The pressure to produce.
I see my team struggling with this. I see my clients and friends and community struggling with it. And for sure I’m struggling with it, too.
The pressure to produce online content seems to have never been more than it is now- with an economy that’s happening so much online these days, it’s hard not to become aware that if you’re NOT making much content, you’re not engaging many shoppers or customers.
And truly, if you’re not telling the world about yourself and your products, how are they supposed to know you and buy you?
I don’t know that this pressure is helpful. Or healthy. But I also love writing and making, and part of my struggle as a boss is to validate that and allow myself to create.
I used to get all my inspiration from a handful of creative bloggers. I would spend at least 1-2 hours a day catching up with them, peering into their creative lives. Learning along the way. Thinking, “One day that’lI be me.” I thought it was so cool that they expressed themselves online and that people (including me) couldn’t wait to read what they wrote and see what they published. I still admire people just as much, I’ve just gotten into the content-creation game myself.
And I see more than ever it’s capacity to grow a business.
So why am I feeling so much pressure to produce? And why am I not excited that I have pressure to do something that I always wanted to do?
I’m ready to get to the bottom of it. If you feel similarly, read along and let’s see if any of this helps.
I like sharing what’s in my heart and on my mind. So why don’t I do it more often? Let’s go through my thoughts on the issue and see what we might find out.
I struggle with focus unless nothing else is on my plate for the day.
I find that writing has become something cathartic for me and sometimes I’m drawn to do it at times when I should be doing something else.
I always think it’s going to take more time than I have to get something from idea to published piece.
I sometimes convince myself that creating content isn’t as important as other things in business, namely managing finances and people.
I’m worried about online trolls.
Sometimes I’m worried that if I don’t have it fully figured out that I shouldn’t be writing about it.
Sometimes what I feel like writing isn’t really what is necessary for my business at that very moment.
But this is the thing- most of that is drama and reasons for not doing something that I really like. So I want to offer myself some solutions.
FOCUS | When I struggle with focus, I just need to breathe and tell myself that it’s ok to be working on what I’m working on right now. I struggle with focus because a lot of the thoughts I have about what could go wrong if I’m doing something I like instead of something I ‘should’ be doing. I feel this in my body as agitation and low-energy anxiety. It’s just my brain trying to keep me vigilant by over-thinking. But it’s not helpful when deep thought is required.
TIMING | What I do to deal with this is acknowledge the ideas by pausing for a moment to record something small about the idea so that I can come back to it later. Writing helps me process my life. It helps me express my heart to the world. It’s something I truly want to do. And at certain times, I’ll be super inspired and not want to lose that insight. So I allow myself to pause and capture it.
DO I HAVE TIME? | Sure, it can take time to get a piece from idea to published but getting over the starting hump makes it go so much faster. Even writing this, I thought that same thought and now I’m really enjoying myself. I just wish I would have started sooner.
IMPORTANCE | Creating content IS important (as evidenced by the beginning of this post) but yeah, managing all the expectations of a business is a little wild. Some days get away from me. Maybe I should make writing the MOST important part of my day, instead of jumping into meetings and other obligations.
FEEDBACK | Online trolls are a thing. And even just well-meaning people who like to criticize or be a part of a conversation without truly thinking what that comment could mean to the person are a thing. I know a lot of people who don’t want to write JUST because of public scrutiny. But it’s your right to have a voice. And it’s a right for others to have theirs, too. Just because someone says or thinks something about you doesn’t mean it’s true.
If you’re someone who struggles with producing content, sharing who you are with the world and developing products that are unique to you, I’m here to help.
My superpower has always been helping people figure out who they are and create authentic offerings for the world.
It takes creativity. But the kind of creativity that only happens when you love yourself and honor what’s really true for you.