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Stuck Happens

July 22, 2015 By Jill Of All Trades Leave a comment

Reman U 219
So there I was toggling between editing forms (boring) and researching website plugins (endless) – whoever said marketing is glamorous is a dirty stinkin’ liar, by the way. See, the thing about tedium is it’s like a little productivity-killing ninja. It sneaks up on you, hurls a throwing star at whatever part of your brain helps you put together coherent thoughts, and vanishes with a puff of smoke. Leaving you as a drooling, catatonic husk in business casual attire.
The next thing I know, I’m thinking about contouring techniques (blending and more blending) and whether I can pull off wearing the color yellow (I can’t; I just don’t have the coloring for it). Needless to say, neither have anything to do with the marketing of the best damn remanufactured transmissions in the world.
My brain is Baby Jessica. My life is the well. I am stuck.
You can feel stuck on a problem. Or stuck in a task. Or even stuck on a decision. Stuck happens. But how do you get, well, unstuck?
Here are a few ways that work for me:
Step Away. Unless you’re 1. An open-heart surgeon who’s in the process of saving a newborn baby’s life, or 2. A rocket scientist who’s in the process of saving a ship full of astronauts-who-are-also-kittens’ lives, you can afford to step away from your work for a while. I tend to sit in my car and listen to scream-y music at an unhealthy level until the stuck frustration (stuckstration?) leaves. But that’s just me; you do you.
Breathe Deep. I’m not what one would call Zen. I swear too much. I’m not good at sitting still. And I tend to forget to breathe when I get stressed out. This isn’t a good thing. Taoist teaching says to be like water – choose the path of least resistance. When your productivity grinds to a halt, go with the flow. Sit back, relax, and take this opportunity to breathe. The other cool thing about water is it can wear down mountains and carve canyons – it’s the model of perseverance. By taking a few minutes for yourself, you’re setting yourself up for a flood of productivity. Oh, and if you need a little help, you can try this. (Warning: NSFW).
Write something. How do you think Reman U articles get made? Divine intervention? I’m at my most motivated to write when I’m trying to resuscitate the hamster in my head. C’mon, lil’ guy. Hang in there. Only a few more hours. The process of writing is therapeutic. Forming coherent thoughts, crafting them into sentences, and editing the crap out of them is like performing mouth-to-mouth on that hamster – without the alfalfa pellet aftertaste.
There’s no right or wrong way to get unstuck. Whether it’s calling a friend, going for a run, or using one of my suggestions, find what works for you. The stuck ninja may have slowed you down, but it doesn’t have to stop you forever. You will get revenge.
photo credit: © [jorgenmac100] / Dollar Photo Club


Getting stuck happens. The real trap is when you can’t get un-so. Which of Aimee’s ways have you tried? Comment below or email her directly!

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