What to do when you get stuck in a rut

October 7th, 2019

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Table of contents

Are you stuck in a rut? Does everything in your life seem a little harder to do? Or are you less motivated to complete even the simplest of tasks?

Being stuck in a rut is extremely common and can really set you back from crushing your goals.

When you’re stuck in a rut, you lack motivation and aren’t able to focus like you usually would.

When you are in this kind of state of mind, you lose sight of the thing you wanted to accomplish in the first place.

This means your work and personal lives both suffer.

If you are working on your own business, this may mean skipping work one day, then one day becomes 2 days and then 2 days becomes 1 week.

At this point you’ll find yourself further back than you were a week ago and lacking the motivation to continue.

Procrastination always starts small and eventually turns into something you feel you can no longer control.

First, understand you are not alone..

There will be times when you lose a little motivation and you feel a low.

We have all had moments when we feel a little “blah”, but how do you start becoming super productive again and get out of the rut you’ve been stuck in for so long?

Maybe you’ve been super productive for a whole week and today you’ve just woken up on the wrong side, or maybe you’ve been feeling stuck and unmotivated for a while now.

However deep into that rut you’re stuck, I’m going to help you get through it and back on the other side bigger and brighter.

If you want to get out of that rut, here are a few tips to get your life back on the right track..

Stuck in a rut: How to get yourself out of it

1. Identify the Culprit

Identifying the reason for your rut is key.

You may have just come out of a relationship, struggling to find a job or just in general feel unmotivated and lazy.

What ever the reason is, realise that it was cause but the it is not the solution.

Asking yourself why over and over again only sends you deeper into this dark place.

Embrace the fact that things didn’t happen the way you wanted them to and that any experience will propel you to become a better person or at least a more informed individual.

As hard as it is to believe, things eventually do get better and it all starts with YOU! It is never too late for anything.

Once you have determined the culprit, focus on the actions you can take to move forward.

2. Do something

The “Do Something” principle is essentially focused on sparking momentum to get up and (you guessed it) DO SOMETHING.

It is the means to take action when you don’t have the means to do anything.

This theory was realized by Mark Manson; NYTimes bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (A book I love!).

If you lack the motivation to do something, you often need something else to spark that motivation.

The theory of most is that, you need to have the motivation first, in order to actually do it. This is simply not true, according to Mark.

The simple truth is that, by doing

His theory is that the sequence that comes when we ‘do something’, is not a straight line that begins with inspiration.

It is in-fact a sequence that goes round and round in a loop:

Inspiration → Motivation → Action → Inspiration → Motivation → Action →

So looking at the above sequence loop, you’ll see that by taking action will ultimately result is the inspiration you need to stay motivated.

Inspiration → Motivation → Action → Inspiration → Motivation → Action →

If you are able to reprogram your brain to start with the Action, let this Inspire, which will in turn Motivate us to complete more action.

Don’t wait for something to Motivate you to take action

Starting small is key here. Don’t feel like you need to tackle a jungle, when you can get started with a small tree.

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3. Reward yourself for small wins

If you’ve been in a funk for a while, taking even the smallest amount of action can feel like a huge step.

You should reward yourself for even for the small wins and not put too much pressure on yourself to reach that higher goal too quickly.

It will naturally take time to bounce back out of the rut you’ve been in, so just chill! (Well not too much).

Practice self-care just as much as you are self-improvement.

Take a break if you need to do and treat yourself when you’ve accomplished small goals.

4. Practice Mindfulness

When you wake, try and take time to practice mindfulness.

Leave your phone, laptop and TV alone for even 20 minutes of the day, allow yourself to wake and alone with your thoughts.

You may be going through it right now, but take some time to affirm positivity and gratitude.

This can actually go a long way into getting you out of this horrible funk.

Create a list of affirmations or a positive quote library to read every morning as you wake, to set your day up for success!

Time is a fantastic healer, so despite what feeling/thought put you into this rut, know that taking time to actively move forward mentally will significantly improve your status.

5. Perform a Progressive lifestyle change

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to tackle the amount of change necessary to completely get out of a rut.

Instead of forcing yourself to complete the crazy work overload all at once or go to the gym 5 times a week to get fit, you should be progressively introducing your mind and body into a natural pattern of behaviour.

Don’t yoyo between taking crazy amounts of action and then crashing out for days on end/long periods of self destruction.

Slowly work on organically growing a lifestyle that becomes more and more productive each and every day.

Eventually this will train your mind into thinking this type of productive behaviour on a regular basis is normal and it will become instinct.

Be happy with taking even a small amount of action each day and make sure your are patient with yourself.

Set goals that attainable and don’t be afraid to constantly change your goals depending on the stage your at.

6. Try Something New

Talk to new people, take up a class, find a different route home.

Whatever it is try something new that will spark that motivation you need to get unstuck.

If you get bored easily and this boredom leads to procrastination which leads to a depressive state, then do something a little out of the ordinary.

Create a list of activities you’ve never done before and fill your usual procrastination time with being spontaneous.

If your routine is EAT, SLEEP, WORK, REPEAT, then find a passion project to do in between your usual routine.

This could turn into a side hustles that eventually becomes your job!

Change up your routine even a little and you’ll start to see change.

Time to get out of that rut!

It can be frustrating when you get stuck in a rut but taking the gradual steps to pull yourself out of it can be liberating and incredibly inspiring.

If you change your way of thinking and know that you and only you can make the conscious choice to feel better, your life will completely change.

Good Luck!

*DISCLAIMER

This content is not meant to be a replacement for actual therapy. You should seek professional medical advice if you feel you need professional help.