I was stuck on something the other day. It involved the potentially really exciting financial planning app I’m building. You could say that my progress in that endeavor has been marked by lots of…ah…“fun” stuck hours.
Without much thought (I was running low on any helpful ones), I wrote down these words: “My plan is to 1)________ 2) _________ 3)_________.”
Just knowing I did, in fact, have a few ideas in me for what I might try next—and, critically, putting them on paper—was surprisingly reassuring. And, what do you know? Taking those simple steps led to quite the break-through.
As it turns out, when you’re overwhelmed, having any written plan for next steps is better than no written plan for next steps. You don’t even need to know that it will work out; you just need an idea for how you’re going to start.
Next time you feel stuck or overwhelmed, I double-dog dare you to give this a try, and let me know how it goes.
More to Your Life is a daily column about freedom, exploration, and creating work and a life we actually like. There are stories. If you are enjoying it, please share!
I love me a good plan! Have them written down in my stack of journals. I try to write them in colored markers for easy reviewing. Wish I could say I’ve followed through on all of them. That’s the struggle of being an entrepreneur, too many ideas!