How to create consistent content (and have fun doing so!)

"Stop creating free content!" I recently heard this sentence from a course creator.

I’ve noticed that some business gurus claim that creating free content is akin to a waste of time.

"It's better to create low-cost items, run ads, get people to buy and then nurture them in your emails," they say.

This method makes sense as a business owner because they are focusing their efforts mostly in activities which bring in the cold hard cash.

However I have a gut feeling that if you want to create a ‘legacy’ - in other words, a business which lasts decades - your life-changing content needs to exist somewhere : in your blog, your podcast or in your YouTube channel.

I still think content is king right now because before your clients bought your courses and programs, they likely

• have listened to your podcast eps before

• have been watching you on your IG stories

• watched your YouTube vids

That’s why I created ready-to-post high-engagement IG captions like these to help you stay consistent on IG whilst you focus on creating your signature course or program. At least you can tick one thing off your to-do list this month!

But we have to admit that creating consistent content is hard.

Hence, I'm sharing 5 strategies which have helped me stay consistent (on some platforms!) and have some fun whilst doing so.

Strategy 1: To create consistent content, honour your in-born talents and inclinations

What mode of content creation feels the easiest for you? Are you a natural-born writer, love talking into a mic or love being in front of the camera?

It's time we own our innate gifts and honour them.

If you are a natural writer, focus on writing emails, blog posts, IG captions. If you are a natural in front of the camera (I envy you!), focus on YouTube, IG stories and IG 'live'.

Video marketing is all the rage. But if you are a talented writer and have to force yourself to create videos every single time, chances are, you will not be consistent with your YouTube channel.

Or, you will start hating content creation!

Thus, it’s best to honour your inborn talents and then look out for courses which teach you how to make sales and get traffic with your talent.

For example, if you are a camera-loving person, you can purchase courses which teach you how to get sales with YouTube videos or IG stories.

Strategy 2: Don't tie too much expectations to every piece of content

We all know that in the business sense, every free content has to lead to a freebie, which leads to a funnel, which should lead to a sale.

I would also suggest that we create our content with joy and with the purpose of serving our audience.

Not every email we write has to have an intention to sell. Not every IG caption needs to promote something.

We can create content simply because it gives us some kind of satisfaction or joy.

To be practical, we do need to balance our 'fun' content with strategic content to get our business running.

But not every content has to be strategic because we may burn out if we only publish perfectly curated, perfectly strategised content! And where's the fun in that?

Strategy 3: Try a new tweak or two

To keep content creation fresh (and fun), try a new tactic or two.

If you see a celebrity coach you admire addressing you by your first name in her newsletters, you can try the same method if you have not done so.

Keep following other entrepreneurs you admire and observe how they create their videos, podcasts and emails. And try a new tactic or two to your content to keep the excitement going.

Note that these tweaks are supposed to be small tweaks.

I won't suggest that you do a complete overhaul of your sales funnel if it has been working well for you, unless you don't mind the risks ;)

Strategy 4: Keep reading, watching and consuming content to get ideas and inspiration

I've seen some coaches tell us not to consume other people's content so that we don't unintentionally 'copy' them.

I beg to differ because we do need to broaden our knowledge. I feel that we need to be reading books, taking courses, watching videos and listening to podcasts related to our coaching topic.

When we consume fresh, new content often, we will get 'aha' moments which we can share with our audience.

As an example: I notice that when I make time to read, I have a stream of ideas and topics to write about. I will write about them from my perspective, which makes my content 'me'.

Strategy 5: Outsource some of your content creation

Perhaps you simply don't have the time or energy to create free content.

If you have the means to hire someone to write blog posts, captions, video scripts for you, why not do so? You don’t have to feel guilty or embarrassed because every big-name coach or entrepreneur out there works with a team.

Or you can get my ready-to-post challenges like this one to get your Facebook group content done for you in a snap.

Creating consistent content can be fun if we bear these 5 strategies in mind.

I’m curious: what's your strategy to create consistent content?

Let me know in Comments or send me an email at shikah@shikahanuar.com

As always, wishing you much blessings and abundance in your business.

Shikah

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5 Baby Steps to Recovery from Severe Burnout

I will be sharing 5 baby steps to help you with recovery from severe burnout.

You know you are are having burnout if

• you have no motivation AT ALL to do work

• you are filled with extreme dread at the thought of going to your workplace

• you feel like breaking down in tears for no solid reason (break down in tears if you have to - it will clear some of your stress away)

• if you still force yourself to go to work, you realise that you are doing work extremely slowly, walking slowly and doing things at a slow pace because you are ‘checked out’ mentally

• you have body aches, stomach pains or other physical ailments

This post does contain affiliate links to products I love - so I may earn a small commission if you purchase or take action with any of the links below! This helps me to keep this blog free of charge for you.

Step 1 to Recovery from Severe Burnout : Take a day (or week) off

I know taking a week off sounds indulgent. Sometimes, a day off will do.

However, if you are a workaholic or someone who thinks of work 24/7 (hello, self-employed buddies), you will need a whole darn week off.

And during this week (or day) off, our minds have to be clear from anything work-related.

This means indulging in your favourite dramas, cooking all day, having delicious long naps, resting and doing nothing - the works.

Please don’t check your work emails, read anything work-related or read work-related WhatsApp messages.

You may be tempted to do that ‘tiny little tweak’ to your work assignment during this day off but refrain if you can.

When we have a proper 100% day off, we will be more creative and feel refreshed to continue with work the next day.

It’s worth it.

Step 2 to Recovery from Severe Burnout: Do a Tech Detox Every Hour

A tech detox is so helpful during burnout. How do we do this?

You can discipline yourself to check your phone only once every hour. At 12pm, 1pm, 2pm…you get the idea. And you will only be checking for urgent calls, urgent messages or urgent emails.

No scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. If the temptation is too strong, be intentional about what you are scrolling for.

For example, you will only go to Person XXX’s IG Stories because you are a fan of her lifestyle. Or you will check out Person ABC’s updates because you are a fan.

This means no mindless scrolling!

Step 3 to Recovery from Severe Burnout: Go out in nature or work out at home

People underestimate nature a lot. Going out for a walk amongst greenery can give us so much perspective and calm.

If the weather is bad, you can do a yoga work out at home via YouTube streamed to your TV.

Being phone-free for an hour whilst working out does magic for those with anxiety issues. We are spoilt with thousands of free workout videos online.

My only advice is to pick the workout video way BEFORE you start the workout. This will prevent us from endless scrolling before we start the exercise.

This scrolling will make it even harder to start working out because, well, the couch will feel too comfortable after some time.

Step 4 to Recovery from Severe Burnout: Get in touch with your creative side

Everyone has a creative outlet she enjoys.

It can be writing, creating worksheets, mindful colouring with adult colouring books, decorating pretty planners, dancing, writing with journal prompts, trying a new makeup technique or designing something on PhotoShop.

Doing a creative project you enjoy will ensure you are present in the moment and helps clear your mind.

Step 5 to Recovery from Severe Burnout: Have an intuitive No-Plans Day

This is my favourite strategy. Have no plans at all and literally do what you feel like doing. Warning: This requires self trust and flexibility.

Feel the urge to go to the park at 2pm? Go for it. Felt the urge to open up your Word doc to write for hours? Do it. Feel like having an impromptu meetup with friends tonight? Go ahead. Feel like cooking an 8-course vegan meal? Do it!

I love Intuitive No-Plan Days - because every day will be unique. You will be living solely in the present which is very relaxing (instead of worrying about the future all the time).

Every day can surprise you because you will have different wants and desires every day. You never know where the day takes you.

Do you have fresh ideas for recovery from severe burnout?

If you have other ideas for recovery from severe burnout, please drop me a comment below!

Should you feel that taking time off from work does not help your burnout, consider seeing a medical professional or a counsellor to untangle any emotions or negative thought patterns you may have.

Have a good week!

Shikah

How to Finally Overcome ‘All or Nothing’ Thinking - a Perfectionism Mindset

One brave method to overcome ‘all or nothing’ thinking which is common amongst perfectionists.

What are you perfectionistic about?

It can be your appearance, your work, your house and some of us are even perfectionists with our hobby. Or you may be perfectionistic with all the four aspects above.

I don’t want to shoot perfectionism down, because it has its good points.

But with anything else in life, too much of anything - such as perfectionism - is going to make you anxious, exhausted, not relaxed and basically hate your life.

It all starts with an ‘all-or-nothing’ mentality.

If you need a worksheet to help you tone down your perfectionism and be productive, you can download the Pause Perfectionism worksheet below.

6 Examples of All or Nothing Thinking

“If I’m not going to stick to the diet 100%, might as well not start in the first place.”

“If I don’t look well-groomed all the time, I might bump into ex-colleagues and old friends and they will think I’ve let myself go.”

“If I don’t publish my blog post today, I’m a failure.”

“If I don’t keep my house spotless and clean when my friends come over, they will think I’m lazy and dirty.”

“Well, if I’m not a success and become popular doing what I do, what’s the point of starting?”

“If I publish a video and someone criticises how I speak, I’m doomed.”

The dangers of all-or-nothing thinking 

We are usually not this harsh with our friends and family. But strangely, we punish ourselves.

All or nothing thinking is believing in extremes. 

Many things in life are not black-and-white. If you are a perfectionist, you will be frustrated with this idea. Like, what’s the point of doing something if we don’t succeed in it, right?

All or nothing thinking means:

1. We will have low self-esteem. Which means we’ll never have the confidence to do things out of our comfort zone to pursue our goals.

2. We punish ourselves by expecting ourselves to excel at something when we may be gifted in other areas

3. We don’t even try something we want to do because it will be a ‘waste of time.’

4. We overwork or spend too much time on little things which are not a matter of life and death. As a result: We don’t enjoy motherhood, working, exercising, reading, hobbies because we want to do everything right. 

5. We are highly anxious all the time. Not fun at all.

We will be fatigued all the time because our minds are constantly thinking, analysing, evaluating.

How to overcome all-or-nothing thinking

I will propose something which will make all the perfectionists reading this cringe and have panic attacks.

I call it the 4-Step All or nothing Exercise.

Step 1: I will ask you to choose 1 all-or-nothing goal or standard you have.

Step 2: what goes through your mind if you do it or don’t achieve it?

Step 3: Next week, set a date to deliberately not achieve your all-or-nothing standard (gasp!).

Step 4: Record what happens.

I will give you an example.

Step 1: “I MUST keep my house and all the rooms 100% sparkling clean when guests come over."

Step 2: “If I don’t keep my house spotless and clean when my friends come over, they will think I’m lazy and dirty. They will find out my embarrassing habits at home.”

Step 3: “I will invite my friends to my house next Tuesday. I will only clean the living room and toilets the morning itself. I will leave the other rooms as they are. Maybe just a quick sweep for the other rooms.'“

Step 4: See if your friends notice (or mind) the state of your house not being 100% perfect. Record it down.

You may need to repeat Step 3 a few times before you can truly relax and let go about perfectionism regarding your home.

You may also find these overcome perfectionism articles helpful:

• How to Overcome Perfectionism and be Productive

• 3 Actions to Overcome Perfectionism and Feel Relaxed

• How to Handle a Stressful Situation

  I know that many of us are perfectionists because we have low self-esteem!

  If you want to start overcoming low self-esteem and be brave to pursue your goals, you can check out my Ebook - Be Your Own Self-Esteem Coach.

Or you can take the first step and download the Pause Perfectionism and Feel Relaxed worksheet.

Meanwhile, have a good week!

Shikah

(Free Worksheet) How to Stay Positive when Facing a Problem

A few weeks ago, I received an email from one of my readers whom I will call ‘Carrie’.

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There is a lot more to her email, but I will address 1 issue first: her mindset about her autoimmune disease.

Carrie is an attractive woman in her late 30s.

She feels inconvenienced by her autoimmune disease and it has held her back from living the kind of life she wants. 

She also wants a relationship badly, but it does not seem to be happening right now.

I racked my brain thinking about a shortcut to make women like Carrie feel positive when life throws lemons at us.

In short, we need a mindset shift. 

The Stay Positive Mindset Shift worksheet

This worksheet sounds simple. But trust me, it can change your perspective and make you feel empowered almost instantly.

When to apply this Stay Positive Mindset Shift worksheet:

I will recommend you to do this exercise AFTER you have accepted the unwanted event(s) in your life.

Don’t do this exercise when you are still feeling raw, in pain or in grief. We want our answers to be objective in this exercise.

How to do this Stay Positive Mindset Shift worksheet:

If you best friend has the same problem as you, how would you help her complete this worksheet?

That is one way to help you visualise how to use this worksheet.

Sometimes, we have to be downright creative. If you have a really bad problem, dig deep and be as creative as you can to find its positive aspects. Or get a good friend to help you with this exercise.

You can revisit this worksheet and re-do it again as the months pass.

Your perspective may change as time goes on. It’s quite interesting to see how our mindset and perspective shift over time.

An example for you

For this Stay Positive Mindset Shift worksheet, you will be required to list 3 positive points for every issue that you have.

For Carrie, these are 3 positive points about her health issue:

Positive #1: Her health issue has led her to live a healthier lifestyle. She has to be gluten-free, vegan and exercise regularly. Her body will thank her in the long run.

Positive #2: Carrie feels very motivated to chase her personal goals. She may realise that life is short and she feels inspired to start the activities which she has procrastinated upon all these years.

Positive #3: Carrie may learn to be more present and be in the moment. This will lead her to enjoy life more and be more relaxed.

There are many ways to be creative with this exercise.

To help you stay positive when facing life’s problems, you can download the Stay Positive Mindset Shift worksheet below:

If you want to share a mindset or self-esteem issue that you have, you can click the button below:

I will address it in my blog post or email newsletter if time permits! (your name and details will be confidential, of course).

Have a good week!

Shikah

(Free Printable) 5 Powerful Habits for Self Love

Self love is not selfish.

Self-love is about respecting our wants, our values and creating boundaries for our own good.

For some of us, we were taught to respect other people, but not to respect ourselves.

This leads to self-sacrificing behaviour, confusion about our own likes and dislikes, and much unhappiness.

We can’t switch to being a self-loving person in a snap, but I have a ‘Love Your Quirks’ worksheet which helps you to re-frame, or rather, see how your ‘weaknesses’ can be helpful for you.

Here are the 5 habits for self-love:

Habit #1 : Be brave and say ‘no’

If you are a people-pleaser or a genuinely nice person, saying ‘no’ is usually difficult for you.

Heck, practising self love is also challenge for you!

If you feel that someone is trying to take advantage of you, you can use one of the 5 ways below to say no without offending (much).

*Here are 5 ways for you to say ‘no’ without offending.

1. I’m busy at the moment so I can’t help you with XXX.

2. I think we should do XXX ourselves.

3. I’m not comfortable doing XXX.

4. I can’t help you with XXX right now. Maybe next time.

5. No, not today. Sorry about that! (no explanation given)
   
   
   

*All the above can be said in a neutral or in a pleasant tone of voice.

Saying no builds self respect.

You are also protecting yourself from over-committing, burning yourself out, doing something you don’t want to do and feeling terrible about it.

Habit #2: Listen to your body

How do we ‘listen to our bodies’? We’ve heard this phrase so many times, but how do we do it daily for self love purposes?

Be aware of your bodily sensations.

If you are sleepy, take a nap. If you are hungry, eat. If you are thirsty, get a drink. If your eyes feel strained, take a break from your laptop. If your skin feels dry, slap on a sheet mask. If you feel like doing some stretching, do it. If you feel the need to talk to your husband, do so.

Catch the drift? :) The steps above are simple, but not always easy to do.

That is because many of us are used to suppressing or ignoring our bodily sensations.

When you are hungry, be present and find out what your body wants to eat today.

It can be as random as a peach or maybe you are drawn to a fast food meal at that time. As long as you are balanced when eating, your body can handle some fried food here and there.

If your body feels tired, rest. Many of us have a habit of ‘powering through’ our exhaustion.

This makes us unproductive. Feeling terrible (and looking terrible to boot).

Surprisingly, when you rest (make sure you clear your mind too - very important.), you will have more energy to complete your work later on.

You will finish your work in maybe half the time as compared to bulldozing through your exhaustion to get it done. You can bet that the work will be of better quality too.

Habit #3: Good vibes only

A HUGE part of self-love is being very selective about whom you accept in your social circle.

Surround yourself with positive people. How do you know if someone should be included in your circle?

If that person makes you feel good 90% of the time, he or she is a keeper.

I would like to add that you should only be friends with people who have healthy self-esteem. People with healthy self-esteem will support you and be happy for you when you succeed.

People with good self-esteem are usually transparent with their actions, words and feelings.

If you have ever doubted if a friend is happy for your success or not - that ‘friend’ might have to be kicked out of your circle soon.

And genuine friends don’t give ‘mixed signals’.

Get rid of frenemies, Debby Downers, complainers, backstabbers, toxic people, people who like breaking friendships and relationships, highly insecure people. (Don’t underestimate the toxicity level of a highly insecure ‘friend’.)

To put it lightly, these people will give you headaches and heartaches. We don’t have time for that!

Also….be sure that we are not one of those toxic people mentioned above! But that will be for another blog post for another time.

Habit #4: Don’t be so harsh on yourself

Forgive yourself.

Even your good friends and family don’t expect you to be perfect. Why should you?

Even the person you admire most has made many mistakes. Sometimes, we will accidentally say something which hurts someone else. We might do the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Learn something from those slip-ups, forgive yourself and move on.

Habit #5: Love your ‘weaknesses’

I’m sure you can come up with 3 of your weaknesses in 5 seconds flat.

As humans, we are programmed to focus on the negative aspects of something - which,sadly, includes focusing on the negative aspects of ourselves.

Embrace them as part of you. Admit that you are nervous about public speaking, you tend to procrastinate and so on.

I have a candid worksheet - ‘Love Your Quirks’ - which helps you view how your ‘weaknesses’ can be helpful in some situations.

For example: I am an over-thinker, thus I wrote down how overthinking has helped me in 2 situations.

If you have children, you can complete this worksheet with them as well. It helps them to re-frame how they view their own perceived ‘weaknesses’.

If you want a copy of this worksheet, you can download it below.

Have a good week!

Shikah