Never run out of content ideas again

Welcome to the Thought Follower, your #1 source of LinkedIn advice & writing tips, plus a fresh anecdote each week to dazzle dinner party guests & help you seem smarter around the office water cooler. 

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“Make hay while the sun shines.”

You know what this agriculture-themed proverb means, right?

Sure, it means get stuff done while conditions are good.

But that’s only the surface-level meaning.

To go deeper, come with me on a swift voyage to French Basque Country (where I live).

The village we live in is surrounded by farms. On one particular running loop I’ve watched the farming lifecycle play out through the summer.

Turns out, growing hay consists of these steps:

1. Grow a protein-rich plant* to maturity

2. Cut it

3. Let it dry out

4. Gather it up (into bales)

Unless you’re prepping for the next season of Farmer Wants A Wife, or you’re really leaning into that hobby farm Instagram dream, this recipe isn’t overly useful to you. But stick with me.

Think about hay. What is it’s purpose for a farmer?

Hay is the most efficient, effective way to feed the livestock through the cold, wet winter months (or in drought) when nothing else grows.

Making hay while the sun shines is literally saving for a rainy day.

It’s an investment in the future.

_{Now watch me pirouette this into a piece of writing advice.}

The lesson for any of us wanting to share our story & show up on LinkedIn?

Whenever you get inspired, make hay.

If an idea comes to you, capture it:

• Notes app on your phone

• Quick email to yourself

• SMS to a loved one

• Draft LinkedIn post

• Voice memo
  

Whatever your system, don’t let any ideas go to waste. All that overgrown, unkempt alfalfa in your head has a value.

Stack it up like bales of hay in your shed.

Then pull it out on a rainy day, when nothing else seems to inspire you.

You’ll never run out of ideas again.

_{*The most common plants used for hay are white clover, red clover and alfalfa. To be even more specific, these are legumes. Full of protein, calcium & other nutrients great for animals.}

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