It doesn’t matter if you’re the next F. Scott Fitzgerald or you got wrangled into blogging for your company and haven’t the slightest clue of how to get started. Writing is both a talent and a skill, so remember that you can hone the latter. However, every writer can ideally identify the time where their creativity is the juiciest, and this will allow for better, faster and more efficient blogging. It’s not something that should be “squeezed in” between more important things.
Your sleep hygiene can play a huge role in bettering your writing. If you struggle with something like sleep apnea, it’s important to address it with a sleep doctor. There’s more at risk here than just poor writing: Your life and health are on the line. However, for less serious matters, it’s crucial to look into sleep and timing for bettering your blog.
1. Let your morning bird or night owl tendencies guide you
Forget what so-called experts say: Just because morning birds might be more successful than night owls, that margin is subjective. If you’re a night own, embrace the time of day (or night) when you’re naturally most productive and creative. Just make sure that if you sleep during daylight hours you invest in blackout curtains and follow general sleep hygiene best practices, too.
2. Get exercise first
A lot of people go to the gym after work, but this can be counterintuitive. Exercise revives and rejuvenates you, even if it can seemingly make you feel exhausted (that’s muscle exhaustion, not mind and total body exhaustion). Try not to exercise at least two hours before going to bed, and utilize that post-workout energy to blog. You might be surprised by how much easier it is.
3. Wakeup writing
Keeping a sleep diary is enthralling for many, and requires keeping a notebook by your bed since your sleep thoughts quickly deteriorate into your subconscious. If you feel the urge to write first thing in the morning, listen to those instincts. It can be a great way to kickstart the day and already ticking one thing off your to-do list.
4. Put the blog to bed
There are few times when you really need to publish a blog immediately. Instead, but the blog and yourself to bed before final edits, drafting and posting. Your brain needs to recharge in order to catch typos or other mistakes.
Originally posted on October 14, 2014 @ 2:33 am