5 Ways To Make Better Content: A Self-Improvement Challenge

There is no other way — you need to become a productivity god.

Sometimes I question myself: is there anyone who doesn’t want to be the best?

There must be.

But I am not one of those people. And you are not either if you are still reading.

So let’s suppose that everybody wants to be the best. Or at least, the remaining of us do. And content creation is the field in which you want to excel.

How can you do that?

If you want to be the best content creator on the planet or at least one of the bests, you need to make better content. And to do that, you need to be more productive to enhance the possibilities you get discovered and do something that goes viral.

So I thought of a challenge you can use to improve your productivity. But first, here are 5 ways you can use it to make better content.

5 Ways to Make Better Content

1 — Improve your sleeping routine.

Sometimes, I stop taking care of my sleeping routine, and everything in my life gets worse. I stop being productive, procrastinate more, and the little content I produce doesn’t satisfy me. And not only that, but my body feels less energized too. I feel tired and unmotivated all day, and I even put on weight.

But when I take care of my sleeping routine, everything changes. I am more energized and productive, and my motivation also increases. So one of the 5 ways to make better content is to improve your sleeping routine. And you can do that working on two ends.

Quality sleep

First, you need to fall asleep faster and improve your sleep quality. So stop using digital devices at least one hour before going to bed.

If you use your smartphone or computer before going to bed, the light tricks your brain into thinking it is still day and you need to stay awake.

I replaced scrolling Instagram with reading books. I have my e-book reader on the side of my bed, and one hour before going to sleep, I read. Thus, the transition into sleeping is way easier, my eyes fatigue faster, and my sleep quality improves because I stay away from direct light.

Waking up

Second, you need to wake up efficiently. If you sleep too much, falling asleep will be challenging, and your routine will break. So you need to find a system to wake up at the same hour each day.

I used to put my smartphone away from the bed, so I had to get up to deactivate the alarm. Recently, however, I bought an analog clock, and I have to say it is more efficient because I can leave my phone in another room, and I don’t risk falling asleep.

2 — Build a calendar.

One of the best ways to increase your productivity and make better content is to use a calendar.

When using a calendar, you have to take care of scheduling once, and then it shows you when you need to do things. And this is a powerful push if you struggle with procrastination.

So think of your calendar as your boss — somebody who tells you when to do things and when you can relax. And if you don’t respect the contract, you get fired.

A word on Time Blocking

You can use whatever productivity system you want to organize your calendar. What works for me doesn’t have to work for you. But if you don’t have any, you may want to start with time blocking.

Time blocking is an organizational pattern that allows you to give a time slot to each task and then schedule it on your calendar. And you can use it to organize whatever you like, even breaks.

But the best thing about time blocking is that it prevents you from overbooking.

I have a problem taking on too many commitments. So at least my calendar can save me from that. And if I already booked a writing session in the morning from 7 to 9 a.m., I can’t put anything else there.

Also, time blocking helps me schedule meetings. So every time I set one, it will end up in my calendar. And other people can see if I am busy or not if I allow them.

3 — Pick a focusing system.

A focusing system is a tool that helps you understand your priorities right from the morning. And you can use whatever technique fits you better, from a journal to random post-its. But you have to know which is the least amount of things you should do every day.

Of course, on your schedule, there will be more tasks. But you only need to do the minimum to feel accomplished. Then, on days you are more productive, you can do more. Nobody will ever stop you from doing more. But you need to meet the minimum requirements.

Also, avoid sharing your calendar and focusing system because they have different purposes.

• A calendar contains generic tasks you need to do, like writing articles or filming videos.
• A focusing system includes more specific tasks, like writing 1000 words for an article or shooting half the script of a video.

4 — Use a storage system.

Cloud systems have been a miracle for us content creators. Since their invention, we don’t need to keep all our files on our computers. And even if we break or lose our devices, we can still have a functioning copy of our work online.

With a cloud system, you can access your data from everywhere. You only need an Internet connection and a digital device. And most of the time, the free version of the service is enough.

I use Google Drive as my cloud storage system, and I have to say I won’t change it soon.

For writing, Drive is perfect. It gives you enough space. It supports any device. And you can even edit your text from everywhere using Google Sheets.

5 — Write a diary.

The last of the 5 ways to make better content is to write a diary. And even if it requires some time, it is worth the investment.

It doesn’t matter if digital or analog. If you want to make better content, you need a diary to take notes and organize your ideas.

The best efficiency, for me, is to fill it one little bit each morning when my creativity works at its best. So after having breakfast, I take my diary and do a brain dump.

I write everything that goes through my mind, and the associations of ideas usually nourish my creativity. Therefore, I can transition toward writing articles with ease.

Also, organizing my thoughts at the end of the writing session helps me categorize the ideas. So for the next few days, I know what I’ve been thinking. And when I go back to read my diary, I can link to new ideas.

The Self-Improvement Challenge for Content Creators

Improving too many things at once will always be a terrible choice. Our brain can only bear a few chances at a time, and we need to adapt our routines and habits to fit them together. Therefore, each time I need to embrace new challenges, I test them for a week first. So we will do the same even in this self-improvement challenge for content creators.

Over five weeks, you will adopt the 5 ways to make better content:

• In the first week, you will improve your sleeping routine.
• In the second, you will create your calendar.
• From the third week, you will start using a focusing system.
• On the fourth, you will try a few storage systems and find the one that fits you best.
• And in the last week, you will write a diary.

Also, respect the order of routines — you can’t build a productivity routine starting at 7 a.m. if you haven’t learned how to improve your sleep quality and can’t wake up in time.

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1 — How to improve your sleeping routine

There are many ways you can improve your sleeping routine, but you can’t do them all at once. Focus on improving the quality first, and then on how to wake up more efficiently.

Here are a few routines you could try one hour before going to sleep:

• Read a paper book or an e-book.
• Stop using digital backlit devices.
• Meditate, and do breathing or yoga exercises before going to bed (or after waking up).
• Stay in a dark and relaxing environment and avoid intense lights.
• Leave your smartphone in another room or out of reach from your bed.
• Use an analog alarm clock.

2 — How to build a calendar.

It takes time to build a working calendar.

In the beginning, you could use time blocking to schedule your first activities and improve your organizational skills. Then, with time, you will build a stable environment linked to all your other accounts to automate the incoming meeting requests.

Also, give yourself time to experiment with different calendars software. The easiest ones, in my opinion, are Google Calendar and Fantastical (for iOS). But if you love creating routines or challenges, you can try options like TimeTune or TimeBlocks. Or, if you like simpler designs, you could even try TinyCalendar.

3 — How to create a focusing system

The easiest of the 5 ways to make better content is creating a focusing system because you don’t need any tools. Of course, you can use to-do lists and post-its, as I said before, but you can even write your focus on a piece of paper and keep it in front of you all day long, and there will be no difference in the efficiency of the method.

I use Google Tasks to mark my focus tasks because it integrates well with all Google Services. But there are infinite to-do list apps, like AnyDo, Trello, Todoist, Microsoft To-Do, or even Notion.

4 — How to use a storage system

Google Drive and OneDrive are the fastest cloud storage system to set up and use because you can use them on any device, and you already have them when you create an account. But if you want to try out other cloud storage systems, you can adopt many different options.

I have been using Notion for a while, but I could not understand how many pages I was writing, and sometimes I relate to that. But if you already use Notion as a focusing system or content planner, you can give it a shot.

Evernote and Trello are other suitable options for a cloud storage system. They work in different ways, but you can customize them both as you wish.

Using a storage system is usually simple. But try to avoid throwing everything in one folder. If you categorize your files, your future self will thank you.

5 — How to write a diary

You can write a diary on the same apps I have suggested as a storage system. But if you want to keep things separate, you can even use special-purpose ones.

For my diary, I like writing on Notion or my physical journal. But in the past, I’ve also used apps like Diaro, Daylio, or even Trello.

Here are a few practical suggestions:

• Use it as a brain dump to gather new ideas.
• Write it during the most creative moment of the day.
• You can be short, but you need to be consistent.

Final Thoughts

If you want to become the best and make better content, you can start by improving your systems in 5 ways.

First, you need to improve your sleeping routine. Then, you can work on your schedule efficiency and task management by building a calendar and a focusing system. Also, you can improve your storage system to make it reachable from everywhere. And lastly, you can use a diary to brain dump your ideas and improve your creativity while also releasing stress.

These are 5 ways to make better content and challenge yourself to improve your behavior. And once you master them, nothing else can stop you.

Cover photo by S Migaj from Pixels.