Part 1 of 4: How To Make Your Content Writing Easier Using James Clear's 4 Laws of Behavior Change
New year, new habits am I rightttt?! I don’t wanna be *that* girl, but I can’t deny that I love a fresh start and a new year is the ULTIMATE time to finally start doing those things that have been swirling in the back of your mind for quite some time, but you just haven’t gotten around to actually doing.
Whether it be for life things or business things, I personally love the new year energy and one thing that always gets me thinking on the right track is the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.
In the past, I’ve read it every January to refresh my mindset, but this year I’m doing something a little different…
I’ll tell you about that in a second, but first if you haven’t read Atomic Habits, let me give you the super quick rundown ⬇️
At its core, Atomic Habits teaches you how to:
Build good habits that actually stick
Break bad habits without relying on sheer willpower
Make small, consistent changes that lead to big results
While there’s MANY lessons and concepts in the book that I love, the one that always sticks with me the most is the 4 Laws of Behavior Change. Essentially, James says that in order to break a bad habit and start a new one, you’ve gotta do 4 things:
1) Make it Obvious
2) Make it Attractive
3) Make it Easy
4) Make it Satisfying
As a blog writer and strategist for service providers, something I hear all the time is that people “don’t know what to write about” or they “can’t be consistent” or they “aren’t a good writer.”
But I’m here to say that none of those things are really the problem at all.
In my opinion, content creation of any kind – INCLUDING blog writing – is more of a habit than it is a skill. Which means that like any habit you want to build, it’s a mental game.
Every action we take on a daily basis stems from some sort of habit we’ve created – whether we realize it or not.
The way you fix your coffee in the morning. The order that you do your skincare. The way that you do your makeup. The daily walk that you go on without hardly even having to think about it.
All of these things are HABITS that you just simply *do*.
If writing consistent blog content hasn’t yet become a habit in your business, of course it’s going to feel a little challenging at first. But when you commit to a consistency that works for YOU and follow through on that commitment, the more that writing blog content will simply be something that you *do* over time.
You don’t have to talk yourself into it. You don’t have to think too much about it. You don’t have to fight to find the time to do it. You don’t even have to question how to do it.
Instead, you simply have a designated time each week that you sit down to write, you navigate to your content folder, open a fresh Google Doc, and start writing.
(And psst: if you’re a Writer’s Room member, that dedicated time is already carved out for you with Co-writing Wednesday, all you’ve gotta do is show up and write!)
You simply do it. It’s a regular part of your business and the best part is that you actually LOOK FORWARD to it. What a concept, right?! Actually enjoying creating content for your business… game changer.
While The Writer’s Room membership is the place where you can be surrounded with others doing the same thing as you and have ongoing support along the way, there’s a few things you can do on your own to make writing more of a habit in your business.
And it all starts with the 4 Laws of Behavior Change that James Clear presents in his book.
Which brings me back to what I’m doing differently this year – since I’ve read the book a few times and I’m pretty familiar with the concepts, I decided to take the 4 Laws and apply them to content writing in your business.
(Because remember: content creation is more of a HABIT than it is a skill.)
This month on the blog I’m writing a 4 Part Series allll about how you can make your content writing easier using these laws.
In Part 1, we’re diving into Law 1: Make It Obvious. Let’s get to it 👇🏼
4 Ways To Make Your Content Writing “Obvious” So It Becomes a Habit
Bookmark your content calendar or add it to your home screen 📌
Does this sound overly simple? That’s because it IS and that’s the literal point. Creating a new habit isn’t supposed to be tricky. It’s supposed to be something that feels easy and manageable so that you actually DO IT.
How many times do you pick up your phone each day to go search for something and then you find yourself in a TikTok or Instagram scroll hole and completely forget what you were originally going to do?
That’s what we want to avoid here!
Having your content calendar bookmarked or saved to your home screen gives you an obvious reminder that becomes pretty hard to ignore.
No more searching through your Google folders to find where you saved your blog content or combing through your Notion dashboard to find your content idea list!
If you don’t already have a solid blog content calendar where you can plan your content quarterly and save all of your topic ideas in one place, this Notion template was created with you in mind.
Include content creation on your to do list or calendar with SPECIFICS 🗓️⏰
Again, this sounds so overly simple, but if you’re like me then you’re the type of person that has to physically (or digitally) write stuff down so it actually gets done. I’m so guilty of being the person who writes down a task that’s already done just so I can check it off. 😂
I’ve heard it said that vagueness is the enemy of productivity, so if you really want to make your content writing obvious, plan for it strategically and specifically.
For example, instead of just writing “create content” on your to-do list for the day, write down “write blog post about [insert topic]” or “write email newsletter.”
This helps your brain narrow in on the actual task at hand. And if you want to take it even further, add a specific time that you’ll do it! I know that some people live and die by time blocking, so if that’s you simply schedule in the time that you’ll work on your writing task.
And if you’re looking for a dedicated time and place to create content for *your* business weekly, then The Writer’s Room is for you! We meet every single Wednesday for a co-writing hour so that content for *your* business never gets left behind.
Create a writing trigger 💡
Next up, one of the best ways to make any habit obvious is to simply create a trigger for it to happen. Essentially all you’re doing here is creating a cue that signals to your brain that it’s time to start.
For content writing specifically, pair it with an existing routine that you have or a specific time of day that you know you’ll be more inclined to sit down and actually write.
For example, if you’re a morning person and do your best work in the AM hours, you might decide that content writing for your business is going to become a part of your morning routine after you pour a cup of coffee. Or maybe it’s the task that you do right after lunch or after your midday walk.
By anchoring your writing habit to an already established behavior, overtime it becomes an automatic part of your work routine!
Choose a designated writing space ✍🏼
And lastly, choose a space that is SOLELY for writing!
This one can be easier said than done in the grand scheme of your day to day and it’s unfortunately one that I don’t get the luxury of doing since writing is my job all. the. time. BUT if you’re a service provider who just so happens to also create content for your business, then mayyyybbbeeeee you can do this!
In an ideal world, you would choose or create a consistent space for writing that serves as a visual cue.
Whether it’s a cozy corner in your living room, your home office, or your favorite coffee shop, choosing a space and deeming it as your WRITING SPACE ONLY trains your mind to associate that environment with writing.
By making your writing habit obvious through clear cues, consistent routines, and strategic design of your environment, you set yourself up for success. When the act of sitting down to write becomes second nature, you’ll not only create more content but do so with greater ease and consistency.
Looking for more support for consistent content creation in YOUR business?
Overall, by making your writing obvious through clear cues, consistent routines, and strategic design of your environment, you can be well on your way to making your content writing a HABIT that you don’t even have to think about!
If you’re hoping for 2025 to be the year that you FINALLY prioritize content creation for your business and become truly consistent with it, that’s exactly why The Writer’s Room exists!
With the done-with-you blog writing membership, you receive:
Bi-monthly trainings from me (centered around marketing, blogging, email marketing, and more) 💻
Quarterly Guest expert calls (featuring industry adjacent guests that I personally know, work with, and trust) 👩🏻💻
Weekly Co-writing Wednesdays (to hold you accountable for consistent writing in your business) ✍🏼
Quarterly Blog Content Planning Parties (so you can have a strategic blog plan ready to implement) 🎉
Writing Resource Vault (all of my best writing resources in one place) 🔐
Weekly Feedback Accessibility (so you can feel confident in your content creation before you press publish) 📝
Slack Community (for access to other members to brainstorm, support, provide feedback, etc.) 👥
CLICK HERE to learn more about The Writer’s Room and join the waitlist to be among the first to know about the next enrollment period!
P.S. Want to be notified about Part 2 of this blog series? CLICK HERE to subscribe to Notes From Natty – the weekly newsletter that shows up in your inbox every Friday morning with stories, writing tips, and of course the latest at Natty Writes, including the latest blog post. 💌