Stuck in a rut, 6 counter-intuitive technics to break free

You’ve probably been back from your summer holidays for a couple of weeks now. At first, you were feeling relaxed, you were able to take good decisions and see the big picture, but now, you’ve probably fallen back in old habits.

Faced with a big decision to take, the odds are you duck out and find a hundred better things to do. I bet you oversleep in denial, eat too much, binge-watch The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Ok, fine, that’s what I do, but I’m sure your reaction is not that much better.

I’ve had the chance to chat with a lot of entrepreneurs and leaders who often leave the cities to get inspired and escape the rut they’re stuck in. I decided to follow their lead and move to a small surf town on the southern coast of Morocco to run a residence for startups, The Blue House. My conclusion is the same as theirs: to make decisions you need to relax!

Here are some ways leaders do it.

Take some time off

If you can’t think anymore, forcing it won’t do. You need to hit the reset button.

Your brain works like a computer, the more you use it, the more your memory got saturated, the slower it gets. You need to shut it down to go back to usual speed.

So don’t feel bad about going on trip, doing nothing, partying, or binge-watching movies. By not thinking about your problem, you’re actually giving you the ammunition you need to take that decision.

Get away

Your brain loves routine; it knows that when the clock hit 7:30, it’s time to wake up and that when you sit on your office chair, it’s time to deal with the daily workload - not to come up with new ideas.
Some go sit on a couch when they need to do some strategy thinking, others go for a walk.

When the problem at hand is too big to be handle in an afternoon, some go out of town, to a countryside house, and even to remote villages, like the one I live in.

Be in the now

Being mindful is another great way to clear your mind as it helps you focus on the present rather than on past events or future likely outcomes, says a paper by researchers from INSEAD and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School.

If you’re not into meditation, don’t worry, mindfulness can also take the form of a nice walk, or a five-minutes contemplative break, or a breathing exercise.

Meet up with friends

Ask your friends and network for help. People will feel honored, and happy to help. They might help you see what your problem really is and offer solutions. At worst, you’ll know that you’re not alone, and this will make you stronger, more comfortable with decisions.

Talking with new people also helps as they will bring a new perspective to your business and problems.

So don’t be afraid to just hang out with new people, or join a weekend retreat.

Now that you’ve recharged your battery, and that you’ve changed of environment, the solution to your problem might have came to you. If it hasn’t, it’s time to get back to work.

Remember your values

When you’re caught in the everyday life you tend to forget why you’re doing everything in the first place.

Stop; remember what’s driving you, this will not only motivate you to take decisions but will also guide you in your decisions.

Clear your mind

If you feel overwhelmed, sort out your ideas and empty your head. Dumbeldore had its pensieve, you have a piece of paper. Lay down on paper everything that’s cramming your mind.

With a better vision of what your problems, your weak points, your strengths, and your fears are, you should feel more relax, and ready to think about every single point, one at a time.

Do you have other tricks? Let us know in the comment section or by annotating the article.

The Blue House is a startup getaway in a surf town in Morocco. We create programs to help startup folks work better, take a step back, and recharge their batteries. Read more about our retreats and coworking offers here.

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