In 1970, the International Telecommunication Union introduced the leap second.

Designed to counter the slowing rotation of the Earth and keep “human time” aligned with super-accurate atomic clocks, leap seconds have been employed 27 times in the last 50 years.

On 15 October, however, the General Conference on Weights and Measures voted to scrap the system. The window that would have opened on 31 December 2026 is now closed, and leap seconds will officially cease on May 20 2027.

If you were banking on a leap second to give you more time to write your marketing content next year, think again.

Thankfully, though, there are plenty of other ways to find inspiration and build writing time into your busy day.

Here are three of them.

1. Get away from your desk

You’re no doubt incredibly busy, but writing while stressed, distracted, or with a deadline looming is unlikely to produce the best results.

Use a lunchtime walk to get out into nature and away from the bustle of the office. This can help you think more clearly, order your thoughts, and could provide much-needed inspiration.

Take a pen and paper with you to capture these moments as they arrive. You might even use your phone to record your thoughts or to start an article that you’ve been struggling with for weeks.

In January, Susanna wrote about how spending time alone could help you write better content for your business and, among other tips, explained how solitude can:

• Support better writing decisions
• Boost creativity and productivity
• Allow time to reflect on business and client needs.

Your digital marketing is a key part of how you service your clients, but if this requires you to step out of your comfort zone and write, it can be easy to give in to distraction. Preparation and the right mindset are key.

You wouldn’t step into a client meeting underprepared, and it’s important not to approach the blank page that way either.

Which leads us to…

2. Build a bank of ideas

Spending time alone might not always be enough to beat the dreaded writer’s block. That’s where a bank of ideas comes in.

Whether you find inspiration on your lunchtime walk, home-time commute, or watching the evening news, be sure to make a note of good ideas as they arrive and keep them together.

You already know the topical events that are impacting your clients and the sort of questions they might have. But changes in legislation or HMRC rules might mean an explainer article is necessary, while market volatility might call for a reassuring word.

Non-financial events such as sports competitions or cultural touchpoints like the Great British Bake Off or Celebrity Traitors can also provide just the hook you need to get your readers thinking.

When these events occur, refer back to your log of ideas to see where connections can be made. The next time you sit down to write, you’ll have some ready-made topics to choose from.

3. Make writing part of your weekly schedule

When writing is secondary to your main work helping clients over the phone or face-to-face, you’ll always find one more task, and one more client to help. But don’t sell yourself or your marketing short.

Regular contact with clients is vital for delivering your expertise, and for positioning yourself as your clients’ go-to when external events and life milestones mean they have a question.

Diarise your writing time and stick to it as rigidly as you would any other meeting, even if you can only spare an hour a week.

Be sure to pick a quiet time when you’re unlikely to be distracted, and block it out. Add the time to a shared calendar and update your status on any messaging apps to “Busy” to make it clear that you’re not to be disturbed.

Setting this time as a recurring meeting helps to make it a habit (for you and your colleagues) and means you’re accountable. You might even go back to your bank of ideas and assign ideas to your next few writing slots so that you have topics lined up long in advance.

Get in touch

Leap second or not, the only way to make time to write is to sit down and do it.

But if you genuinely don’t have the time – or the thought of a weekly writing slot causes you undue stress – get in touch.

Our team of content experts is on hand to provide your clients with bespoke content that targets them and their issues, so get in touch now.

Email hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300 to learn more.