I hate to admit it, but I’ve been stuck in a rut for a few weeks…actually months. Instead of being productive and knocking out the same tasks I used to, I’ve been sleeping more and scrolling aimlessly on social media. In this post, I’m going to take you through the tips I’ve used to help myself get out of a rut – I hope these tips help you as well!
Evaluate the rut
I say this all the time – and I stand by it. In order to fix a problem, you need to know what the problem is! The same applies to the rut that you’re experiencing.
Think about what area of your life that you’re feeling “bleh” about – is it finances? Your career? Lack of direction? Relationships? Try starting with the area you feel unsatisfied in and go from there. If you need help figuring that out, grab these free life audit worksheets to help you start the process.
Give yourself grace
It’s really easy to get caught up in the rut that you’re experiencing and start blaming yourself, or start feeling inadequate. Setbacks and challenges are a normal part of life and part of the journey.
It’s okay to not have everything figured out, and I want you to be kind to yourself. Trust me, even the people who seem like they have it all together may not. And for those who do, it may have taken a while to get to that point. So trust the process, my friend!
Do something
This probably sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, because if you were motivated to do the things you needed to then you probably wouldn’t be reading this post. But honestly, the key to getting out of a rut is taking action, no matter how big or small.
Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we need a massive amount of motivation to get out of the rut that we’re in. The truth is – doing one task can be incredibly helpful when trying to get out of a rut.
So what could this look like?
- Writing a to-do list
- Signing up for a class
- Going for a walk
- Journaling
The list goes on!!
Progressive overload your tasks
This next tip builds upon the last tip I shared. I’ve only ever heard of progressive overload when dealing with going to the gym. Many weightlifters give the advice of increasing your weights incrementally over time to grow your muscles. The same concept can apply to getting yourself out of a rut.
We tend to have an all or nothing mentality when it comes to our to-do lists and habits. I can literally remember times when I would want to lose weight and write out a plan that was so unrealistic. On top of that unrealistic plan, I would tell myself that I had to do it nearly every day each week.
Oddly enough, when I didn’t stay consistent with the unrealistic plan I set, I would feel so discouraged and disappointed with myself. This is because I had an all or nothing mindset.
Instead, I’d encourage you to focus on consistency rather than intensity. The amount of tasks on your to-do list, the number of habits you start on January 1st, or all the foods you eliminate from your diet aren’t going to be sustainable if you go from 0 to 100 overnight.
Try to focus on one small task that you can be consistent with – this could look like:
- Walking on the treadmill for just 5-10 minutes 3 times a week
- Read 5 pages of a book before bed each night
- Reaching out to 2 leads a day for your business
Start small and work your way up to the bigger tasks, because over time, the small tasks will be second-nature to you.
Final Thoughts
It’s so easy to get into a rut, yet so hard to get out of one – but it doesn’t have to long term. You may notice that I only shared four tips on getting out of a rut, and that’s because when you’re in a rut, everything feels 10x harder to do.
This is why it’s so important to start small and build yourself up.
Remember to be kind to yourself – you’ve got this.
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