In a Slump? Dump It & Pump Things UP!
When you’re in a slump, you’re fighting off self-sabotage and fatigue and that’s flat-out no fun. You’re feeling super blue.
Do you struggle to keep those January New Year’s resolutions alive once March rounds the bend? After all of your hard work on making a big change does it seem like…weeks or months down the road…you’re worn down and uninspired?
It’s to be expected. It’s part of the change package, so to speak, but it doesn’t have to completely derail you or otherwise undermine your progress.
Here’s some tips to help you shake off the threat of any slump before it shakes your game.
First, have a mindset that acknowledges reality.
Sure, the stress of making big changes and laying down new tracks for your life can seem overbearing. Respect the fact that you’re doing a lot of hard work, but remember that the journey of your life moves on. You do have to keep moving forward. Appreciate the fact that you’re in a transitional phase of life, where the newness of your changes may have worn off and simultaneously you’re not yet in a place yet where you’re deeply embedded on your new path long enough to the point that it’s become second nature to be “this (new) way.” (Whatever that is). But think of yourself as the heroine in the story of your life. You can’t give up the fight! You will–you must–prevail.
Second, double your efforts to find and/or beef up your Dream Team and communicate with them about the slump you’re experiencing. Then brainstorm with them about new and exciting ways to meet your S.M.A.A.R.T. goals and otherwise speed up the timetables for your awesome, yet believable goals.
Third, if things are dragging you down, shake things up. Putting some healthy pressure on yourself to get back in the game, cheered on by Team You. It’s often this simple.
Fourth, you’ll totally be in a slump if you’re alone and bored! So get out there and make new connections every day through networking your FRANKS and your FRANKS’ FRANKS to keep folding folks into your world and rekindle the flame of novelty and fun alive in your life. That might keep you psyched to keep the positive changes coming.
Fifth, keep things interesting by altering any pre-existing routines you have going on in connection with your goals.
It’s easy to be stupefied by a slump when your life is same-old, same-old.
Sixth, dive deeper into whatever it is you’re struggling with, instead of running away from it!
Enroll in a class (either in person or online) with an aspect of communal participation to it (read: people/fun!). Knowledge is power–well, it’s potential power. It’s only powerful if you act on it. But maybe a new focus group, class or workshop will get you to do exactly that!
Seventh, reevaluate your short-term goals versus your long-term ones in a goal-setting ritual.
If you haven’t been able to achieve a goal in a while, no wonder you’re losing traction. Maybe you need to dice up some long-term goals into short-term ones…or take a short-term goal and shatter it into many different baby steps.
Any of these suggestions will hopefully breathe life into your cause and help you dump that stinkin’ slump! You just have to be willing to give them a try.
For more advice on getting unstuck, try the book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen, available on Amazon.
