Some days, no matter what you do, you still feel like it’s impossible to get stuff done. I get it. You used to feel like you were invincible. And you felt like your resilience knew no bounds. But some days, when the world beats at you from every direction, you feel like you just want to curl into a little ball and hibernate for the foreseeable future. But even though it feels like it’s impossible, there’s still stuff that needs to get done.
So, how do you go about doing it?
When not even looking at your Get Stuff Done Funtime Menu helps you get past the whirlwind in your brain, how can you even start?
First, center yourself. If my brain is whirling when I have to get stuff done, I know it’s just a waste of time. I can’t help my brain from whirling, but I can shift gears and give it a mental shove to focus on something else. Psychologist Lauren Kerwin, PhD, recommends practicing mindfulness for one minute every day on each of your senses:
One minute on something you can see: your dog, a bird outside the window, the color of your floor tiles.
Something you can touch: a blanket, the water running through your fingers.
Then on something you can smell: tea, essential oil, laundry detergent on your shirt.
And something you can hear: the hum of the air conditioner, a car driving by.
Finally something you can taste: toothpaste, food you’re eating.
This practice grounds you in the physical world and helps your brain move past the tornado.
But how can you get stuff done even after you’re grounded?
Chances are, even after you’ve done the exercises to ground yourself, you’re still feeling pretty shaky. I know I feel vulnerable after this, and not ready to start to get stuff done. When you’re feeling less like there’s a tornado in your head, but it’s still impossible to get stuff done, how do you even start?
Just start
Do something. Take one step. Make it a small step. A very tiny step. And then another. Then another. The idea here is to reach a point where you can take action. Because starting small is still starting. If you can only do five minutes of work – whatever the work may be, it’s still five minutes you couldn’t have done before. It’s a start.
And tomorrow you can do more. You’ve proven your resilience before.
