I was a little skeptical because the veracity of this is iffy, at least amongst the designers I know:

> Look at graphic designers, for example. If you’ve ever watched a graphic designer work, most of the backgrounds, icons and badges they use come from stock websites

> An efficient designer will normally buy a funnel diagram template rather than make one from scratch. For $5, why reinvent the wheel?

That being said, the general advice is solid. I'd add two more pieces:

1. Three-sentence drafts are your friend. When you think of something that might make an interesting blog topic down the line, write three sentences about it and let it germinate for a bit. (I've found Trello to be great for this, since you can easily add notes and links.)

2. Blog your email. (This advice is stolen blatantly from patio11.) Especially if you're writing to do content marketing, surfacing customer support + answers to interesting questions is a great way to get a jump start.