Do you feel stuck? Picture this: you have a list of things to do, you know how to do everything on your list, but you can’t get yourself to do anything. Are you frustrated by this feeling? Maybe your list of things to do is so long that you feel overwhelmed by all you have to do. I took a class last week presented by Dr. Sasha Heinz. She calls this being consciously stuck.
Dr. Heinz says there’s a divide between good intentions and action. You can want to do lots and lots of things but until you create a plan to do them, all these good intentions will stay out there in the stratosphere and you will stay consciously stuck.
I get it. Many of my clients tell me, they know what to do they just can’t motivate themselves into action. Dr. Heinz attributes some of this to your mindset.
My mother used to say to me, “You can do anything you set your mind to”. Does this sound familiar? I bet that many of your mothers said something similar to you.
Henry Ford is famous for saying, “whether you think you can, or think you can’t – you’re right.”
In other words, when you tell your brain that you can’t do something it will be hard for you to get that thing done. Conversely, when you tell your brain you can get this thing or things done, you will. Your thoughts generate your emotions, and your emotions drive your actions.
When you are consciously stuck you are telling yourself that there’s no point to even trying because you’ll never get whatever it is done.
Here are my tips to reduce the feeling of being consciously stuck
Have no more than 3 things on your daily to-do list
Sure, I know you have more than 3 things to do but limit your to-do list to 3 things. Rank them in order of importance. Do them. If there’s time, do 1 more task. Do not overwhelm yourself with a never-ending list of things to-do.
Use a schedule
Nothing gets done unless it is scheduled. You can tell yourself all day long about the things you want to do but unless you assign a day and time to getting them done these things will not get done.
It doesn’t have to be a specific time. You might say to yourself something like, “after breakfast I will water the plants”. Or, “on the way to pick Susie up from school, I will stop at the dry cleaners and pick up the cleaning”. This way you have a time frame.
Do a brain dump
Keep a journal or a list in your computer of all the things you want to do. Take these things off your mind so you don’t have to work to remember them. As you get these things done, cross them off your list. As new things or projects occur to you, add them to the list.
Plan your day the night before
There are many benefits to planning your day the night before. You will sleep better because your brain doesn’t have to work to remember the things you want to do in the morning. You will wake up having a plan for the day. It is not easy to be consciously stuck when you have a definitive plan.
If you are continually feeling stuck or overwhelmed by your to-do list check out the clutter support group that I run with Jonda Beattie. It is called Clear Space for You. We have organizing strategies to help you reduce this feeling of being consciously stuck. Feel free to reach out to us with your questions on Facebook or on our website.