Last week we talked about getting unstuck with others. Today is about getting unstuck personally. There are lots of ways to describe getting stuck. We “run out of gas,” or we are “stuck in a rut.”
However you describe it, getting stuck happens to the best of us. We’re currently in the midst of writing about the intersection of change and culture and have gotten stuck. Staring at the screen, the words just don’t want to appear. We know we have some great insights to share but we’re stuck.
Being stuck can leave you feeling overwhelmed, paralyzed or stumped. Here are some tips to get you unstuck:
- Take the first next step – sometimes the way to get unstuck is to take action. Remember Newton’s laws of motion? The first one says that an object at rest remains at rest unless acted on by a force. You’ll stay where you are unless you exert force and take action. You don’t have to know ten steps ahead but you can begin with the first next step. It’s amazing how the step after that becomes clearer once you’ve taken action.
- Try New – Get some new information, go to a new place, or look at the situation from a new point of view. New information can infuse new insights which lift you out of the rut. A new place or a new point of view can enable you to see things differently, break free and get unstuck.
- Do the Opposite – if you were a Seinfeld fan, you probably remember the episode where George decides that every decision that he has ever made has been wrong, and that his life is the exact opposite of what it should be. When you are stuck, try doing the opposite.
So if you are feeling stuck, try new, do the opposite or take the first next step. We’re applying what we’ve shared with you and are getting unstuck to continue our writing project.
P.S. After writing this tip, we searched the internet and discovered an interesting app called Unstuck. Their intention is to create a community of people who learn from each other and get unstuck. Who knew?!?