How to get out of a rut

Check out this blog post by Aleksandra Kwiecien, our Corporate Coaching Programmes Co-Ordinator:

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a rut?

Whether it’s in our personal lives or at work, going through the motions can often appear to be a safe way of doing things – to stay afloat, to cope in the busy and demanding reality, to get at least some things done as searching for new ways seems to be too risky and time-consuming.

But if things are not done right, discontentment starts to creep in, and inefficiency increases. The need for change becomes more and more obvious but the prospect of leaving behind old patterns for something new can be daunting. It’s easy to look far ahead toward the desired reality, but it can feel so removed from the here and now that the prospect is intimidating.

It's more helpful to focus on the "Doorstep Mile".

I’ve learned the phrase from Alastair Humphreys, an adventurer and writer who cycled around the world and rowed the Atlantic, among other adventurous feats. He wrote one of his books around the idea of the "Doorstep Mile". It originates from the Norwegian word ‘d?rstokkmila’ which means the first mile of a long journey, but metaphorically it’s about the first steps which are often the hardest.

In his book, Humphreys encourages his readers to “dream big, but start small”, which is a similar concept to that presented by James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits, where he explains how small daily changes lead to switching your patterns to more efficient ones, and creating better, more helpful habits.

Whether it’s adventures or habits, your personal goals or team culture in your organisation, taking those first, no matter how small, steps of the Doorstep Mile, can lead you to the place you want to be.

Whether it’s adventures or habits, your personal goals or team culture in your organisation, taking those first, no matter how small, steps of the Doorstep Mile, can lead you to the place you want to be. Big changes don’t happen overnight, and it takes time to cover a long distance between a start and end line. But as long as you have a clear goal and persevere, those small steps can take you far.

We are proud to be able to accompany organisations who are bold enough to face the Doorstep Mile of investing in their team culture. Even though it may feel risky to challenge old systems, it means working on aspects of organisational culture to bring more enjoyment of work for the employees and more profit to the organisation.

If this sounds like something your organisation could benefit from, please get in touch with our team: [email protected].

Are you feeling stuck in a rut? Don’t let the distance between where you are now and where you would like to be to put you off. Each journey starts with the first few steps of the Doorstep Mile.