How to get out of a rut
Sometimes I have a really productive week that was proceeded by a few weeks where I was feeling stuck in a bit of a rut and not wanting to do the things I had on my to-do list. Yes, even I get stuck in a rut from time to time :) - so don't beat yourself up if sometimes you feel a bit unproductive.
Here are some of the things I do when I'm stuck in a rut and need to get back on track. These tips have definitely help me get back on top of things when I’m feeling that I’m in a rut.
Tip 1: Listen to something positive
As you know if you've followed me for a while, I walk every day for about an hour and if I'm in a rut I'm particularly careful about what I choose to listen to on my walks. I use this time to listen to something motivating such as a podcast, motivating videos on YouTube or audiobooks (e.g. biographies of inspiring people). Gary Vee is very motivating for me when I'm feeling like I need a bit of a pep talk! But he's not for everyone so you find someone who motivates you.
Tip 2: Be kind to yourself
The more you beat yourself up about the fact you can't get out of the rut the worse you will feel. Everyone gets in to a rut from time to time so don't be too hard on yourself about it and don't punish yourself for feeling that way. Just own the feeling, accept it and try and do things to move past it.
Also listen to your body - sometimes a rut is really just your body's way of telling you to take a break for a few days (often the case for me!). So if that's the case do some lower energy tasks until you find more energy to get back to your more high energy projects.
Tip 3: Make a short list of achievable things you can tick off
Momentum is what will get you out of a rut but sometimes the rut is caused by the overwhelm of large projects that are sitting on your to-do list. That was the case for me when I knew I had to update my SketchUp course and this is a fairly large and complicated project, so the overwhelm of doing it was putting me off starting!
So what I did instead was break the task of creating the course into much smaller chunks of work and just started ticking them off e.g. create the slide deck, write the speaking notes, record the videos, edit the videos, make the PDF cheat sheet etc. Eventually bit by bit the project came together by simply taking action on much smaller steps.
Once I got the course out I felt completely back on track and much more energised. So if you do feel like you are stuck in a bit of a rut the best thing I can encourage you to do is to start doing something - no matter how small - to try and move past it and come out the other side.
Also just a disclaimer that I'm not talking about depression or serious mental health issues here so if you are feeling like that please seek professional help and take care of yourself.
Courses and Templates for Designers and Architects
DO YOU WANT TO….
Improve your professionalism?
Find more clients?
Bring in more revenue?
Create better systems and processes?
Then check out my business courses and templates for designers and architects.
These courses and templates leave you with work done - not just a long list of things you need to do next. We have a really strong focus on taking action and getting things created that improve your business.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy
