I’m in the middle of three different projects I want to do right now, and I feel overwhelmed and maybe a little sick to my stomach. I have so much drive I could make it from coast to coast and push the gas tank one more time. But now I feel weighed down, and it feels like no matter how hard I step on the gas, I don’t move from my position. Well, I’ve had a little help from my friends and another push today to get something done, so that I can feel that dopamine hit right now. I’m addicted to that check mark. Let’s get high together.
1. Recruit some help/Get yourself a cheerleader – I should say pay for some help. Nothing helps the ball get rolling like fresh legs to help get the project where it needs to go, which can be a double edge sword, it’s all too easy to fall into a “let them take care of it” mentality. Be careful. – You don’t have to hire a professional. Just bring someone else who is passionate about that part of your project. Need to freshen up that EPK? Then hire someone to take a few photos of the band. Actually, that is a nice segway into the next section.
2. Take some photos so you can share your progress with others – New band photos will get others interested, it will also jump start your interest in the project.
3. Finish the easiest part of your to-do list – Take five minutes and write down everything you want to tackle. Pick the easiest thing, and then do that. I mean, this isn’t rocket science.
4. Take a break – It can be hard to determine if we’re just tired or burnt out. If you’re the former, sometimes you need to drink another cup of coffee and get it done. If you’re burnt out, you should plan at least a day off (I would recommend a week if you can spare it). It also helps to pass those city limits for a night. If you can’t do that in the next few days. Then plan that break, make it happen, give yourself something to look forward to, be happy!
5. Simplify – Reevaluate what you absolutely wouldn’t change about that project that is impeding your progress. Often we feel burnt out because we haven’t seen any substantial growth recently. When we have something new in our hands, we get some incredible energy from that. It’s a magical thing!
6. Dedicate a small amount of time throughout the day to your project. The fifteen minutes a day principle. Allocate fifteen minutes from your day to intense focus on your project. Put your phone on do not disturb, turn off the music. Lock yourself in your room, no distractions. You might jumpstart your drive and find that even after fifteen minutes, you want to keep going. EVERYONE HAS 15 MINUTES IN THEIR DAY – no excuses here.
7. Verbalize your to-do list – I am notoriously bad a getting stressed out with my to-do list. I mean to the point of immobilizing anxiety. Most of the time, I can list those things in under five fingers. Shout out to the lovely miss Echo for teaching me this trick last night! What a doll!
8. Speak with your mentor – This somewhat echoes the first point, my last post was on the importance of a mentor, give it a read here.
9. Stop editing your work – Here’s a quick trick I do when writing. Don’t hit that backspace button for a session. It’s insane how much it can mess up your flow. Just write and let it pour out of you. Did you miss some punctuation? That’s okay! You’ll pick it up on the edit you’ll do later. If you’re dreading writing, you don’t have to! Just write whatever comes to mind, and I know you’ll end up having fun!
10. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep – This is pretty basic here, so I’m not sure why I have such a problem with it, you need rest to function. How many hours are you get a night? Your phone does an excellent job of tracking this, check your phone to see your average. You don’t have to work the standard hours in a day. My schedule is most likely different from yours. But if you want to take your project seriously, you need to adjust your life to make it happen. Make your daily schedule fit into what you require creatively. I’ve written a lot about this if you want to find out when your golden hour is, do this experiment.
11. Make a one off to do list – List ONE thing you want to get done that day. If you only get one thing done in your project each day, I’d still bet you were more productive than 97% of the population.* Don’t feel bad for listing something down that seems simple – but it must be something that helps to progress that specific project. It can be as simple as sending emails.
12. Drink a TON of caffeine – My final piece of advice is cheap advice. Sometimes you need a body hack to power through a moment. Go to your favorite coffee shop (mine is Sozo) order five shots and get it done.
It seems to me that drive comes in waves, it’s okay not to want to do something. Accept that this is part of your life, if you’re waiting for some drive, you’ll be waiting a lifetime. Anyone who has accomplished anything of value to them didn’t feel driven 100% of the time. We can’t wait to feel inspired. Sometimes, we have to go out and find inspiration.
*This statistic brought to you by Dean Nelson Statistic LLC
Dean Nelson 