OVERWHELMED? HOW TO ACE COPYWRITING ANYWAY
Overwhelmed? Attention-span fried?
How on earth are you supposed to muster any kind of enthusiasm for copywriting when it feels impossible to focus?
Here are my tips for how to write great emails, sales or social media content when you're not in the zone, your brain refuses to cooperate and the world is burning down around you.
Before I give these to you there’s something I want you to know…
Tips are kinda dangerous.
They're seductively simple and can lead you to believe that if you just employ the right ones in the right order you might somehow ‘fix’ the underlying problems that are causing it hard to do the thing in the first place.
But tips don't work like that. Tips are bandaids. Or maybe it's more accurate to say, tips are spot stain removal. Good for if you've sploshed a little red wine on the carpet with your exuberant dance moves. Not so good if you've smashed a whole bottle.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably in “whole bottle of wine” territory. And I don't want to give you the impression that the tips I've provided are going to magically solve things. They won't.
So why give them at all? Well, because even though they won't change the world they can still help!
And what I hope they'll do is provide a different perspective to the challenges you're facing and a way to navigate the tricky stuff with a little more ease.
If these tips give you even a day where things feel easier? That's great!
And if you go back to feeling like it's impossible to focus again? That's ok, too. You have full permission to be your messy, unfocussed, gloriously human self.
Onto the overwhelmed-copywriter tips!
1. Make copywriting vibey and fun
Set the vibe by lighting a gorgeous candle or incense (I recommend Kin North incense, divine!) and putting on your favourite tunes.
Make yourself a cuppa and a plate of yummy snacky-snacks (dark chocolate, almonds, fresh fruit) and off you go.
2. Make copywriting easy
Jump on tomato-timer.com and use the Pomodoro method to work in 25-minute blocks with a 5-minute break between each until you've done x 4. Then? Take a longer break.
Don't think about the task as one big chunk you have to do from start to finish. Commit to just opening up your document and jotting down some rubbish-y notes. Even if you only have five minutes. You're more likely to come back to the job than you would if you waited for a big window of time, energy and focus to get the whole thing done.
3. Reduce distractions
All the usuals apply here, turn off your phone, blah blah blah.
Something that works for me is having a notepad next to me where I can write down worries, to-dos and other distracting or intrusive thoughts as they pop up. I call it my “distraction station”. It’s a place where I can get ideas out of my head and stay on task.
I also make dedicated time to read the news ONCE a day. A hard limit is the only thing that works.
4. Prioritise
If it feels hard and you don't have to do it, don't.
Give yourself permission for things to look a little different right now (and potentially a good deal longer). You're doing an awesome job in incredibly tough times. I see you!
Remember— taking a break or dialling back content creation is also a totally valid choice. Prioritise what matters, everyone will be there when you get back.
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