Motivation on the Run

I have started another of my new year resolutions for 2006. One of my goals is to write more original posts on the two main blogs, Motivation on the Run and Business Unusual for 2006.

First was setting the goal of writing more original material, then getting it defined and clarified. The stated goal is, “I am posting one major post per week on each blog and two or three minor posts, all of original material.” This does not include link posts or posts with comments about another post, which will continue at the current schedule.

Then applying SMART to the goal to get my arms around it.
Specific – Done by getting the goal defined
Measurable – stated in the goal. 1 major and 2-3 minor
Achievable – yes, by spending one hour per day writing (that should be about right)
Realistic – yes, I am capable of sitting at the computer from 6-7 PM Monday – Friday
Time Frame – Short range, 1 month, with the ultimate goal for the year.

First in getting this going, I have to take into consideration that Monday and Tuesday evening of every week is podcast work. I usually spend from 6-9 each of those two day prepping for the podcast and doing the recording, recoding to MP3 and uploading to the site.

So how will this work on Monday and Tuesday? My plan is to write enough on Wednesday – Friday to supply material for the podcast and aid in the preparation work. The 6-7 time frame on Monday and Tuesday will still be about writing original material, so the writing should eliminate the need for so much prep work. I should be able to cut the podcast work on Monday and Tuesday to the 8-9 PM time frame each evening. This could free up an hour on those two nights eventually, but to begin with, probably not.

My biggest time issue with the podcast is coming up with the idea each week of what I want to talk about by narrowing down the subject matter. Then once that is done, research is needed to gather information. Then test recordings that see how long the material is and whether I need to add or subtract material. If it’s too short, I have to develop more material, and if too long, cut some out (this helps the next week though). It is not an exact science, but the more I do it the better it gets.

If the time spent gathering and writing helps in the material development for the podcast, I won’t have to spend the extra hours there, and should be able to record in a few hours, at least that is the thought process.

Why just 1 major and 2-3 minor? From my previous experience, it takes me some time to write good posts with original content. First the outline, then cleaning it up, then fleshing it out, then the editing process, then publishing. Some posts I have written have taken 4 or 5 days to finish, but I am usually working on several at the same time as the thoughts come.

How will I decide what is major or minor posts? The will have to be a judgement call. I guess I could do it by word count, but it is too easy to add lots of words without adding to the thought. The same would apply to column inches or length of time to read. Some will just “feel” major and some will not.

I also hope that with the consistancy of writing every day for an hour, I will get better at writing the original script with better grammar and flow. This would reduce the edit time quite a bit and speed the whole process.

The scariest part of this goal is the public nature it takes on. Each week, you will be able to see if I’m hitting the mark or falling short. At the end of the week, you can gauge whether I am writing enough to get there. That is a lot of witnesses to check up on me every week.

As the blog and podcast continue to grow, it just seems to make sense to add more content to see if I can take it to the next level. I don’t think I have even started to tap the market for those seeking good material on motivation and leadership. Time will tell for this part.

I even have goals for the number of hits, page views and downloads, but I need material for a future major post.