The process of being innovative (and why one good idea is not enough)

One of the first things I learnt when I started blogging, was that it can be a challenge to meet (albeit self-imposed) publishing deadlines, while also ensuring that each blog post provides an innovative and interesting story. There is no doubt, that to be consistently innovative, at regular intervals, is a challenge that requires practice.

Furthermore, blog readers find it convenient when web authors post at regular intervals. It allows reading to be scheduled into ones day in small amounts. By publishing at the exact same time each day (or week, if it’s a weekly blogger), your readers are never waiting (unexpectedly) for your next post.

Recently, I have enjoyed reading blogs (many of which are created by individual publishers) while I commute to my office each morning. Because this is the most frequent time period I get to read blogs, I tend to prefer authors that publish a new post, daily and before 7:00 AM.

To be certain, there are many bloggers who prefer (or due to time constraints are forced) to publish a weekly post (which can be equally effective if the content is always top quality, and the author posts at a consistent time each week.

Create a process that allows constant innovation in your life!

As I stated earlier, one of the more common challenges for a professional blogger, is consistently writing quality posts. It is therefore important that publishers learn a process that helps them be innovative when coming up ideas. Coming up with one great idea is never enough. Rather, it is vital to understand the process that created that idea. Next time you come up with a great idea, think to yourself - “how did I come up with that good idea”. The process and/or environment, if you can discover what it is for you, will provide the key to coming up with innovative ideas every time you publish a new article.

What is my process you ask?

I have many exercises that I use to help spur on my creative juices. For example, visualization is a key element of my process - “what will a perfect blog post look and feel like”. Also, when I use visualization, I also tend to shift my perspective. I analyze the idea from many different perspectives.

1. Shifting perspective

To help you discover those ideas that in the past you might have felt only someone else could dream up, perhaps shift your perspective. When viewing a blog topic niche, pretend to be another “actor” in that niche.

For example, if I was trying to come up with an idea for a guest post to a recipe blog, then I would shift perspective to a few different people

- A reader of recipe blogs
- A writer of recipes
- A collector of recipes
- A professional cook
- A food producer (who needs advertising their product!)

Then, as  you put yourself in the shoes of these other “audiences”, you are more likely to come up with a fresh, interesting story, that likely relates closely to the life and thoughts of your reader.

Most importantly, having recognized who your readers are and imagining what they are thinking – you will be closer to finding a way to provide them valuable information each and every post.

I would be interested to hear from my readers. What process do you use each day or week to come up with blog-post ideas?