I picked up what seemed like the 300^th piece of Lego that littered the living room floor. As I did, because I’m old, I grunted as I bent down.

My wife called out and said “Dad? I didn’t know you were coming down today?”

She thought my elder moaning was her dad, who is in his 60s.

And I thought about this a little – also while being slightly depressed about the state of my body before I hit 40.

Did I need to grunt like a constipated tennis player?

Why did I make that sound?

And it hit me – I do lots of things I don’t need to do.

What I’m doing is following in the same tracks as those who went before me.

The way I make a cuppa. The way I cook (does toast count?). Even down to the way I teach my own kids little things. There are bits and pieces that are undoubtedly parts of my mum and dad in there. They’re of course mixed up with your own way of doing things, but like it or not – your mum and dad are there in a lot of what you do.

Your writing, your marketing, doesn’t have to fall into that same trap.

But avoiding it is maddeningly difficult.

I write this from the viewpoint of a copywriter and a marketer.

From a writers perspective, avoiding what has been done before – the ole’ safe method. Avoiding risk and going with the status quo. It’s the equivalent of a warm blanket. You know it. It works a little, you know it could be better but all your life you’re taught to avoid risk, stay away from what COULD go wrong.

From a marketers perspective – I’m trying to use organic posts to generate interest for my copywriting services right now – and the temptation to follow the same pattern for the posts is like trying to stop a Scalextric car following the tracks you’ve laid down. As you think about what you’re writing, your mind ALWAYS tries to lead you down a certain path.

And so, you need to smack it out of those tired routines. Do something to shake it out of its pattern. Write down ten headlines instead of five. Because ten may seem a lot, but I guarantee you that those last three or four will have a strain of gold in them.

Because you’ve had to think outside of that f%$£*ng box to generate those headlines.

So avoid the cliché. You always have the same coffee each day? Try something new. Boring sandwich for lunch? Go for the burrito instead. Missionary? Nah, try the bucking bronco.

Because if you realise you’re writing the same old hash – I can guarantee you that your readers and potential customers will think the same thing.

If you want some copywriting assistance, you’d like some tips in person for your writers or if your business could do with some words, hit the contact button –