This week, I started a challenge to blog every day for 50 days. So this morning I sat down at the computer, opened up a document, and started thinking.

What do I blog about?

…

……

A few ideas came to mind, but nothing that compelled me to make a quality post.

I asked myself:

What do I write that people want to read? What will people find valuable?

I kept thinking and thinking and nothing compelling struck me. It’s not that I don’t have anything valuable to say – I know my experiences can help people out. They already have, and I’ve barely scratched the surface.

But pulling it out of the depths of my mind on command while I’m sitting at my computer is a different story. It doesn’t just happen.

Plus, I was looking at it the wrong way. Instead of asking what people might find valuable, I should be asking what is valuable to me that I can write about? Chances are, a post about something that is valuable to me will resonate with people who have similar values.

Alas, I was still uncompelled.

Then, I realized something: All I’ve done today is sit down at my computer and think about what might be valuable to write about. That’s pretty boring. Upon reflection, some of my best ideas have come to me while I’m occupied with something else.

So I closed my computer and went about my day without thinking about writing.

I did my laundry, I restocked my groceries, I worked on some of my Praxis deliverables, I created a video (Simon Thoughts Episode 2), I had some engaging conversations conversations with some friends at the Impact Hub, and I went on a run.

During my run, the idea for this post came to me, and it was compelling.

Often, it can be a good strategy to force yourself to put content down on the page as a start. But if there’s a strong block, usually there is a reason for it. In this case, it helps to stop overthinking it.

All good content starts with doing something. Something other than thinking about what to write.

What makes the content valuable is the experience behind it. Value seldom comes from sitting and thinking.

Take action first, document afterwards. Documentation is a communication of value. Without the experience, there is nothing to document.

Meaningful content does not come out of thin air. Meaningful content comes from meaningful experiences.

So if you want to write, start by not trying so hard. Do your thing. Be you. Engage with other people. Engage with ideas.

Document it later.