Are You Blogging In the Zone?

You’re in the zone. You’re focused. You’re ready. You pick up that pencil, put it to paper and start slamming out answers right and left. You’d never dream of rolling into an exam distracted, tired, frustrated or preoccupied if you had the choice. There’s no way you’d do your best. The question is, are you blogging in the zone?

Where’s “The Zone”?

All of us have times of day where we’re relaxed, we’re focused and we’re able to give 110% to everything we do. And then there are times when we’re tired, we’re antsy, and we’re too busy counting down the minutes until breakfast/lunch/break/supper/bedtime/the season premiere of “House” to really focus on what we’re doing.

Blogging might be a far cry from writing a technical analysis of how a jumbo jet engine works or a complete synopsis of the life and meaning of Jane Eyre, but it still requires some thought, some creativity and some basic writing skills.

All of which you have an abundance of when you’re in the zone.

The trick is recognizing when you’re most likely to be in the zone and knowing when you’re not. For example, I know I do my best blogging at or around 10pm and 3am. Why? My daily to-do list is done, so I can sit back, relax and concentrate on what I’m doing instead of the five hundred other things I’m supposed to be doing at the moment.

The house is quiet, the phone isn’t ringing. Blame it on the power of the moon, but at night my mind just starts zipping.
Corporate blogging in the zone, even if that zone happens to be well after business hours, is a vast improvement on the half-hearted performance you’re going to put in the rest of the time.

That’s not to say that you won’t turn out perfectly respectable blog posts, complete with useful information, a healthy sprinkling of keywords and lots of helpful links, but let’s face it. Your blog deserves better than good enough.

Get in the Zone

The question is, how do you get in the zone? First and foremost, make sure your schedule is clear. Give yourself plenty of time to think about what you want to write and, just as importantly, how you want to write it.

How you say something is just as critical as what you say, as the number of misunderstandings that have sprung up from mis-communications over the years can attest to. You need to be able to say what you want to say exactly the way you want to say it, and you’re not going to be able to do that if your mind is in eight places at once.

Once the distractions are gone, start to write. Remember, you’re in the zone. You’re cool. You’re confident. You’ve got a good handle on your material and how you want to present it, so all that’s left is putting it down on paper.

Go with your instincts. When you’re in the zone your creative juices are flowing. Make the most of it!

When you’re blogging in the zone you’re not just going to create a blog post. You’re going to create a masterpiece.