Simple Ways to Maintain Focus When Writing a Blog Post

Writing a blog post can be a daunting task, especially when there is a struggle to maintain focus. Staying on track periodically requires use of a few strategies that reinforce the ability to produce consistent, high-quality content. Whether a seasoned blogger or just starting out, everyone can improve their writing process.

Even if ideas and inspiration to write a blog post are readily available; fluctuations in concentration and moments of recurring difficulty when trying to prepare or sustain progress can still happen. Experiencing difficulty focusing is completely normal; attentiveness can wane for any number of reasons, like stress, fatigue or general life stuff.

If trying to stay engaged with content creation is essential, figuring out a few strategies to assist with this can make all the difference. Taking breaks, developing a structured routine and finding a peaceful workspace, for example can all help keep everything on track.

No matter what kind of writing is being undertaken, it involves a creative process that taps into experiences, originality and imagination. Conveying a message or offering up expertise or passions can sometimes be a frustrating clash between free-flowing inspiration and structured development. Being methodical sometimes stifles expressiveness and vice versa — to write in a timely, compelling and clear way requires an understanding of how to stay on task. Finding a way into a good routine also involves accepting and preparing for when it may flounder or necessitate rethinking.

Fortunately, addressing any issues that arise and figuring out how to stay focused while writing does not involve anything too complicated or time consuming. It’s perfectly reasonable to find the blogging process laborious and/or tedious at times. However, one thing to consider before deciding to push through is whether or not the problem is actually caused by an uninteresting topic. It happens; writing a blog post starts off fairly well and then halfway through there is a realization that enthusiasm has run out (or was absent in the first place). If this is the case, it’s best not to waste time or effort trying to keep going; moving on to write about something else is advisable. If it’s purely about getting better organized and into an effective routine, there are a number of things that can be done.

Learn how to stay focused and productive while writing a blog post with these helpful tips. Stay on track and produce high-quality content in no time!

How to Stay On Track When Writing a Blog Post

Developing writing habits that improve our skills over time are the best way to ensure a consistent approach when producing blog posts. If things go awry or procrastination sets in, it’s worth having a few strategies to fall back on that manage this effectively. Not all of the ideas included below will work for everyone (it’s not a prescriptive list to follow), but you might just find a couple of things that help:

Outline and Planning

Outlining the structure of a blog post and the details you want to cover is an effective way to ensure thoughts and ideas are not only well organized but flow smoothly and make it easier for readers to follow along and understand your message. Additionally, planning writing in this way can help identify any gaps in your content and check all necessary points have been included.

Exactly how you go about writing an outline for a blog post can come down to personal choice, but successful examples typically involve:

• Coming up with the best blog post title that scores well in readability, sentiment and SEO; to check for this, you can use free online tools like Headline Analyzer (also great for headings).
• Creating a brief bulleted list of the main points and distinct focus of your piece; this does not have to be in any particular order as it’s a conceptualization of the finished article.
• Sorting items from the bulleted list into more detailed sections that show the flow and logical order of what you are hoping to write; this can include lead information, headings, subheadings and keyword phrases.

Freewriting

Freewriting allows your thoughts to flow unrestricted and without concern for spelling, grammar, editing or concept correction. The basis of this technique is about writing continuously for a set amount of time (maybe 10 minutes) with the purpose of noting down anything that comes to mind. Freewriting can clear a block and support getting something more structured in place.

Researching

Often a point in the blog writing process that ignites enthusiasm and provides possible leads; doing subject specific research helps to formulate ideas and provide relevant, valuable information for your work. If the aim is to produce engaging, accurate information that establishes your site/voice as credible and authoritative then you cannot skimp on conducting your research.

Make use of reliable sources such as academic journals, industry reports, survey data, dependable websites and trustworthy news organizations. Remember to always fact-check where you are obtaining your information from and be on the lookout for confirmation bias; also, where required, provide proper citations.

Setting Deadlines and Goals

For some bloggers setting deadlines and goals can encourage them to stay focused, organized and motivated. They can convey a clear sense of direction and expectations for completing work and help prioritize writing tasks — effectively allocating time and energy. However, this strategy does not accommodate everyone as it can add unwanted pressure; if this is the case then this idea can be ignored.  

Time Management

This is never as straightforward as settling on a technique or approach and everything falls into place; what works best is having a range of options that you can make use of if/when you need to be flexible/realistic about what you can achieve. Here are five different time management strategies to have in your blog writing toolkit:

• Pomodoro Technique: This involves breaking your work into 25-minute intervals, followed by a 5-minute break. After four intervals, take a longer break; you can use this timer to help.
• Eisenhower Matrix: This involves categorizing tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance, and prioritizing accordingly.
• Time-blocking: This involves scheduling specific blocks of time for certain tasks, and avoiding distractions during those blocks.
• Getting Things Done (GTD): This involves breaking down tasks into smaller, actionable steps, and organizing them into a system that works for you.
• Eat the Frog: This involves tackling the most difficult or unpleasant task first so that it doesn’t loom over you as you try to write.

Eliminating Distractions

It’s fairly obvious that making sure you do not get distracted while working on your blog post will help increase productivity, improve focus and reduce errors. It can also enhance your ability to retain information and complete tasks efficiently. To ensure you maintain a distraction-free workspace:

• Find a quiet area/room/office and remove any unnecessary items that may distract you. 
• Use noise-cancelling headphones or listen to instrumental music to block out noise.
• Turn off notifications on your phone or computer to minimize interruptions.
• Have a no interference rule for a specific amount of time so that people in your home/office/workspace do not come and talk to you (easier said than done sometimes, I know).

Finding the Joy

Not every aspect of content creation is going to be enjoyable; there will even be things you hate about blogging — and that is okay. How you maintain that spark is very much down to personal preference but making your blog writing process easier is always a worthwhile idea.

As mentioned previously, if a particular blog post topic feels uninspired or grueling, you can (should) go in a different direction or set it aside for something else. Taking regular breaks as you work to prevent burnout and stay refreshed is essential; as well as stepping away altogether from blogging for a while to regroup, if needed.

Equally beneficial to blog writing is to make use of various sites/programs that facilitate post creation, such as:

• Grammarly or QuillBot to check and correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Evernote that helps with note-taking, voice memos and organizing screenshots/images, audio and text.
• Canva for creating images, videos, social media posts, logos and other blog-related graphic design.

Note: All of the above mentioned sites have both free and paid versions.

In Summary

Hopefully, this has provided some ideas about how to maintain focus while writing a blog post. Figuring out what will work for you is all part of the process — be kind to yourself when you encounter some complications or problems.  

What do you do to help focus on your writing? How do you make sure you take care of yourself while blogging?

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Further Info:

The Writer’s Guide to Self-Care and Preservation – NY Book Editors

Blog Post Ideas: Maximize Your Reach with the Right Topics – MOZ