How to Get Unstuck: 10 Work-From-Home Tips

These 10 valuable work-from-home tips will give you actionable ideas about how to get unstuck.

February is here. January is already in the rearview mirror. Maybe you noticed. Or if all your days feel like Blursday, maybe you didn’t. Work From Home (WFH) dynamics during the pandemic have left many of us feeling trapped in a Groundhog Day routine where the days seem to blend together and weeks vanish in a blink. It can be very difficult to stay motivated and productive in this fog of distorted time. Many people are at a loss as to how to get unstuck.

Of course, difficult doesn’t mean impossible. Below are 10 tips to help you break free from the WFH malaise.

How to Get Unstuck: 10 Strategies

1. Clean the entry to your home. Many people believe the entry represents how energy enters your home and your life. Sweep. Put away those stacks of shoes. Add or change lightbulbs to brighten up the area.
2. Rearrange the furniture in your office or workspace. Keep in close reach the pens, notepads, books, phone chargers, and other go-to items that you use every day. Move or rotate your desk, even slightly. A new perspective and an intentionally designed workspace could show you the way toward how to get unstuck and give you a whole new outlook.
3. Shake up your routine. Take a midday break instead of staring at your screen through what used to be your lunch hour. Actually make yourself lunch (vs. scrounging). Or go for a walk or bike ride, and consider taking a new route every time you head out.
4. Create a personal challenge. Examples: teach your dog 5 new commands, master your 10 favorite recipes, or read 52 (or 26 or 10 or 5 …) books this year. (What we’re currently reading: Journeys of a Lifetime. Oh, the places we want to go ….)
5. Learn something new. Break up Blursday by setting aside time to learn a new language, learn to play an instrument, learn to paint, or learn to build your own WordPress site. Check out the free courses on coursera.org. One of our favorites: The Science of Well-Being.
6. Exercise. If you want to ease your mind but you’re not sure how to get unstuck, try 15 minutes of shadow boxing or some planks and lunges. They may do the trick better than 15 minutes of relaxation or meditation. Exercise clears your thinking, improves your attention span, and reinforces a sense of accomplishment. And it can generally make you feel better.
7. Nudge yourself. Nudge theory helps people overcome passiveness or procrastination by designing choices that lead to positive decisions. It’s based on indirect encouragement and avoids direct instruction or enforcement. Nudge theory proposes that choices should be based on how people actually think and decide (instinctively and rather irrationally). For example, instead of counting calories, try eating off a smaller plate. Instead of telling yourself to eat more fruit, make fresh fruit visible and easily accessible.
8. Help others. Schedule time to volunteer or mentor. (Yes, there are ways to help your community even during the pandemic.) Visit volunteermatch.org for ideas and opportunities in your area.
9. Ask for help. You don’t have to do it all alone. If you don’t know how to get unstuck, talk to family or friends and try to find a solution together. Consider finding a therapist or a support group or reading our free Lessons from the Darkness e-book to get other perspectives.
10. Incorporate a brain-boosting, nootropic tea into your daily diet. Four of our favorites: Vaccinium uliginosum (Bilberry), Polygala tenuifolia (Yuan Zhi), Cistanche tubulosa, and Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi). These nootropics have the potential to help improve cognitive function, memory, concentration, creativity, willpower, and motivation. Learn more about the power of nootropics and these four extracts here.

Make a Change Today

So often what keeps people stuck is an unwillingness to let go. If you’ve been holding onto something for a long time, deciding to finally let it go may not come easily, especially as people are creatures of habit. However, emotional and physical clutter often hold people back and keep them stuck. The most important thing is to want to make a change. Letting go may not be easy, but it’s how to get unstuck and start moving forward.

The thing to remember: Small adjustments can make a big difference.

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