Productivity Archives - New Music Strategies

How can I keep coming up with ideas for my blog?

Blogging: such hard work

Blog inertia is a real problem for a lot of people. You start writing and updating on a regular basis, but even though you understand the importance and benefits of the practice for your music business, sooner or later you just kind of run out of stuff to talk about.

But it can actually be a breeze, rather than a dreaded chore – if you just take a few minutes to develop a bit of a strategy for those down times when the inspiration seems to be in short supply, it can be something you can do easily, quickly, and at times when you just don’t feel like it.

There’s a simple solution, and it’s one that I’ve recently implemented myself.

To what end?

Now that you have a catalogue of activities, here’s the important question: why?

When you do all of these things that you do, what is it you are trying to ultimately achieve? Why do you do what you do?

So you’re working on an album? You’re writing songs? You’re mailing out CDs? You’re planning a tour? To what end?

Most people don’t have any idea of what it is they’re working towards. They generally have a pretty clear idea that they need to get from the rung of the ladder that they’re currently on to the next rung up, but very few stop to think about how tall that ladder is, and which wall it’s leaned against.

Best. Software. Ever.

Need to Get Things Done? Go hang out on your Thinking Rock for a bit.

Strategies for promoting and selling online are not the only things that technology can help independent music businesses with. Efficiencies, workflow and time management are often just as critical.

I’ve been using David Allen’s Getting Things Done system for – well – getting things done. I fall off the wagon from time to time, but it’s amazing how well the system works when you actually use it.

But I’ve struggled to find the piece of software or online tool that does the trick for me. Sure, it’s designed as a paper-based system, but it really appeals to my inner geek — who, as it happens, shares a lot of interests with my outer geek. I may actually be geek all the way through.

Cue Thinking Rock – a fabulous bit of open-source software from Australia. Huge thanks to UK DJ & promoter Marc Reck of Mr Elephant Presents for recommending it to me.