Lack of time – a legitimate reason to push back writing your next post or an excuse for lazy prioritisation? Meet the “Brick and Mortar” strategy for content creation and slot in more time for quality writing.
“I just don’t have enough time!”
This is the N°1 reason my clients cite when asked why they aren’t turning their crisp and creative writing strategies into real-life posts that would help them raise their profile and land the opportunities they deserve.
And, partially, I get it: for people who aren’t as bad writing geeks as I am, finding the time to turn words into worlds is often a hard battle between many other worthy priorities.
For the other part, then… “Not having enough time” can also be a convenient excuse that allows brilliant experts to hide a bit longer in their comfort zone of executing projects instead of sharing their genius with a wider audience.
The practical person that I am, I’ve developed a framework that helps determined creators find a bit more time for writing – and getting more done in that time.
Write faster with the “Brick and Mortar” approach
My approach is called the “Brick and Mortar” framework for content creation. It’s built on the idea of separating your content into two buckets: The Bricks and the Mortar (you would never have guessed by the name, would you?)
Bricks = Cornerstones of your writing strategy. Pieces that reflect your thinking and expertise and nudge people forward on the content journey you’ve created, whether that means working with you or presenting you with promising career opportunities. In a smart writing strategy, you’ll refine these pieces to as close to perfection as possible.
Mortar = Equally important but lighter pieces of content that fit in between the Bricks. A solid wall can’t be all bricks, can’t it? Your followers enjoy lighter and more spontaneous content that binds the bricks together and gives them a breather in between substantial articles and posts. These pieces can be created faster and with less dedication without compromising the quality and results.
Splitting pieces of content into two separate buckets saves time. Instead of putting in hours and hours to polish every single piece of content, it encourages you to focus on the core pieces and take the rest more lightly.
The Boring Truth: Prioritise Uninterrupted Work
As time-saving and clarifying an exercise as the “Brick and Mortar” split may be, it doesn’t help you get around one inescapable fact…
Some time on content creation is still needed.
The best way to tackle your Bricks is to schedule long working sessions that make deep work possible. Yes, clearing a 2-4-hour window, or even a whole day for writing, can sound optimistic, if you’re knee-deep in client work, but hear me out:
- Quality writing equals quality thinking, and deep thoughts can’t be forced. Stellar content that stands out isn’t created on a whim (at least, not consistently enough to build a career or business) but it needs time to be researched, structured and written carefully.
- Going deep less often saves time. There’s always an overhead cost paid in time and focus when tackling a new task: getting into the productive zone takes a while. Minimise the overhead and work in a focused way longer – and get more done than you would in several consecutive shorter sessions.
In other words: investing in a few long working sessions per month pays itself back both in quality and quantity.
And Then: Slot in the Shorter Tasks
Working in a focused way 1-4 times a month ensures a healthy stock of content cornerpieces to build a writing strategy on. Thanks to that, it’s easier to create shorter, lighter pieces of content in short pockets of time spread over the weeks and months.
A fifteen-minute break between calls? Write a LinkedIn poll. Half an hour before it’s time to run to the gym? Churn out those Canva animations you had planned for next week.
Batch Plan and Evaluate
By now, you might be asking yourself: “But how do I know which pieces to work on when I have an extra twenty minutes in front of me?”
Following the “Brick and Mortar” framework requires careful planning, and in order to save time, the planning should be done in batches, too.
Schedule two or three planning sessions per year to create a careful content plan, with both Bricks and Mortars in their place. This saves a lot of time and second-guessing when your next working session – or free fifteen-minute slot – comes around.
The Only Thing Left to Do…
Is to start experimenting with the system to find the combination that works best for you!
- Start with a planning session. Without a plan, a working session won’t get accomplished.
- Leave space for spontaneity. Leave empty slots in your plan for the days when the inspiration strikes and you want to share your thoughts right away. Planning up to 80 % of your content is more than enough.
- Try different ways to schedule your deep working sessions. Two hours every week, half a day every other week or one day per month? There’s only one way to find out: try and see for yourself!
To get going: Download your new favourite content planner to host your great ideas!
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