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There's nothing worse than staring at the computer screen, not having any idea what you're going to blog about. We all have those days. But it's frustrating to carve out that work time and end up with no post to show for it. Or how about those days when you're pressed for time, and you need an idea quick because you're trying to stick to your blogging schedule. You don't have time to brainstorm ideas on the spot; you just need to get that post out. In either case, you can avoid that writer's panic by having a long list of blog topic ideas ready to use. That's what we'll work on today. We'll walk through a brainstorming exercise that will give you dozens of blog posts to work with over the coming weeks and months. If you missed the first post in this series, go back and read our intro to the 30 Day Blog Challenge. How to Brainstorm Blog Topic Ideas Based on Categories Grab a pen and paper, and let's get to work brainstorming those blog topic ideas. While I prefer brainstorming on pen and paper (studies show this better commits something to memory), you can use your computer or phone to do this as well. Make a List of Your Blog Categories Start by looking at your blog and making a list of all your blog categories. If you're like most bloggers, you probably have 5-10 categories that you normally write about, and that's a great place to start. Leave enough space for 10 ideas below each category. If you don't yet have blog categories, take a few minutes to come up with the topics you'll write about regularly. In order to keep your blog focused, stick to around 5-8 categories, or no more than 10, tops. You can, however, have subcategories within your categories, but we don't need to worry about those now. Set a Timer for 5 Minutes for Each Category Now that you have your blog categories, we're going to work through them one by one. Set a timer for five minutes (or 10 if you feel like you need it), and brainstorm 10 ideas for each category. Don't try to craft the perfect headline. Simply write down every single idea that comes to mind. You can tweak, edit, or reject the idea altogether later. For now, get those ideas on paper. Where to Go for Inspiration If you're having trouble coming up with ideas because this brainstorming/free-writing thing is new to you, here are some places to go for inspiration to get the ideas flowing: Put your category or keyword idea into a headline generator. Most of topics will be totally crazy, but since this one generates 700 ideas, you're bound to find at least 10 to use. Check out Pinterest. Type in your basic idea (say cleaning tips), and see what comes up under that topic. You can even create a secret Pinterest board to save blog topic ideas to if that's your jam. Look at magazine covers. Magazines are known for grabby headlines. Not only can you swipe a few headline ideas, but you can easily tweak a couple of words to come up with your own blog post. For example, 5 Sneaky Tricks to Lose Weight could become 5 Sneaky Tricks for the Cleanest Windows Ever. Rinse and Repeat Now that you know how to brainstorm your blog topic ideas and where to go for inspiration if you need it, do this for each category until you have 10 ideas. Repeat the process any time you need a fresh batch of post ideas. In less than an hour, you have enough ideas to get you through the next several weeks or months. Doing this for every category ensures that your blog has a healthy balance of content rather than leaning toward one topic or another. Let us know if these tips helped you generate loads of blog topic ideas!

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