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You’re at a party with friends, on a bike ride with the wind in your hair, or making dinner with multiple pots boiling and pans sizzling.

Then a blog post idea comes to you.

Like every good entrepreneur/writer/maker-of-things, you jot it down as soon as you can. In a notebook, perhaps, or in a file on your computer.

You can’t wait to turn it into a helpful and encouraging piece for your readers and future clients.

But a week or three later, when you finally get around to drafting the post, you stare at your list of ideas and wonder…

What the hell did I mean by this?

How ripe bananas make great business opportunities?

The thing about kid’s shoes? What THING?

10 stress-free networking ideas…I can’t even think of two! 

Uhhh…

Simple system for tracking blog post ideas

You try to start writing. But you’re lost in a hazy old memory of your idea. It is just as painful from starting from scratch.

It shouldn’t be.

A few months ago, I developed a really simple, right-brained method for tracking my blog post and guest articles ideas. It doesn’t make me claustrophobic like a really structured editorial calendar might; it’s simple, flexible, and it absolutely works.

Once you start doing this, I swear the writing part will become MUCH easier. And your blog posts will also become more focused, which will make them easier to read and share—a huge side benefit!

 

My effective and simple approach to tracking blog post ideas:

I explain exactly what I do and why it works so well in this five-minute audio note:

Here’s a sample from my own spreadsheet. So simple.

I obviously don’t fuss around with the outline column—the goal is to get 3-5 points down as quickly as possible, while the idea is fresh. The exact language isn’t important at this stage.

Sample idea tracker

If you’re like me, a rigid, planned-two-months-in-advance blog editorial calendar might not be your jam. I like to leave myself a little room for spontaneity.

When it’s time to write a new post, I look at my list and pick a subject that feels exciting to me at the time. Lots of ideas are right there waiting for me—the only question is, what do I feel like writing today? And are my readers due for a super practical post, like this one, or a something more inspiring?

This process has already saved me gobs of time. It’s made my writing faster, more focused, and more effective.

So go on, make your own right now—it should only take you 10 minutes to get started.

[Tweet “Don’t let another blog post idea vanish! This simple tracking system is all you need.”]

And by the way, if you’re interested in improving your writing skills and writing higher quality blog posts your ideal readers will love, go ahead and set up a time to chat with me. This is a new service I’m finally officially building out. I’m learning so much from my brilliant clients—come teach me cool things about what you do!