Brain Rules for Bloggers: Excercise, Evolution and Getting Wired

Inspired by John Medina’s 12 Brain Rules, I’ve taken it upon myself to shamelessly steal borrow and adapt all 12 rules to the unique-and-special-snowflake needs of bloggers. Want to build a better blog? Start by building a better brain!

Brain Rule #1: Exercise Boosts Brain Power
(even in bloggers!)

Your brain needs exercise. No, not just the mental sort you get from researching for hours on end, practicing creative writing techniques, or mucking around with CSS code, I’m talking about real life old-fashioned get-your-heart-moving physical workouts. Getting the blood pumping increases the amount of oxygen and glucose available to the brain, making it work better *now*. Not only that, but 30 minutes of aerobic exercise just 2 times a week can cut your risk of dementia in half. (We won’t mention the added benefit of reducing blogger-butt-bloat)

Want those ideas to come more easily, the words to flow more naturally? Want to be able to continue to blog on into your old age?

Then stop sitting there staring at the screen, and get *moving*! Find ways to incorporate activity into your work flow: look into options like balance ball chairs and treadmill workstations. Get into the habit of pacing while you network on the phone, or just take regularly scheduled exercise breaks.

Aerobic blogging - it’s the next big brain thing!

Brain Rule #2: Your Brain Evolved For Survival
(use it to help your blog evolve)

It’s a blog eat blog world out there, and only the strongest, toughest of bloggers survive.

Luckily, your ancestors blessed you with a brain that evolved to meet very similar survival needs. Your ancestors stalked food, and you stalk RSS subscribers, but hey.. its *almost* the same thing, right? No?

Well, how about this: our ancestors survived very threatening environments largely because their brains developed in ways that seem unique the human species. Those oh-so-primitive ancients learned to think and communicate in symbols (symbols like the words and images found on a blog), to develop complex, mutually beneficial relationships (mutually beneficial relationships like social networks, twitter buddies, blog rolls and carnivals ) and to inventively adapt to the never ending changes in environment (changes like the Wordpress 2.5 dashboard, the expanding social media frontiers, and whatever blog trend is on the front page of Digg this week).

Your brain evolved to enable you to survive - learn to use those same functions in surviving as a blogger.

Brain Rule #3: Every Brain Is Wired Differently
(learn to control and capitalize on those differences)

It’s true… your brain is wired differently than any other brain out there, truly making you a unique-and-special-snowflake of a blogger.

Not only is your brain different from everyone else’s, but the brain you have now is wired somewhat differently than the brain you had five years ago. Why? Because each new experience you have, and each new skill you build, burns new neural circuitry. As you gain experience, you rewire your brain. The more you repeat those skills, the stronger the new wiring becomes. The more you write, the more you fiddle with code in your blog theme, the more you practice social networking… the better you’ll become at it. Your brain will physically change to support those skills, and before long, the very skills you’re struggling with now will feel simple and natural.

Differences in brain-wiring also mean that you shouldn’t try and force yourself into the mold of that A-List blogger you envy. Their blog is different from yours, because their *brain* is different from yours. Consider those differences, and capitalize on your strengths: that A-lister may be a great social networker, but you’re a great satirical writer. Maybe they’re tops with the tech end of stuff, but you’re terrific at motivating readers to take action. Your brain is different, use those differences instead of bemoaning them.

And don’t leave your readers out of the wiring equation: their brains are all different, too. How each reader relates to your blog depends as much on their brain, as your actual blog content. For instance, some readers respond best to written words, some to sounds, others to interactivity. Some benefit from comment threads, others do best considering the concepts in silence. It’s your job as a blogger to decide if you want to target a specific type of reader, or to appeal to a broader market with a more rounded buffet of information. by including more graphics, audio files, podcasts, transcripts of your podcasts, quizes, and so on. Either way can work, but both work best when done with intent - and whichever strategy you take, be sure its one that fits with YOUR brain.

Every brain is different: a good blogger accepts those differences, a great blogger exploits them!

Coming later this week:

Part 2 of Brain Rules for Bloggers - Attention, Memory, and Memory

Now, I’m off to rewire my own brain for survival by taking a jaunt on my very own treadmill workstation!

If you haven’t checked out Brain Rules yet, you should. My review of the book is here, and other evidence of my fangrrl ravings are here and here. Or you could just skip straight to the Brain Rules website. But take the time to comment, digg or stumble this, first, please? I’m not afraid to beg!