How to Get Unstuck

You know that feeling of being stuck? You’re working on a project, things are going great, and then it just feels like you hit a wall? Whether you’re building a pitch deck, working on a proposal, or leading a project, there comes a time when it feels like all the energy is drained and you don’t know where to go. 

If you’re working on something big, this is practically inevitable. Taking on the responsibility of a leader--declaring a powerful mission and working with others to create a future that wouldn’t happen on its own--inherently means that you will be pushed to your limits. Especially if you’re working on something creative, you will be faced with Resistance, as described by Steven Pressfield in The War of Art. There is a predictable force within all of us that can get in the way of doing our best work.

Why does this happen?

We tend to get stuck in one way of seeing things. It’s an energy-saving mechanism for our brain that allows us to have greater endurance. Rather than “re-inventing the wheel” every day, we use what we already know. This results in us looking at our goals and challenges through a limited perspective and using too few approaches in attempts at making progress. As the famous, though apocryphal, quote attribute to Einstein goes: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

How can we get unstuck?

There are a few thinking tools we can use to reinvigorate our brains resulting in a fresh point of view, new alternatives, and more creative solutions. 

1. Inversion thinking. Try flipping your challenge on its head. What would it look like if it were easy? What if you tried the opposite? What would an impossible solution be?
2. Try a different discipline. Utilize the power of metaphor and build new connections. Listen to music, study architecture, look at art. What might you be able to apply? There is a whole field of biomimicry that is based on imitating designs that are found in nature. How might natural wisdom--or intelligent design, if you’re a believer--help inform your approach?
3. Offload it to your subconscious. Leave a sentence half-written, or a problem half-solved, and make a request to your subconscious. Then--actively forget about it. You can do this right before bed and go to sleep. Or you can exercise or go for a walk. Anything that will disengage your active, conscious mind from focusing on the problem and allow your subconscious to do the work. This is the power of all those “shower thoughts”

You can try these out right now! What other ways do you get unstuck? Let me know how it goes and your answers in the comments.

What more could you create if you trusted that you had the power to get yourself unstuck? 

If you want individualized support and a thinking partner to help you get unstuck, schedule your free 20-minute discovery session now. I’ll help you re-imagine greater possibilities for your future, identify all the ways you’re currently stuck, and help you create a plan for greater success.