I hit a point – ten meetings or a hundred email into my day – where anything I try feels like failure.
I can’t think clearly enough even to decide what to do next. That's past time to do something different.
When my best friend feels stuck she has trained herself to take some kind of action. Even if it is action in the opposite direction from the outcome she wants, action begets action.
You can course correct once you’ve begun. But without that initial impetus to action, you’ll remain stuck and unproductive.
Analysis paralysis
I asked ChatGPT about this phenomenon, and it came back to me with “analysis paralysis.” I haven’t thought of that phrase in a decade.
In trying to decide what course of action to take, you follow none of them and remain stuck.
An ineffective approach
When I was in my early twenties and would get stuck, I’d sometimes just lie down for an hour in a fugue state, in a state of overwhelm. Eventually, it would pass and I’d be able to figure out some path forward.
Deeply not fun, but also a pretty ineffective approach!
Don't be strategic
Perhaps because I grew up in a house full of runners, my first impulse has always been physical movement. Every day at 2pm, I go to the gym or for a run.
You don't need a strategic solution to an intellectual problem, just a change of pace.
Some physical action
In my family, everyone had a physical practice. By the time I was twenty, “go for a run” was as much a metaphor as a physical act.
Step outside and go for a walk or a run. Anything physical through space can help.
Phone a friend
I started using this phrase decades ago – so much so that is now part of my vocabulary. When I feel stuck or low, I phone a friend.
I used to feel bad asking somebody else for help. Like asking a stranger for directions, I now regard it as a sign of strength.
Just do something
Many of my emotional shortcuts are physical, but when you are stuck the solution is to take some action.
Even activity in precisely the wrong direction begets more action. It is easier to course correct while in motion. Get out of your rut, and move.
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3 things I’ve loved this week
Quote I’m considering
“Quantity has a quality all its own.” -Joseph Stalin
Childhood book I’m listening to: The Thief
There’s a copy of The Thief still on my childhood bookshelf. It is one of those books, alongside Hatchet and Tom Sawyer that I always think of fondly.
But during a bout of food poisoning earlier this week (It was awful. Thanks for asking.) I was looking for a new audiobook, and discovered that the author Megan Whalen Turner has written 6 books in the Thief series, and the audiobooks are great, too.
The Thief is about a roguish member of the Royal court in a fictional world modeled after the landscape of the Mediterranean. It is enjoyable young adult fiction, and the books are still as good as I remembered.
Videos to watch
The first tranche of main stage videos from Responsive Conference 2024 are live! Check them out here:
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Until next week,
Robin