How to Get Unstuck and Take Action Towards your Goals

Since the arrival of the twins I’ve struggled to write consistently. I’ll have stretches where I seem to find a rhythm around their nap and feed schedules and then boom! something will shift and weeks go by without writing a word.

It felt like perfect timing when my blog coach Anjali announced a Back to Blogging challenge for October. Being able to draw on the energy of the group felt like just the thing to get me writing again.

Halfway through October I hadn’t written a word.

I was beyond frustrated.

The more frustrated I got, the harder it felt to get started.

So I put on my life coach hat and asked myself:

What will shift this funk? How do I make it feel easy to write again?

Here’s what I discovered.

Forget About the Big Goal (for Now)

I have big, audacious plans for my blog and my coaching business.

Not writing made those goals feel very far away.

The more I focused on my big vision, the more stuck I felt. Every time I connected to my vision, all I noticed was how far away I was. Completely demotivating!

A big goal is fantastic when it’s motivating, when it’s energising (I walk through this process in my Energise My Goals), when it makes me WANT to work towards the goal.

When I’m struggling to find fifteen minutes to do anything, thinking about a big goal feels deflating.

When the big goal is draining energy instead of creating it, it’s time to focus on something smaller (just for a bit!).

Follow the Energy You Already Have

Instead of asking, What should I do next?, I asked myself:

What action or task already has energy behind it that I can grab onto to get moving again?

I’m not worried about finding the “right” next move. That creates too much pressure and feels hard when I need easy.

Writing the blog post I needed in this moment had energy behind it. I wasn’t generating all of the momentum by myself. The idea pulled me forward rather than forcing me to push myself.

For you that might look different. Maybe it’s doing the step that feels exciting or simple. Whatever the path of least resistance is, follow that. Because all I care about when I’m feeling stuck, is getting unstuck.

Once I’m moving again, I can get strategic or intentional.

Start with What’s Annoying You the Most

Another way to think about what step to take to get out of a funk is to ask:

What is annoying me the most right now?

I use this approach with housework all the time. I only have limited time during naps so I clearly can’t do everything I want to do.

Doing the thing that’s the most annoying gives the most satisfaction. It solves the biggest mental pain point I have going on.

It might be I’m annoyed I don’t have healthy snacks, so I make something. Could be my desk is dusty, so I clean it. Might be my makeup brushes are filthy, so I sort that. You get the picture.

When it came to being frustrated about my blog, I was most frustrated about not writing. Like everyone else I have a to do list a mile long of things I want to do.

But the lack of writing annoyed me the most so I knew that was where I needed to start.

The bigger the annoyance, the bigger the relief when it’s done.

READ MORE: Five Reasons for Low Motivation and How to Get your Drive Back

Simplify to Rebuild Momentum

Feeling stuck about a goal is a sign that the voices in my head have gotten really loud. They’re talking over the top of each other about how I can’t do it, it’s never going to happen, I’m so behind.

When so much is clambering for my attention, it’s a sure sign I need to simplify.

Over the last three months I’ve been learning a storytelling method for my social media. Like learning anything new, it’s felt awkward, clumsy and taken more time and energy.

I’ve realised to give my blog my focus, I need to put this new method on the back burner. I’ll use what I’ve already learnt but, for now at least, I’m putting developing this skill any further on pause.

Now I feel pulled in one less direction, it’s easier to put my energy into my blog.

Want to Take Action Towards Your Goals Again?

The theme of the four tips I’ve shared here is to reduce what’s making action feel hard.

Most of the time it’s how I’m thinking about the task that makes it feel hard, not the task itself.

When I can take the pressure off, taking action towards my goals becomes doable again.

And once I’m moving, everything else starts to flow again.

When you’re feeling stuck, how do you like to get back into action mode?