Occasionally, I tend to hit the proverbial wall of non-productivity. You’ve likely felt the hard thwack of this wall from time to time as well, I’m sure. When you’re just doing so much that you don’t seem to get much done at all. Or, when nothing seems to come out like you need it to.
And, of all the first-world problems, feeling unproductive, for me, is the worst of all. I am not a fun person to be around when I am not checking things off my to-do lists and adding new ones to them.
This year, one of the things I have promised myself is to grow up about this. And, to help me along, I’m trying a couple of new habits.
1) Stop trying to push through when I hit the wall. Pause, take a break, figure out what’s going on with my cues / routines / rewards (from The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg) More on this technique later.
2) Spend a few minutes learning about another inspiring free agent’s approach to master difficulties. Like this little gem by Amy Purdy at a TEDx event in 2011. Watch this less-than-10-minutes TEDx video and tell me it does not inspire you too. [Not that I am comparing my situation even remotely with hers, mind you.]
Today, with everything going on (one word – “flu”), I hit a wall with my daily writing routine. But, I did get a genuine dose of inspiration from my 2 newly-forming habits above. So, I wanted to share with you all too. In particular, this simple question has stayed with me:
“If my life were a book, and I were the author, how would I want this story to go?”
What are your “tricks of the trade” to get yourself up and going when you’re lacking motivation? And, most importantly, how would you answer Amy Purdy’s question?
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