Getting Out of Your Own Way

I have a confession this week… I’ve been really struggling to get things done. The week started okay, and on Wednesday I worked my butt off, and got new products in the shop, and some work done on the Be More Creative project, and a newsletter out, and blog posts written for the new site. And then on Thursday I was totally expecting that same level of productivity, and the wheels fell off. And it’s now Saturday afternoon, and I’m behind again, feeling stressed again, and beating myself up all over again.

So, I thought today instead of whining about it all, I’d go looking for some solutions on how to get out of your own way – because I really needed some suggestions on how to get focused again when things go sideways – and get things done.

Here are five good tips I found for getting out of your own way…

And before I dive in to the tips, let me just preface them and say this is nothing new. And it’s really nothing that my coach hasn’t been saying to me for the last few months when this happens. Because for me this is a pattern, and it’s one that really needs breaking.

Okay, so five tips for getting out of your own way…

Tip #1: Remember your why

When you get caught up in all the day-to-day stuff and the pointlessness (or so you tell yourself) of all the little things that need doing, it’s easy to forget the big picture and why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s also easy to forget that sometimes those little things you want to procrastinate on are really the big things that will get you to the next step of the journey.

Reminding yourself why you’re doing it can be an easy way to hit back against the urge to procrastinate and think “what’s the point of it all?” Because really, the point is – and you know this, and I know this – is to achieve that big scary goal we set for ourselves because it’s why we thought it was all worth it in the first place.

It’s so much easier to stay motivated and move forward when you have a purpose and you know what it is. I think too many people get caught up in thinking their why has to be this huge, earth-shattering thing. And it doesn’t… it just needs to be something important to you, and that is worth remembering and reminding yourself of when the going gets tough.

Tip #2: Keep your eyes on the prize

The prize, in this case, being the ultimate goal, you set for yourself when you outlined why you wanted to do this thing in the first place. For me, that’s a house by the beach. I grew up on Lake Erie and spent my summers there for most of my life. And I would love to get back there… even if it’s not in the same spot, a beach on any of the lower Great Lakes would do me just fine really.

But I digress.

The whole point of keeping your eyes on your goal is to be able to imagine how good it will feel, and what your life will be like once you accomplish that goal. Meditate, visualize, journal… whatever you need to do to be able to focus on the main reason you’re doing what you’re doing, and how your life will look once you accomplish your goal.

Tip #3: Quit comparing yourself to others

This is one of my biggest obstacles. As soon as I start paying attention to what everyone else is doing, the inferiority complex and imposter syndrome kick in. My coloring pages aren’t as good as so-and-so’s. My planners aren’t as pretty as that one over there. And then we go back to “what’s the point, no one’s going to buy it anyways.” And it all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And the truth is people do buy my stuff and tell me they like it, and there’s no reason for me to really care about what everyone else is doing. Especially when I stop and remember that they most likely have an affiliate program, and if I really like what someone else has, I can just promote them and earn some commissions!

The other truth, and this is the one that you can’t let derail you from your own path, is that there is always someone who is going to do it better, smarter, faster, or cheaper than you. And the only thing you do by getting caught up in the comparison game is slow yourself down and, if I dare say, drive yourself just a little crazy.

The better thing to do is to compare you now to you a year ago. Or five years ago. The only thing that really matters when it comes to you getting out of your own way is how you do with your own personal growth. Those other people don’t matter a bit in the long run, so don’t give them the energy that could better be used by focusing on your own road to success.

Tip #4: Ditch the Perfectionism

And haven’t we just come full circle, right back to Issue 001 where we started this little adventure talking about perfectionism.

The only thing to say here is that in order to get out of your own way, you really need to ditch the perfectionism and embrace the philosophy of “done is better than perfect.” The nice thing about the digital products we create is that you can always update them as you go.

Tip #5: Reward yourself when you need to

I don’t know about you, but I like to reward myself just a little now and then. It’s when the now becomes more than the then that we run into those wagons without wheels. But if you can stick to one YouTube video as a reward (instead of binging on 10) or spend 5 minutes playing a game (instead of 5 hours), then you really will see a bump in your productivity. Because as I said way back when (I think in Issue 002), it’s so important to celebrate the little things that you do accomplish because that’s another great reminder of why you’re doing what you’re doing, and why you should stay focused on not let yourself be your own best obstacle course.

Final Thoughts

Okay, I hope you can see that there are ways to get out of your own way when you’re having problems staying focused and getting things done. Really this is just a big ol’ pep talk to myself, but as I said in the beginning, I wanted to be transparent with you. I’m not perfect and never claim to be, and that’s one of my pet peeves with this whole Internet Marketing gig… People don’t let you see the real stuff that goes on behind the scenes. They want to make it all sound easy and smooth sailing. And sometimes it’s just not. But, if you have some coping strategies for getting out of your own way, you can get back on track and make it as easy as possible for yourself.

I hope this helps you in some small way, as much as writing it all has helped to reenergize and remotivate me.

Thanks for being here!

Issue 013 – Mindset Talk

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