Get In Motion - Ideas for When You Feel Stalled
We’ve all been there right? A mountain of things we “should” or “could” be doing and to deal with this mountain… we take a nap. Or we doom-scroll social media. Or, my personal go-to, we talk some smack to ourselves for not living up to our full potential and being “lazy”. Surprisingly, none of these things help get us into motion or make us any more productive. So what does? Here are some thoughts about building up some momentum when it feels impossible to get started.
Why is it So Hard to Get Going?
Let’s call a moose a moose. (I’m also not sure why I chose moose.. but I did, and we are moving on! Embracing the spirit of getting going!) If you consistently feel like you are not living up to your expectations, you are not defective, you are setting your bar too high. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that we are capable of incredible things, and I am certain that if you had a goal to become the new mascot of Cookie Crisp cereal, you’d find a way to do it. That being said, when we are finding ourselves falling short consistently, it is worth examining what our current capacity is, and if we are expecting things that are possible only if we are operating at 130%, non-stop, for the next 27 years. The new self-improvement frenzy has left us feeling like we are failing if we aren’t multi-tasking or following our bullet journal to a j. (I could have said “to a T”, but a moose is a moose. Let’s keep rolling!) Before you begin reading this next section, ask yourself first, “Am I being realistic in my goal, considering where I am at today and what resources I have?”
Put Your Slinky on the Steps
Think about this physics principle: an object in motion tends to stay in motion and an object at rest tends to stay at rest. It is the unfortunate truth that it’s harder to do things than it is to not do them. With this in mind, how do we get ourselves in motion so that we can stay in motion. For this, let’s spring into the life of our pal, the slinky. One of the most tantalizing tricks a slinky can perform is the effortless tumble down the steps. Most times the slinky peters out after a few steps, but sometimes it becomes a perpetual motion machine for as long as your flight allows.
Here are some ideas that I am going to try to get myself in motion:
Move the Nightstand
There are few people I trust less than Bryce the moment he first opens his eyes in the morning. We have had multiple conversations together about what we plan to do in the morning, discuss the vast pros of following through, and how we will be plagued with regret if we don’t get up as scheduled. Yet, somehow, master saboteur that he is, he finds a way to go back on our deal, sneak in some snoozes , and restart the “shoulda”, “coulda”, and “woulda”s.
To thwart myself (fingers crossed), I plan to move the nightstand across the room so that I do not have the option of making the decision that will impact the rest of my day while I am “comfy cozy”. I will put morning supplements and some water in front of the alarm, and get those taken prior to shutting off the clock.
Meal Prepping
One of the things that I have noticed makes the largest impact for my day/week is to have prepared meals set aside for lunches or dinner on a day when it feels like a tremendous effort to cook. After all, what makes it easier to have ice-cream than having “nothing to eat”? Meal prepping has become one of the greatest time investments that I have ever discovered. One hour of today Bryce’s time saves future Bryce countless time and energy.
One resource that I strongly recommend is Josh Cortis’ The Meal Prep Manual. Josh puts up entertaining and quick videos of easy but delicious healthy recipes that prep around 10 meals. It is easy enough to make a week’s worth for two or make one and freeze one.
Accountabilibuddy
We do better together. I am a big fan of getting an accountability buddy, or as is much more fun to say, an Accountabilibuddy! If you are like most people, it is easier to do things that you recognize benefit or have some type of impact on another person. It can be hard to do things for ourselves when feeling stuck. What might be some options for you to share your goals with someone and work towards them together? Or, who might you tell about what you are working towards so that you have someone cheering you on? I will gladly be your Accountabilibuddy and root for you! Send me an email or give me a call and I’ll do what I can to help support you in your goal!
Call-To-Action
Before you finish reading this post, stand up, stretch out, and do one small thing that can start some momentum. There is no step too small so long as your feet are pointed in the right direction. So let’s take a step together in 3… 2… 1… GO!
