What I Do When My Brain Says “You Have Nothing to Talk About”

If you want to create content but constantly find yourself thinking, I literally have nothing to talk about, I want you to consider something.

You probably have plenty to talk about.

The problem might be that you've gotten so used to your own life that you don't recognize what parts of it are worth sharing.

I know this because I've been dealing with the same thing.

There have been so many times when I've wanted to post, opened my camera and suddenly couldn't think of a single interesting thing to say. Meanwhile, I can talk to a friend for an hour. I can have an opinion about something I saw at the grocery store. I can tell a story about something that happened at work. I can spend an entire drive home thinking through something I'm trying to figure out.

But somehow none of that registers as "content."

Maybe you do the same thing.

You assume content needs to start with an idea, when sometimes it can start with your actual life.

You Don't Need to Become More Interesting

One of the easiest traps to fall into as a newer creator is believing other people simply have more to talk about.

Their lives look more interesting. Their houses are prettier. They're always going somewhere. They have packages arriving every day. They seem to wake up with a fully formed opinion and perfect lighting.

Meanwhile, you're going to work, taking care of your family, running errands, cleaning your house and trying to remember what you were supposed to do before you walked into the room.

What exactly are you supposed to make content about?

That question has been on my mind a lot lately.

I've actually been quieter online because I've been spending some of that time filming.

Nothing dramatic is coming. I'm not preparing for some big reveal.

I'm simply trying to create differently.

Talking to the camera has always been one of the easiest formats for me. I love a good yap. But I realized that if talking-head videos were the only footage I had, every idea required me to stop what I was doing, get camera-ready, find somewhere to film and perform the thought right then.

That's a lot of pressure to put on one idea.

So I've started recording more of the ordinary parts of my life.

Getting ready.

Working on something.

Driving somewhere.

Trying on clothes.

Opening something I ordered.

Sitting at my computer.

Cleaning.

Walking into a store.

Making coffee.

Nothing groundbreaking.

But that's exactly the point.

Your life doesn't have to become more exciting before you start documenting it.

Try Asking a Smaller Question

"What should I post?"

I hate that question.

It's so broad that my brain immediately starts searching for something impressive enough to qualify as content.

A question I've found much more useful is:

What happened today?

You can make it even more specific.

What annoyed you today?

What made you laugh?

What did you spend money on?

What problem did you have to solve?

What are you currently trying to get better at?

What did you almost talk yourself out of?

What did you realize?

What disappointed you?

What worked better than you expected?

What conversation are you still thinking about?

You don't need an extraordinary answer.

Maybe you realized you keep buying clothes but still don't feel like you have outfits.

That's something.

Maybe you're trying to stop spending money impulsively.

That's something.

Maybe you bought a product because everyone recommended it and you don't understand the hype.

Definitely something.

Maybe you're trying to figure out how to create content while working full time and raising kids.

That's something I've been thinking about constantly.

The things taking up space in your brain are usually a much better place to start than a random list of trending content ideas.

Look for the Part Where Something Changed

Sometimes you have a topic, but it still doesn't feel like you have a story.

This is where I've started looking for a shift.

What did you think before?

What happened?

What do you think now?

You can try completing a few simple sentences:

I used to think _____, but now I think _____.

I bought _____ because I thought _____, but _____.

I almost didn't _____ because _____.

I'm trying to get better at _____.

Something I've been realizing lately is _____.

I wish someone had told me _____.

These don't have to turn into deep life lessons.

"I used to think I needed more clothes, but I'm realizing I actually need to learn how to make outfits with what I own."

There's your story.

Now you could talk about cleaning out your closet, figuring out your personal style, the shoes you wear most, what you're no longer buying or the few pieces you think your wardrobe is actually missing.

One thought can give you several directions.

That's a much easier way to create than expecting yourself to invent a completely new personality every time you need to post.

Your Everyday Problems Are Content Too

This is something I wish I had understood earlier.

You don't have to wait until you've solved something to talk about it.

You can share what you're trying.

You can share what you're learning.

You can share something that didn't work.

You can say, "I haven't figured this out yet, but here's what I'm noticing."

That can actually make your content more interesting because you're letting people come along for the process instead of only showing up afterward with a perfectly packaged lesson.

That's a big part of what I'm trying to do with Switching Lanes Diary.

I'm figuring out content creation.

I'm figuring out affiliate marketing.

I'm figuring out money.

I'm figuring out my style.

I'm figuring out what I want the next chapter of my life to look like.

I don't want to wait until every part of my life has a neat little conclusion before I talk about any of it.

If you're building something too, you don't have to wait either.

Give Yourself Something to Work With Later

This is also why I've been filming more lately.

You don't always need to know what you're going to say when you record something.

Sometimes you just need footage.

If you're making coffee, record five seconds.

If you like your shoes that day, record yourself walking.

If you're organizing your desk, record it.

If you're heading into Target, grab a quick clip.

If you're working on your business after work, prop your phone up for ten seconds.

You might not use any of it.

But when you eventually have something you want to talk about, now you have something other than a talking head to put behind the story.

That's what I'm trying to build for myself right now.

A little library of my own life.

Not because I'm planning some huge unveiling, but because I want more options.

I still want to sit down and talk when I have something to say. I just don't want every piece of content I make to depend on me being ready to sit in front of the camera and yap.

And if you're already stretched thin, having options matters.

This Problem Is Actually Why I Created the Emergency Kit

The more I worked on this for myself, the more I realized how common the problem is.

You want to create.

You know you have experiences and opinions.

But when it's time to actually come up with something, your brain goes completely blank.

So I started collecting the questions, prompts and exercises that helped me get past that blank feeling.

Eventually, those ideas became The Content Creator's Emergency Kit.

It's for the creator who doesn't necessarily need someone to hand her another list of generic video ideas.

She needs help finding the ideas that already belong to her.

Because there is a difference.

Someone can tell you, "Make a morning routine."

Okay.

But what makes your morning routine worth watching?

Maybe you're getting four kids out of the house.

Maybe you're trying to stop being late.

Maybe you've finally found something that makes mornings easier.

Maybe your morning routine is an absolute disaster and you're trying to fix it.

That's the story.

The routine is just where the story happens.

Start With Your Own Life

The next time you feel like you have nothing to talk about, don't immediately go searching for another hundred content ideas.

Give yourself five minutes first.

Think about your day.

Think about what's been bothering you.

Think about what you're excited about.

Think about what you've been buying, changing, learning, questioning, attempting or avoiding.

Then ask yourself:

What has been happening in my life lately that has made me feel something, rethink something or want to change something?

Write down whatever comes up.

Don't judge whether it's "good content" yet.

You're just collecting pieces.

The more you practice noticing those pieces, the easier it becomes to see that content isn't always something you have to manufacture.

Sometimes it's already happening.

You just have to catch it.

And if you need a little help pulling those ideas out when your brain refuses to cooperate, that's exactly what I made The Content Creator's Emergency Kit for.

Because "I have nothing to talk about" doesn't always mean you need more ideas.

Sometimes you just need better questions.

xo, Allison