When You Should Throw Your Content Calendar Away (I Sure Did)

You may or may not have noticed… but it's been ten weeks since I published the last post on this blog. Ten freaking weeks! A.K.A. Seventy days or roughly 1/5th of an entire year.

Sure, I launched a new podcast and wrote a guest post or two, but I call myself a full-time blogger―what gives?

I have always been an advocate of creating consistent quality content that helps you achieve your goals in business and life.

And yes, I still believe content strategy is key to building a successful business online from your blog. And yet…

Why I Threw My Content Calendar Out The (Proverbial) Window

In hindsight, it's hard to believe, but writing was easier when I still had a full-time job.

Writing new, genuinely helpful content every week wasn't hard when the bills were already paid.

I was always working towards the goal of running my online business full-focused, but it seemed so far off at the time. The income from my day job meant there was no real sense of urgency when I wrote.

Then this year, everything changed.

When I quit my job at Chick-fil-A to become a full-time blogger, my content calendar suddenly mattered a whole lot more.

Every blog post or email suddenly represented a choice―would my family be eating beans or caviar this month?

No pressure, right?

(In case you missed it, that's a joke. We don't eat Caviar in the South because it's not considered deep-fried or patriotic.)

When Complexity Causes Problems (and Strategy Fails)

According to StrengthFinders, my number one strength is strategic.

In general, a strategic mind is pretty great because it allows me to view the world through a lens of systems and step-by-step processes that other people might miss.

In this case, that meant every piece of content that passed my desk formed a behind-the-scenes web of my master plan to sell more products, services, and in general make lots of money online.

Only… it didn't feel natural anymore.

Every social media message, blog post, or email campaign had to fit inside my content marketing strategy―or it didn't make the cut.

I started feeling drained. The work I love now felt forced. Then I read this comment from a reader named Joel:

John, I've always held you in high esteem. You're authentic, friendly. I've been faithfully reading your blog for a few years, but honestly John… I've been less than enthusiastic this year. I feel more like a prospect rather than a friend. I've lost the faith, I guess…

Ouch.

It’s the truth that always hurts the most, isn’t it?

Joel's comment was too true to ignore―so I stopped cold in my tracks to take time to reflect on what needed to change.

I still promoted free resources on my email list. I still launched The Unleash Your Blog Podcast.

Beyond that, I backed off and took a break… and you know what I realized?

Simplicity beats complexity―as long as it can possibly be sustained.

Massive billion-dollar companies need a super-detailed content strategy because they have entire departments involved in content marketing, and need to keep their team aligned.

You and I? We just need to stay a few unpublished ideas ahead of publication in CoSchedule, and we're doing just fine.

In summary, if you're not connected living out always be teaching then you need to throw your content calendar out the window and teach from the heart.