Long-term success requires resilience over time. But despite our best intentions, energy lags, schedules conflict, plans get disrupted, and inspiration fades. Learning how to recognize those moments and making the changes that get you moving towards your goals again is a primary difference between high achievers and average performers.
Read on: blog.WednesdayWin.comโ
Read time: 4 minutes
Whether trying to launch a business, elevate creative work to a new level, hit a new achievement, or keep up a long-term project, any of us can get off track and lose the way.
The good news is it's much easier to break the negative cycle you feel in these moments than it can seem from within. Here are five tools I use when I find myself off-target and my progress on my priorities lagging.
1. Recognize that you are off-track
This has nothing to do with embracing guilt or embarrassment about not hitting your targets or completing your tasks. Instead, this is a chance to take stock of where you are relative to your plan and identify some "whys?" so you can make improvements.
- Were you overambitious about the time blocks you could reserve for your project? Maybe you have to scale back the planned pace of progress
- Did you get distracted by something new? Watch out for getting stuck in the hype of the new, but keep in mind that sometimes we really do have to change our priorities
- Did you get derailed by a one-off schedule disruption or has your baseline of availability changed? Be realistic about the time you can commit
- Or maybe, the goal doesn't really align with your self-view and your deeper priorities. It's nearly impossible to do something major and new if our sense of self is not as someone who achieves those things
Whatever the causes, it's helpful to recognize where you might need to make some adjustments to enable forward progress. Be honest in your assessment, but avoid judgment. This is about blockers to clear not blame to assign.
2. Re-focus on identity over outcomes
I write about this often because it's central for making positive change: your own sense of identity must align with your goals.
Major goals that require growth in capabilities, connections, and execution can't be reached if they go against our own views of who we are. Instead, we can only pull up our achievements to meet the level of where we see ourselves to be.
If you are stuck and not making progress and you can't figure out why, this is usually the reason.
- Start by focusing on the person you wish to be. Reflect and embrace the mental image of being the kind of person who has achieved what you are seeking to do
- Live up to that standard every day
- Behave as a person who has done what you wish to do
This will create that wind at your back feeling that will propel you forward. Make decisions and take actions in that frame of mind.
3. Update your environment
One of the best ways to refresh your enthusiasm and to get moving again is to change your environment. That can take many forms.
- Start working from a new location or rearrange your workspace to change the views
- Get up and move around if you normally work at desk. Try brainstorming while on a walk
- Get up an extra hour earlier or stay later to gain some extra quiet time
- Try using different tools like switching to a big monitor if you normally use only a laptop
- Change the sounds from background music to silence, smells from adding flowers, tea instead of coffee--anything that will help you break your routine
As Rick Rubin points out in The Creative Act, these kind of changes break us out of our mental ruts and open us up to creative discovery.
4. Tackle the biggest, most stressful to-do item first
Now, let's get to work.
My top recommendation for getting unstuck on your priority project: tackle the worst item hanging over your head first. There's two reasons this works so well:
1/ it's probably not nearly as bad to actually do as the negative feelings it creates by not being done and,
2/ even if it is unpleasant, you'll get it done first and have positive momentum with the next tasks up easier to address.
You may want to start with easier items first, but take care not to fall into the procrastination trap of being busy instead of productive.
Do work that matters!
- What's the number one ugly task that you've been putting off?
- Attack it aggressively and Get It Done Now
- Don't let the negative energy of dread for the work not done take up any more of your attention
James Clear explains the power of this well by saying, "Are you willing to be uncomfortable for 5 minutes?" Because usually, once you get started and working for just a few minutes, continuing becomes even easier than stopping.
Just get started on that big task that's taken up a far outsized residence in your mind and enjoy the release of stress and pressure that goes with it.
5. Aim for consistent improvement
And finally, don't try to make the entire journey in one step: focus on a little bit of improvement each day.
Every bit of learning compounds, earning you interest on all you've come to know so far. Small advances each day will massively scale up your results over all.
The difference between writing one paragraph and zero is immense. The difference between working out once a week instead of once a month will be transformative. And the difference between where you start the year and where you'll finish it will amaze you if you just advance a tiny bit each day.
Action Summary
When you set big goals that require significant growth, you are going to have some setbacks. Build your resilience and don't let those disruptions derail you from your priorities.
- Take stock of the reasons that got you off-track
- Remind yourself that you are the kind of person that does achieve these goals
- Refresh your environment to get a fresh start
- Tackle the task that's weighing on you the most and rob it of the negative hold it has over you
- Strive for consistent, small improvements each day for a massive scale up of your total results
All high achievers hit down periods. But don't get stuck there. Work through it and step up to the next level.
โ
How do you best get back to progress after stalling out? Did I miss something that works for you? Reply to this email and let me know.
โ
To your success,
Christopher
โ
P.S. Like this one? You'll probably want to check out this earlier Wednesday Win essay with even more ideas for refreshing your attitude and getting back on track, too.
โ
Looking for a deeper dive on these topics? Connect here and reach out:
- Connect and follow on Twitter/X: @cbellโ
- Connect and follow on LinkedIn: @cbellโ
Like this newsletter? Please share the sign-up link with others. Thank you.
โ
โ
โ