How To Stop Procrastinating And Start Creating Great Content (Using Behavioural Science And Micro-Habits)

You want to create content. You want to write articles. You want to create podcasts. You want to shoot videos. You want to get it all up online, and reap the rewards of content marketing that you’ve heard so much about. And yet, you just… can’t.

Why is that? Well, if you happen to be a human being – as so many of our readers are – then it’s probably down to the fact that you haven’t yet formed the right habit. And guess what? That’s actually quite an easy thing to fix!

We say ‘quite’ easy, because we still needed to write a whole 3,000-word guide to accurately describe, diagnose and provide a thorough solution.

But trust us. The pay-off will make it well worth your time.

In this guide, we’re going to look into behavioural science to uncover the reasons why we do the things we do, when we do them – then break it all down into bite-sized stages, each of which comes with a remedial action.

First, though, let’s take a look at the underlying process we’re addressing.

The habit loop

The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg was the Freakonomics of behavioural science; a book that catapulted the discipline into the popular psyche by making millions of people look at themselves and say: “So that’s why I do the things I do!”

And while Duhigg himself is not a scientist, but a former journalist, his research allowed him to define a framework that’s subsequently been adopted and validated by many academics in the field.

It’s called the habit loop, and it consists of three elements:

The trigger is what sets off the existing behaviour that we’d like to alter; the behaviour is the result of that trigger; while the reward refers to the neurological after-effects of the decision we make.

To change any habit, we need to work through these step-by-step – starting by identifying the triggers that are fuelling our existing negative behaviours, then looking at the small actionable changes we can make to counter these, before finally creating a rewards system to fuel and strengthen this virtuous cycle.

The equal and opposite reaction

To do something, you need to stop not doing it.

This is the theory advanced by psychologist Dr Jeremy Dean – author of the hugely popular PsyBlog – who claims that in order to ditch a negative habit, we need to form a positive new one. And this statement, like so many others in the scientific world, has a logical flipside: to add a positive new habit to our routines, we need to clear out a negative one.

For example, to go to the gym twice a week, we need to stop not going to the gym twice a week; we need to break the habit of staying in bed, not leaving our desk at lunchtime like we’d planned, or ‘forgetting’ our shorts.

What does that mean for you? Well, it’s agonisingly simple really: to create content, you need to stop not creating content.

And what’s stopping you, exactly? Well, I’m glad you asked…

Your ‘procrastination’ trigger

What made you click on this article today?

What is it that stops you from creating content when you sit down with the intention of doing just that? What weakens your resolve to the point where you abandon your plans, and choose another course? What’s the trigger that causes you to do this?

I’ve outlined some common ones below, but first, let’s take a look at thefive main categories into which triggers can be sorted:

Remember that, more often than not, a trigger will be a combination of a number of the above categories. For instance, you may get particularly snappy when you’re in the car [location] with your partner [other people], and you’re running late [time].

60-second action
Think of two things you did before you left the house this morning, then identify and categorise the triggers

How are these triggers manifesting themselves?

Let’s get a bit more specific, and focus on the actual reasons you’re stopping your content creation before you’ve even gotten started.

This is best done by stating the problem and saying when, specifically, it happens – like the below examples, all of which I’ve encountered (and sometimes even experienced) on multiple occasions.

“I put content creation off when…

I’m aware I’ve just listed problems without solutions here – you’re going to come up with these yourself, using the approaches detailed further on.

For now, though, if you can express the triggers, you’ll be in a much better place to address them. (In fact, as with so many things in life, many solutions will become astonishingly obvious the moment you define the problem.)

60-second action
Ask yourself what’s stopping you from creating content. Take a minute to write down as many as you can, capturing as much detail as seems appropriate.

The power of micro-habits

BJ Fogg is Director of Stanford’s Persuasive Technology Lab, which is every bit as impressive as it sounds – and he’s at the forefront of research and innovations in the field of behavioural science. 

But he’s perhaps best known for developing the concept of the micro-habit; a simple and palatable action that takes less than 60 seconds to fulfil, and can be taken at the moment a trigger is recognised. Because it’s hard to talk yourself out of anything that takes such a small amount of time, the idea is that these micro-habits can help you stay more closely aligned with your long-term objectives, rather than being swayed by your short-term desires.

This will be a familiar concept to anyone who goes to the gym before work; we all know that once we’re out of bed and into our training kit, the rest is quite painless (and indeed enjoyable).

But if we look at things any more broadly – contrasting the exertion of a training session with the toasty warmth of the bed or an extra hours’ sleep – it will be far easier to justify the short-term decision. The solution, always, is to get up and go.

60-second action
Think of the last decision you wish you made differently. What micro-habit would have helped you to choose a different path?

Altering your behaviour in 60 seconds

With the ‘procrastination triggers’ now identified, you need to focus on what you can do in the moments immediately following the urge to quit; winning the battle of wills while it’s still a relatively fair fight.

The key to doing this is, of course, micro-habits.

Of course, not everything can be tackled in 60-second actions; they just give you a more palatable option for the moments when you need to choose between quitting or proceeding. So ask yourself: based on my obstacle, what can I do in 60 seconds to initiate a fix?

For example:

60-second action
Take each of the obstacles you identified, and assign the micro-habit you’ll use next time you encounter it.

Keep that list visible on your desk!

Build a routine that works

Don’t worry – I’m not going to use this section to tell you to ‘mark off an hour every Monday for writing new content’ or anything of the sort. Not only is that completely trite, but it’s naive and unrealistic as well. Routines don’t work like that.

Give them a solid foundation, a structure and a heap of fallbacks, though, and you might just be on to something.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can do that – none of which will be doable in 60 seconds, but most of which will feel a little closer to your comfort zone than writing:

These are all foundational aspects of any content marketing undertaking, so it may seem a bit counter-intuitive to have them listed below the 60-second quick fixes. But let’s be honest: if you were unable to commit to writing even an opening sentence, the likelihood that you’d commit the time to any of these more chunky tasks is unlikely.

The quick actions are what will give you the motivation and momentum to undertake the more substantive work – and the reason for this, we’ll address next.

60-second action
Write down the next four headlines you’re going to work on, and the name of the trusted person who’s going to read them before they go live.

Feel the reward rush

When I worked in online publishing, we had a screen on the wall of our office where our real-time Google Analytics number was shown 24 hours a day. When we published a new story, we’d watch the volume of on-site users creep upwards – and when we published a hit, we’d be glued to the screen as it shot into four-figure digits, and beyond.

Not only did this satisfy our creative desire to know that our articles were being read, but it also helped us to create a direct, cause-and-effect link between our behaviour and our site’s performance. This made us feel absolutely great about ourselves, and this feeling in turn drove us to repeat our successes, day after day.

This is all down to dopamine – a neurotransmitter that’s released by our bodies when we feel rewarded by an external stimulus (from a delicious cocktail to an Instagram like, and from a compliment to a Hollywood happy ending). We’re completely hooked on it, and that’s why we keep going back to seek out experiences we know to provide us with pleasure.

To harness this powerful function, it’s crucial that we understand the link between the cause and the outcome; that is, we make ourselves aware of the good feelings associated with having our content consumed and complimented.

This can be measured in a few different ways, including metrics such as:

As well as softer measurables, such as:

In strict content marketing terms, you’ll be focusing on one of these measurables above the others, depending on the objectives of your campaign. But on top of being a marketer, you’re also a human being – and exposing yourself to a range of measures that show you the impact you’re having will help you replicate that success over and over.

60-second action
Take a very small spend – say €5-€10 – and use the Boost Post function to promote your next content piece on Facebook.

This way you’re not only getting your content straight out to a targeted audience (and getting real-world feedback that will allow you to optimise your work) but you’re creating a direct mental connection between your work and your readers.

Note: we wouldn’t normally recommend use of the Boost Post function for larger campaigns; however, at the low end of the budget scale, the differences will be negligible – and most importantly, it can be done quickly.

Create the space to succeed

Despite breaking it all down into 60-second actions, there’s a lot of information contained on this page – so don’t feel overwhelmed, and absolutely don’t try to tick every item off in a single attempt.

It’s important that you give yourself the time and space to succeed, both on a macro level (implementing a better overall way of working) and a micro level (working on each individual piece of content).

Here’s what I mean by that:

Macro level

It sounds obvious, but don’t attempt to implement every single measure listed here in one go. Not only will it divide and detract from the quality of your efforts, but it will also make you feel like you’ve failed when you don’t achieve immediate success.

Following a set approach will cut out a lot of messing, and will help you get to where you need to be a whole lot quicker. But it’s a process; all you can do today is begin it.

Keep revisiting the process, keep adding new actions, and try to understand the science of habit-forming as best you can so that you can make the changes that will work best for you.

Micro level

Try to focus on just writing when you’re writing. If possible, do your research in advance, then write in a distraction-free environment (such as Hubspot’s Zen editor or an app like Place To Write).

Use a pen and paper to note the questions that arise as you go through the piece. Not only will this keep you focused on writing, but it will teach you a lot about what you know and what you don’t – not to mention the questions your reader may have while reading.

If you use a Mac, switch to full screen mode and unplug any second screen that you use; and if you’re really determined, close all other open apps and put your computer in Do Not Disturb mode.

60-second action
Set a reminder in your calendar to revisit this article in four weeks’ time. Scan through the headings to note what’s improved and what still needs work.

Will each of these steps be feasible every time you sit down to write? No, of course not! But even making a start will serve as a powerful message to yourself that you mean business here.

And I promise you. It really does get easier every single time. 

Some resources to check out

Books
Blogs/websites

And don’t forget…
We firmly believe that everyone can create great content, of one form or another. But realistically, not everyone will have the time to exploit it to its full potential – and that’s where you need to call in the experts.

If you need to dial up your content process – from strategy to sales and everything in between – then let’s talk. Scroll down to book a meeting today!

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