Getting out of the Same Ol’, Same Ol’ Content Rut

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T-shirts in drawer I own about 60 0r 70 t-shirts, most of which I’ve gotten for free over the years (from radio stations, bands, businesses, etc.). More than two dresser drawers full of t-shirts. That’s a lot. But here’s the problem:

I rarely wear more than five or six of them. Ever. I’m in a rut.

You see what usually happens is I open the drawer, grab one of the t-shirts on top of the pile, put it on, and then do the same thing the next day. Then, we do laundry about three times a week. When the laundry is done, the t-shirts and other clothes are deposited next to my dresser. Rather than put the clothes away, I just use what’s in the pile in order to have fewer items to put away. If I DO put them away, I just throw them on top of what’s already in the drawer, and then choose from the top of the pile again.

So I end up wearing the same t-shirts over and over again.

Sometimes I have to get out of my rut, so I have to consciously dig deeper in the drawers and find something else to wear. Sometimes it takes some prodding from my wife to get me out of that rut.

It happens to all of us in some ways. Often it’s with the content we create for our blogs or other social properties. We hit a rhythm; a pattern. It worked once, so let’s do it again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

And we’re in a rut. We go for the low-hanging easy content, whether it’s the same as everything else or not.

Monday: the gray Geneva College t-shirt. Tuesday: the brown Fig Lancaster t-shirt. And so on.

It’s not that there isn’t other good content out there, but we reach for what’s closest to us; what’s on the top of the pile. Perhaps it’s time to dig a little deeper. Pull out those t-shirts you haven’t worn in months. Or years. Or perhaps you’ve never even tried them on, but there they are, buried under the old reliables.

Don’t just settle for the easy content; the stuff that everyone expects you to write. Dig deeper. Think beyond your safety zone. Think beyond your product line. Remember, your customers don’t live to hang on your every word. They have lives and interests that go beyond what you’re trying to sell them. And I’m pretty sure the same goes for you and your employees.

Oh, and if you still plan on wearing the same t-shirts over and over again, make sure you at least do the laundry every once in awhile. That way at least they’re fresh and clean, and don’t smell like, well…and old, dirty t-shirt.

How are you getting out of your content ruts? In what ways do you dig deeper for more varied and interesting content?