How to Get Back on Track When You’re in a Rut

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These past few weeks have been some weird ones. You may have noticed it from my instagram, but I’ve been kind of exhausted for the last month and a half. I was so busy at my full time job, that it kind of took over the rest of my life. I was too tired to even think most nights after work. The nights I had to work at pure barre after work? I was basically dead after those.

Normally when that happens, people are quick to assume burnout, right? In some cases, they are right. But in this case, they wouldn’t have been.

Halogen Bow Back Sweater / American Eagle Outfitters Jeggings / Everlane Loafer

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Halogen Bow Back Sweater / American Eagle Outfitters Jeggings / Everlane Loafer

 

I don’t think I talk about the specifics of my job too much, but my job ebbs and flows in busyness. But even when it’s heavy in being in busy, I still have some time to myself during the day. But these last few weeks were different and kind of brutal. My days were packed and I was mentally exhausted. It wasn’t burnout though. I still loved every second of what I was doing and I knew that the busy period would only last for a few weeks.

But I’ll admit, when it came to blogging, I was suffering.

I was completely knocked off track with that one. At the beginning of the year, I had started working through the 90 Day Year program. During the month of January, it was going amazingly. I was checking off tasks and goals and I felt like I was really starting to go somewhere. Then my days started to get busier and I kind of lost my spark. Weekends felt like they were for sleeping, working at pure barre, and getting the blog posts that I needed to get done.

Quick pause here.

THANK GOD I hired my VA at the beginning of January. She has been amazing. If it weren’t for her, I’m pretty sure half of my blog posts wouldn’t have gone up and lord knows I would have disappeared from social media.

Pause over, back to the post.

My posts were getting done, but I lost about a month of my goals planning and where I was in the 90 Day Year program. I needed to get back on track, but I had no idea how to do it. Luckily, some advice and realizations came back into my life this past week, and I think I’m finally back on track.

So here are my suggestions for how to get back on track when you’re stuck in a rut:

1. Change up your routine

   When my friend got stuck in DC the other weekend (bad weather, yuck!), I suggested that we get up early Saturday morning and go to Starbucks. I knew that she and I both had work that we needed to get done, so this like a good idea to just knock it out early. She liked the idea, so we were at Starbucks by 9 am and stayed there working until almost 1 pm. It felt amazing.

   This was such a nice change from sitting at my desk and feeling distracted from all the food and laundry and different options around me. I also forgot how much I liked to actually get up early and get things done on Saturday. Yes, I LOVE staying in my nice warm bed. But it’s also nice to know how many things are already done before 10 am.

2. Save one weekend afternoon for a fun thing.

   I could work all weekend if I really wanted to. Really. There are so many blog things I want to do, I could actually spend my whole weekend working with someone just bringing me food and I would still have more things I want to do. But I need to pace myself or I actually will get burned out. I also need to do fun things for myself. For this , that could be seeing a movie, play, or just curling up with a book. I always try to make sure I have an afternoon free on the weekends for one of those.

3. Schedule an hour every week for big picture things.

   Okay, I totally stole this from Think Creative Collective and it’s more for small businesses. BUT, it’s important to know, so I wanted to share it with you.
   Always make sure that you save at least  hour a week just to work on the big picture. Even if you’re an employee or the employer,you need to know why you’re dong what you do (or make sure your employees know. You also need sure that that confidence appears throughout your conversation

Do you have any tips for what you to get back on track and relax when you feel overwhelmed and busy? Tell me in the comments below!

Photography by Kimberly Graydon