How to Stay Motivated When You’re Stuck in a Rut

Have you ever felt totally motivated to do something, then suddenly that motivation is gone?

Or you feel like you’re falling behind because you haven’t achieved what set put and told everyone you’re going to accomplish by the end of the year (or month or quarter).

You start to feel bad about yourself and like you can’t stick with something and you avoid talking about it because you’re too embarrassed you haven’t made any progress – especially after talking about it so much with friends and family.

I’ve been there too. When Netflix feels like the better option. When suddenly sending greeting cards or cleaning the house is more pressing than working.

How To Stay Motivated

If you’ve ever struggled to stay motivated when you’re stuck in a rut and feel like you’re falling behind, here are 5 steps you can take to get back on track.

1. Be honest with yourself. We tend to hide our feelings and pretend everything is OK, but it’s not. Not being honest with yourself and acknowledging where you are just keeps you in that rut.
2. Don’t do it alone. There’s power in numbers and achieving your goals is no different. Having accountability and other people’s encouragement helps boost your motivation. Often times, when we have an accountability partner or someone to talk to about our low motivation, it releases the anxiety around it. Your accountability partner doesn’t have to be another event planner, they can be a supportive sibling, spouse, or even a professional such as a life coach.
3. Set goals. Setting measurable goals helps you visualize the end result you’re aiming for and gives you direction and focus. But remember, your goal(s) need to inspire you enough to take enough action to achieve them. Writing your goals down so you see them every day helps reinforce what we want and why we want it.
4. Know your Why. Often when we lose motivation it’s because we’re focusing on the daily grind instead of our reason for wanting to achieve the goal in the first place. What does the end look like and what’s your purpose for wanting it? When you know and understand why you want something, it becomes easier to push through any internal resistance.
5. Take action. Many people wait to ‘feel motivated’ before taking action, but often you have to push through being stuck – even when you don’t feel like it. When you take action (even daily baby steps), opportunities start opening up, you’ll feel more focused and gain clarity, and motivation often appears AFTER you take action.

Alyssa, a student in How to Be an Event Planner, was struggling to find the time and motivation to become and event planner. She was busy with her day-job, her two kids and family obligations, and keeping up with everything she wanted to accomplish.

She sent me a message asking my advice and we broke down action steps for her into bite-sized chunks, so instead of working on her dream for three hours once a week, she shifted to 30 minutes each day..

This was easier for scheduling and it allowed Alyssa to accomplish more in a week because she had fewer distractions and was more excited about her business.

Staying motivated along the way isn’t always easy and there are roadblocks for most people.

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and if you’re not passionate about what you want to achieve, then it’s going to be difficult to feel motivated about it.

I’d love to hear from you.

What’s holding you back and what do you do when you’re stuck in a rut?

Let me know in the comments below…

Thanks for your time and contribution!