Idea Generation

…your song was insincere, boy. Now get out and don’t come back til you’ve live a life worth singing about.
– Silicon Red, Futurama

I’m not going to write too much about this – most of what I have to say is in the quote. This is easier to say than it is to live, but: if you find yourself struggling to find something to write about, “coming up with ideas” is tackling the wrong problem. Think about the kind of posts you’d like to write…then change your actual life so that you’re writing that kind of post.

As an example: after this short intro series on blogging, I think I’ll take a week to work on motivation, discipline, and goal setting. I could sit down and try to think of 7 posts on motivation, then research and hammer each one out. Or I could look at my own life, find ways where I’m succeeding and failing at being motivated, and just write about those.

Which approach creates a better blog? Which approach creates a better life?