Five Steps to Take You From Rut to Motivation

Have you ever been in a rut?  You have lots and lots to do.  You’ve planned out exactly how you’re going to do everything.  Nothing on your to-do list is all that hard to do.  Yet, no matter what you do you can’t seem to get yourself to do it?  

It happens to everyone (me included).  One day everything is fine, the next day nothing you do seems right.  

You can spend days, even weeks or months, trying to get some traction, to get anything to take hold.

You spin your wheels.  You try to trick yourself into productivity.  

You may say, “I’ll spend fifteen minutes surfing the Internet and then I’ll get to work.” Or else you pretend to be productive by doing other things that need doing.  Unfortunately, it’s not what you really need to get done.

In the end you say, oh well, I guess I’ll do it tomorrow.

What I can tell you is that these phases do pass.  I wish I had a spell to magically get you moving.  There are plenty of times I’d use it too!

Instead of a spell here are five things I do to help me get myself engaged in what needs to get done.  Give them a try when you need to give yourself a boost.   

1.    Focus on single, simple steps.  What tiny thing can you do to move your most important project one step along?  Can you ask someone a question or send out a single email?  Pick something very small and easy to do.  
2.    Identify your “escape activity” and shut it down.  I escape into the Internet.  I found a type of kill switch app that disables the websites I turn to when I’m trying to escape.  If you escape to email, shut it down.  If you escape to the kitchen bring your favorite drink and single healthy snack to your office and shut the kitchen down.
3.    Get support.  If you don’t already have a coach, get one.  Get an assistant too.  At a bare minimum tell a friend what your goal for the day is and have them hold you accountable.  If you can’t do it for yourself you’ll be amazed at what you can do for other people.  
4.    Practice amazing self-care.  Eat well.  Get sleep and exercise.  Get out of your office and into the fresh air.  You don’t have to run a marathon; even a few minutes of stretching will help.
5.    Be honest and gentle with yourself.  Acknowledge that you aren’t focused at the moment and know things will shift.  Focus on the small steps and know that they will add up to something big.  

None of these five strategies are a magic cure; however, I encourage you to try them individually or all together to get you moving.

What strategies do you use when you’re feeling stuck?  I’d love to know.  Share them with me in the comments section below.