SEVEN powerful tips to get out of a rut

A rut is a terrible place to be.

It is that horrible dark space where you know you can do better but just can’t get round to it. And it is worse in an environment that drains you like it does for many Zimbabweans right now.

But don’t despair because we have seven powerful tips to make your life more productive again and less dull.

Acknowledge the problem
You can’t get out of a rut unless you first accept that you are in one. Denying that you are in one merely perpetuates it. It’s like being on a raft and it is drifting but you still insist you are in the same spot. Without identifying the issue you can’t fix it.

Understand what keeps you in it
We call this the comfort zone. What is it that you default to when you want to feel safe. Is it a type of TV show? Is it where you sit when you work? Or where you work? Just because something feels familiar does not mean it isn’t harmful. Deal with that.

Set goals broken down into steps
You need to break down the steps to a goal into little smaller achievements. If you do not understand the penny, you will not appreciate the dollar. Re-evaluate why you do things a certain way and just change it up a little if you have to. Understand the steps you make to a goal individually not just as part of how you always do things. Skinner described it in a study he called “Superstition in the Pigeon.” (I do not endorse animal cruelty.) Skinner put very, very hungry pigeons in cages and swung a food dish into the cages at random intervals. When the pigeons got hungry again, 75% of the birds would repeat whatever they were doing when the food arrived. They attributed cause and effect to whatever action—such as hopping on one foot or flapping their wings—“made” the food appear the last time. People do that, too. Something good happens, and you attribute it to the prayer you uttered, the candle you lit, or the lucky shirt you wore. To get out of the rut, stop inferring cause and effect like Skinner’s superstitious pigeon. It will just keep you on the hamster wheel even longer. (from psychology today)

Get it done even if it is not perfect
If you keep working until you think something is perfect you will never get it done. It takes you deeper into the rut. If you need to hand a project in at 6pm, just hand it in. As long as the client or boss does not have the finished project, it is not done. Freeing your mind allows you to pursue other things gets you out of the rut.

Get out more and try exercise
Usually get a cab to the local? Take a walk instead. Or find a different place to have your cuppa or coffee. Have a salad. Jog. This all creates perspective and managers your emotion.

Talk to someone
Sometimes keeping things to yourself just leaves things in your head. And in your head are both rational and irrational thoughts. So speaking to someone could help create a different perspective. Uttering something and crystalising it may show the ridiculousness of it all. You will be surprised by how people really want to help if you reach out.

Keep it moving
A good example of what seems to be a rut is a clock. You can watch it all day, but what it does is, one thing, keeping it moving. Success is based on persistence. Get your little victories and build on them. Just because the world around you feels like a damp banana it doesn’t mean you give up and turn in. That is when you need to move, because as long as you are moving you are not only getting better but leaving the rut.

Hope this helps.

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