Feeling stuck? A little disruption could save the day!

A few weeks ago I needed to get some writing done. I knew that what I was creating was important for the development of my business, yet I just couldn't do it.

I sat with my notes around me and stared at a blank screen. I wrote and then deleted sentence after sentence. Nothing I did felt right and I got frustrated and angry with myself for all the time I'd spent making zero progress.

What do you do when you're feeling stuck in your business? When, like me, you know what you need to be doing but for whatever reason it's just not happening? Or when you don't know what to focus on next and can't seem to move things forward?

Well today I'd like to suggest a new approach to tackling stuckness:

Get disruptive.

Disrupt the pattern you've fallen into. Stoke the fire. Shake things up a bit. Do something unexpected.

When I was struggling to write, I suddenly remembered something we'd done on a Playcation weekend a few months ago. I put down my laptop, grabbed a blanket and the cushions off the sofa and built myself a den. I took a notebook and a pen in with me and journaled for a few minutes to see if I could figure out why I was finding it so hard. And then I scribbled some notes to get clear on exactly what I was trying to achieve. I was only in my den for 15 minutes or so but I emerged with clarity and focus, revived and ready to rock and roll.

What could you do to stir the pot and invite some fresh perspective and inspiration?

Whilst I highly recommend den-building, there are other ways to get disruptive if you're feeling stuck and frustrated. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1) Change your environment by moving things around in your space. You could move the furniture or simply rearrange the things you have around you. Just mix things up a bit!

2) Change your perspective by working in a different place. Either find somewhere else to sit in your home or office, or take yourself off to a cafe or a collaborative working space. You could even try working standing up for a while.

3) Get outside and go for a walk. Take a different route, or simply enjoy the freedom and feeling of naughtiness that comes from being out and about when you'd usually be working.

4) Jolt your system back to life by dancing around the house to your favourite tune. Do some star jumps or some hula hooping. Run up and down the stairs a few times. Do whatever you like to get the blood pumping!

5) If you're tired, instead of forcing yourself to keep going be defiant and take a nap.

6) Snap yourself out of linear thinking and activate the right side of your brain by doing something creative. Doodle or sketch something just for the heck of it (it doesn’t have to be ‘good’). Bake a batch of biscuits. Make a pompom. Lose yourself in creative flow and reconnect with your imagination and intuition.

7) Play a game. If you have people around you, bring them along for the ride. I recommend a game of hide and seek for the ultimate in playful disruption!

Your disruptive act could last for five minutes or for a few hours. It really doesn't matter. The power here is in actively rebelling against your stuckness by shaking things up a little.

So instead of continuing to sit there, staring at your screen and falling into a pit of frustration, do things differently. Jump-start your brain and your creativity and watch your motivation and your productivity soar!

Do you have any disruptive ideas of your own?