need to write about something that people want to read – obviously. 

This article over at B2C lists four simple ideas to help you find your next great idea without making yourself nuts! Their tips, which include reading old blog posts and reading widely, will surely help you get the creativity flowing in no time!

Find out how you can easily come up with your next great blog post ideas from B2C!

Social Barrel -  6 Great Ways To Always Have Traffic Coming To Your Blog

One of the reasons that you want to come up with a highly inspirational blog post idea is to encourage and improve your traffic. We have a lot of choices about which blogs we want to read and trying to find one (or a dozen) that we want to read on a daily basis is far from a challenge, which gives the blogger an even harder job.

With hundreds of thousands of other blogs to choose from, I need a few amazing reasons as to why I should be reading YOUR blog. What makes it stand out above the rest? Why are you special and what is it about your blog that will keep me intrigued and interested that I can’t get anywhere else?

Captivating your audience with amazing content is only half the battle, but keeping your readers is an even bigger challenge. Social Barrel recently discussed six useful ways to encourage readers to return and come back over and over again!

These tips provide a great insight on how to think outside of the box. If you are in this blogging ‘thing’ for the longrun, why not make sure your blog is setup for the future return as well?

Discover SIX ways to ensure steady and high incoming traffic to your blog!

 LuxeLounge – 8 Easy Ideas to be More Productive in Your Blogging Business

Finding bog inspiration and motivation for your blog goes beyond picking the actual topic, or subject that will be discussed. Sometimes you just get writers block and there is nothing you can do to stop it. There is also the other side of writers block, which seems to be much worse: productivity. Sometimes I will find myself ready to write, topic steadily settled at the top of my mind with the creative juices overflowing. Then it happens.

Suddenly I look up at the clock and realized hours have passed by without anything but a title being typed out for my post. I may have gotten a lot done (checked emails, talked with fellow bloggers, approved blog comments, selected and confirmed winners), but none of my posts are up. 

While my readers only see posts that are published, I can assure you that the "Publish" button is only a fraction of the trouble that goes behind the hard work a blogger has to do from A through Z. Research, marketing, social networking, engaging, developing, planning, agreeing, and more. Some posts may sit in my ‘Drafts’ folder for weeks, which is fairly common of the posts I put a great deal of time and length into. I am sure I could work much faster, but then again – productivity issue…

I have my good days, but then I have my very {very} unproductive days. Sometimes I need to snap myself back into a motivated mood before I get to work. I need to find my drive and stay on the path towards doing what I set out to do. I have a list of goals for the entire year, but lately I am finding that bloggers benefit a lot better with short-term goals that may expire within 5-7 days, or less. 

LuxeLounge has outlined eight simple ideas that bloggers can use to be much more productive throughout the day, which include such simple concepts as setting goals and breaking up the workday. After all, I began MamaNYC as a hobby and turned it into a career of sorts. Once of the most important qualities of my blogging has always been a daily reminder: stay grounded and remember this IS supposed to be hobby. Nothing is fun when you think of it a a job, right?

LuxeLounge’s list reminds us that we still have to live, stay healthy, and get out a little bit! Just as many other careers may feel for the employee or business owner — there is always something to do. Blogging can feel like an endless day without a finish line. Stepping away means you are giving your brain a timeout, which will in turn inspire and motivate. 

So, which one of LuxeLounge’s tips too you use tomorrow to become a productive blogger?

Norwich Bulletin -  Buttoned Up: Social media can help you achieve more goals

Now that we’re back to school, temperatures are lowering (Amen!), and Christmas is fairly close, I am starting to think about all of the goals I was able to accomplish over the year. Back in January, I created a list, which was fairly long. I actually divided the list into categories: personal vs. blogging. My goals for MamaNYC included backend administrative tasks all the way through launching my blogger support and media group, BloggerPR.

How successful has 2012 been in terms of your earlier plans and goals? Have you achieved all you planned to do, or do you have a few items that still need to be checked off? Don’t fret, just yet! The year may be coming to a close, but right now is the perfect chance for you to wrap up those resolutions. With 114 days left until New Years Eve, I am sure (or, I hope!) that I can complete the rest of my goals for 2012. 

The Norwich Bulletin is a local Connecticut blog, which recently posted a great list that involves social media when trying to achieve goals. Huh? Yep, I said it right, right? 

"At its heart, social media is all about community. And the right community of like-minded goal-seekers can provide you with three incredibly powerful benefits: visibility/accountability, inspiration and encouragement." – Norwich Bulletin

This article includes such ideas as developing a better focus for your community. As the Norwich Bulletin reminds us, size isn’t necessarily always best. Would you prefer a community of 1,000 distracted listeners, or a dozen that have all attention focused on YOU – and only you?

Norwich Bulletin recommends finding a group that is tightly defined by your niche. Developing strength in numbers always works best when started out small. Continue down the road to increase your numbers, but the gradual following will help to ensure all members of the community are listening! 

Do you have any outstanding goals for 2012?

Head on over to NorwichBulletin.com and learn about how you can use social media to achieve YOUR goals!

Look back and read more Five Finds Friday blog posts from MamaNYC!

• Buying Twitter Followers
• Klout Score & Profile Updates
• Twitter Ads & Facebook Commandments – Social Media News