Are You Feeling Stuck?

Some days the brakes just won't release, am I right?

Nothing is more frustrating than knowing you have so much to do and not being able to do it. The first step to get out of the muck is to figure out what's really going on.

Why are you moving at a snail's pace or maybe not even moving at all? Identify the root of the problem and dig it up so that you can start planting the seeds for progress.

Get A Jumpstart

Start the process by not actually doing anything. Yep, you heard me correctly. Don't do anything, just yet.

Instead, start by outlining a plan for how you want things to pan out. Jot down a few ideas for what you'd like to accomplish next, including any associated deadlines.

Then take a look at your list of tasks and identify the items that you could easily get done and cross off the list. This will help you feel a sense of accomplishment and get you headed in the right direction. It's an easy way to generate some momentum when you're feeling really bogged down by inertia.

What Not To Do

Don't waste more of your valuable time wallowing over the amount of time you spent being stuck. There's no point in doing that!

Sometimes it's easier to speak negatively to yourself than to pump yourself up with positivity. But allowing that dark cloud to hover over your head will only make forward movement that much harder. So, stop that!

A Fresh Start

Instead, flip your focus from the negative to the positive. View this as a fresh start.

Start today. Take a look at the next goal or project you want to accomplish and start anew. Disregard what's happened (or not) in the past.

Start with one task on your list. Then you can begin chipping away at the next project or goal.

Tips to Try

1. Perfection does not exist, so quit worrying about starting projects off perfectly right out of the gate. The important thing is to simply start.
2. I said it once, I'll say it again. PLAN! You can never go wrong when you plan things out. Of course, some things will not end up the way you anticipate, but outlining how you would like things to go will lower the probability that you'll be stuck when unforeseen problems pop up.
3. Give yourself a round of applause! Starting on a task is the toughest part. Recognize and congratulate yourself when you take the first step to get the ball rolling.
4. Take breaks. You don't want your train to run out of steam. So allow yourself to take breaks on a regular basis. Schedule them in so that you know they're coming up and you know that you'll return to work in order to finish the job.
5. Remember each success. Next time you're feeling stuck, think of a time when you were in a similar situation and got yourself unstuck. Use that memory as a trigger to shift yourself into gear. Remind yourself how good it felt to finish a difficult task and how you can obtain that feeling again with this project.