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How to Write a Twelve Minute Blog Post
I am enamored with the idea of the 12 minute blog post for several reasons. One is that limiting the time I spend blogging frees me to do other things. If I think writing a blog post is going to take an hour, I might just skip posting.
Problem is, I want to post regularly. I’m committed to posting regularly.
So, by creating this new boundary, I keep two commitments at once: I keep my commitment to blogging and I keep my commitment to my family, to be more engaged and present with them — because in order to spend an hour writing a blog post, I would have to give up an hour with them.
Instead, I am setting my timer and writing for 12 minutes. And for those twelve minutes, they might not even notice that I’m gone.
Here are some ideas about how you can write a 12 minute blog post, also.
- Do your thinking before you sit down to write. Often, that’s what takes time, right? You sit at the computer, wondering what to write. You start typing, backspace to delete it all, and start again. If you prepare mentally before you begin writing, you’ll be able to sit down, start typing, and finish in twelve minutes.
- Brush up on your typing skills. Seriously. I can type fast. I don’t know how fast, but in order to write a blog post in twelve minutes, you might want to learn to type more quickly.
- Give up the need to write a masterpiece every time. It can’t always be poetry. My words won’t always have beauty. Neither will yours. But if you have something to say, just say it, as well as you can, in the time that you have. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to get done.
- Write shorter posts! My friend Dan Rockwell writes on his blog EVERY DAY. He promises to share insight in 300 words or less. This post just passed 300 words and I have four minutes left. So write shorter posts because even if you spend more time crafting them, it will still be more efficient than writing 1000 words. It will also be more readable, since people prefer to read shorter posts.
- Add photos and links, but only if you have time. Yes, it’s true that people like images with blog posts. And cool links are great also. But if you are short on time, you can post without them and the world won’t end. Trust me, it won’t. I’ve posted without images and links many times. You can always add them later, if you need to. Or not.
So, those are my best tips for writing blog posts quicker.
I brought these to you in 12 minutes, with no commercial interuptions. And now my twelve minutes is up. If it’s okay with you, though, I will spend a few minutes adding links.
Tell me something! What do you think of the idea of the 12 minute blog post? What ideas do you have about speeding up the process of blogging?
A challenge! Set a timer and write your own twelve minute blog post. Then come back and share it here. Tell me what you will do with the time you saved by spending only 12 minutes on your post.
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Great ideas! May I add two more?
Here goes: Save the editing until later. Get all your ideas out on paper, it doesn’t matter how jumbled up they appear, just spew “em out.
When u have done that, you can begin to edit, cut, paste and rearrange.
At the risk of stating the obvious, when searching for that illusive word that aptly describes what you want to say, don’t waste precious minutes scratching your head or googling …Use the Synonyms options!
It is just a right click away on your computer. The drop down menu will give you a variety of choice words that you can use for your 12 minute post.
Now to the challenge of writing that 12 minute blog post…..
Different strokes for different folks I guess Becks. I am blown away at how Dan can produce such good content consistently and daily in less than 300 words. 12 minute Blog for me is incomprehensible. It takes me about that long to read and edit the hieroglyphics on paper that I need to type to a sensible word document.
Becky – great post:)
Re your challenge – I just did and it’s on my blog:)
Re What to do with my saved time – work on another one:)
John
Additional thought:
Your experience demonstrates the value of structure and limits. As you noted, you hit your word count with plenty of time left.
While some may think that drawing lines “in the sand” hampers creativity, my experience has been just the opposite. When I do workshop exercises, I always provide a time limit and otherwise restrict the participants.
People are smart and creative – they will rise to the occasion:)
I may just take you up on the challenge, Becky. I’ll let you know.