Stuck in the Middle

At one point or another, you’ve been stuck. Maybe it was in an apartment you’d outgrown, a relationship that’d run its course, or a job you’d begun to loathe. This sense of “stuckness,” as Adam Alter refers to it in his new book, Anatomy of a Breakthrough, is universal and inevitable; it’s as human as procrastinating on filing your taxes. “To be alive is to battle stuckness,” Alter writes.?

Is there anything we can do about that stuckness? Or are we just meant to languish in these fallow periods, waiting for something or someone to push us forward? Alter, a professor of marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business, tells us that breaking out of a rut isn’t easy. But while feeling suspended in life, love, or work can be painful and demoralizing, there are specific steps you can take to get yourself out of a funk.

For today’s Wake-Up Call at Work, we’re bringing you a wealth of clever tips from the best-selling author, aimed at breaking down why we all struggle with stagnation, and what we can do to move past a plateau — or even engineer that elusive a-ha moment. Alter shares what he calls his “strategic guide in the war against stuckness,” offering psychologist-approved ideas for kickstarting a hot streak. And he suggests ways to surround yourself with teammates who’ll challenge and inspire you. Here’s to fresh discoveries and a sense of unlimited possibility.

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Get a Move On

Over the past few years, Alter’s asked hundreds of people if there’s an area of their lives where they feel frozen… and all of them have answered “yes.” In this interview, he explains why such a common experience often feels so intensely isolating —?and shares the most effective thing you can do to get yourself unstuck.?

A Beautiful Mess

What can Jackson Pollock teach us about how to kick-start a hot streak? A whole lot, Alter says. The author explains the one strategy the artist used to reach the most fertile moment of his creative life and how (even if you never plan on picking up a paintbrush —?or consider Pollock’s drip paintings kinda meh) you can use these techniques to inspire your own burst in productivity.?

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work?

Becoming stuck isn’t just a solo activity — it’s something that happens in teams all the time, says Alter. In fact, a group can be hung up on the same problem for years. Alter explains why hiring a “black sheep” and other specific personality types can help organizations get out of a creative rut.?

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