Feeling stuck? Feeling like you’re in a rut and see no way out? You have no energy to even start digging to get yourself out of that hole? I know that feeling all too well. That’s how I felt most of this spring + summer. So I decided to make a game plan for myself to get me back on track.

Today I’m sharing that game plan with you! I also created a worksheet to help you take notes as you read through these steps. You can download it from the Tribe Library. If you haven’t signed up for access yet you can simply do that by going here.   

So, let’s dig in and get going!

1. Start Small

I don’t know about you, but when I feel stuck it’s often affecting my whole life. It’s not just that I’m not working towards my goal, but it’s also that I’m not doing my morning routine, I’m not doing any movement, I’m not eating well, I’m spending all of my free time watching the last seasons of Nashville… And the list could go on and on.

Somewhere, deep inside you, you know you have the capacity to do way better than this! But it’s just that you feel like it’s impossible to get back on track!

The first step to get out of the slump is so simple, but yet so difficult – you need to scale down!

Let me explain what I mean.

It feels impossible to get back on track because you want to get all aspects of your life on track, all at the same time.

By scaling down and focusing on one thing you supercharge what little energy you have on that thing. Get a tunnel vision and ignore all the other things you think you should focus on and only have eyes for whatever you chose to do. That’s the fastest way to get unstuck!

I know you’re awesome, and you and I both know you can accomplish a whole lot when you put your mind to it! But right now, when you’re stuck, you just have to start digging to get yourself out of this hole. And the fastest way is to chose one small thing to focus on, just to get the ball rolling.

What you should start with really doesn’t matter. Ask yourself; What do I feel like doing next?

And whatever comes to mind – don’t analyze!! Don’t start thinking about how you really ought to do something else first. Just pick the thing that speaks to you and focus on that.

What you need right now is to just take any sort of action and get into momentum.

You can’t steer a car that’s standing still. You need to get the car rolling to be able to steer it towards where you want to go. Just taking small actions, and being in motion, gives you momentum to get to where you eventually want to go.

2. Change Your Self-talk

We all talk to ourselves all the time and sadly most of the time it’s not any kind words. We’re tough on ourselves and we’re our own worst critics. What we say to ourselves we would never say to a friend. We beat ourselves up for what we didn’t do, for what we did do and everything in between.

To get out of the rut you need to change your inner self-talk.

I’ve found that the easiest way to do this is to come up with a ”mantra” and repeat it as often as possible.

The mantra could be what you aspire to be (e.g. energetic, positive, loving, kind), a quote that lifts you up and motivates you, or things you are grateful for that fills you with positive emotions.

Keep a note with the mantra by your bed so you remember to focus on it when you go to bed and as soon as you wake up. Create an alarm on your phone for every two hours, with the mantra as the alarm text. Go for a walk around the block every morning and evening and repeat the mantra for the whole walk.

It’s not easy and you’ll fail. But that’s completely ok. Your real goal is just to try and repeat it as often as you possibly can. And whatever you end up with will be ”as often as you possibly can”. Which means you’ll achieve it no matter what ;)

If you want more ideas on when you could think or and/or repeat the mantra, download the free printable worksheet. I’ve added a long list of ideas to get you started on ideas how to implement this into your life.

You can change your mantra daily or you can keep the same mantra for months to come. Whatever feels right is right.

This is one of the things I did when I was burnt out and I was trying to get back on solid ground again. It takes time and at first you don’t notice any difference or effect, but trust me, just keep on doing it day in and day out and it will help you!

3. Update Your Surroundings

Your surroundings affect your energy levels. If you have low energy levels, as you probably do when you’re in a rut and feeling stuck, you need to have a look at your surroundings.

I know for me I don’t do well in messy environments. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but I know where my limit of messiness is before it starts to affect my energy. Sometimes it goes well beyond that limit and it can take some time for me to realize that that’s why my energy’s been so low. Once I get things in order I feel the shift in my energy!

And maybe you need some creative clutter for your energy to be on top? Great, then do that! The idea is that you figure out what surroundings you feel most comfortable in, where you feel it gives you energy instead of taking energy and go for that.

Sometimes it’s not possible to get things the way we would prefer it to be due to family members, roommates or colleagues. But I would encourage you to do the best you can, at least in the area where you spend the most time. If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, well clean it out and make it the way it works for you! If you have a home office where you spend most of your evenings being creative, well, create your sanctuary there.

If your goal is to get in shape, well maybe you need to re-arrange the drawers with your gym clothes so they’re easy to find? Or to sit down and make a list of dinners so in the coming week when you don’t feel like making a healthy dish and you have no idea what to do, look at this list and you can choose any dish and know it’s a good choice.

How About You?

Do you have any tips on what you do when you’re in a rut and feel stuck? Have you tried any of these tips and how did they work out for you? I’d love to know, so leave a comment below!