Episode 85: Feeling stuck? Get disruptive!

00:51 Welcome to Unfrazzle, a podcast for solo business owners with a big vision who are ready for a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity. I'm Louise Miller and each week i share bite-sized insights to help you step away from the hustle stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world Before we dive into today's episode, if you enjoy what I'm sharing here on Unfrazzle and you'd like to support the podcast. You can buy me a cuppa by going to BuyMeACoffee.com slash Louise Miller and making a one-off donation. I'll pop a link to that in the show notes. Okay grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started! What do you do when you're feeling stuck in your business? When you know what you need to be doing but for whatever reason it's just not happening or when you actually don't know what to focus on next and you can't seem to move things forward

01:43 Today I want to suggest a new novel approach to tackling stuckness and that is to get disruptive. Disrupt the pattern you've fallen into. Stoke the fire, shake things up a bit do something unexpected So it's been awhile since I tried the example i'm going to share with you today but I loved it so much I want to tell you about it and maybe I'll do it again! A few years ago I needed to get some writing done. I knew that what I was creating was important for the development of my business yet I just couldn't do it I sat with my notes around me, stared at a blank screen. Wrote and then deleted sentence after sentence. Nothing felt right and got frustrated and angry with myself for all the time I'd spent making zero progress Then I remembered something we had done on retreat a few months before So put down my laptop grabbed a blanket and cushions off the sofa and built myself a den

02:37 I took a notebook and pen in with me, and journaled for a few minutes to see if i could figure out why was finding it so hard. And then scribbled some notes to get clear on exactly what I was trying to achieve. And I only was IN my den for about 15 minutes or so! But I emerged with clarity & focus feeling revived & ready to rock n roll So what could you do to stir the pot & invite some fresh perspective & inspiration? Whilst I highly recommend den building or fort building if you're in the US, there are other ways to get disruptive if you're feeling stuck and frustrated. So here are some ideas to get you started You might change your environment by moving things around in your space. You could move the furniture or simply just rearrange the things that are around you Just mix things up a bit. You might literally change your perspective by working in a different place

03:31 Either find somewhere else to sit in your home or your office, or take yourself off to a cafe or co-working space. Or you could try working standing up for awhile You might get outside and go for walk but taking a different route to the way you would usually go so instead of turning left turn right. Or you might simply enjoy the freedom and feeling of naughtiness that comes from being out and about having a walk when you'd usually be working You might jolt your system back to life by dancing around the house to your favourite tune, doing some star jumps or hula hooping. Run up and down the stairs a few times do whatever you like just get your blood pumping Or on the flip side of that if you're tired instead of forcing yourself to keep going be defiant and take a nap

04:16 Or snap yourself out of linear thinking and activate the right side of your brain by doing something creative. You might doodle or sketch something just for the heck of it, it doesn't have to be good! Right? You might bake a batch of biscuits or make a pom-pom. Lose yourself in that creative flow and reconnect with your imagination and intuition. You could play a game Now this one might be tricky during the working day but if you do happen to have people around you and their game, you could bring them along for the ride. And I highly recommend a game of hide-and-seek for the ultimate in playful disruption! Your disruptive act could last for five minutes or it could last for a few hours – it really doesn't matter. The power here is in actively rebelling against your stuckness by shaking things up a little

05:01 So that instead of continuing to sit there staring at your screen, falling into a pit of frustration you're doing things differently. Jumpstarting your brain and your creativity and then hopefully watching your motivation and your productivity soar! As always I hope that this helps and i look forward to seeing you again soon Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life and I'd love it if you could leave me a rating and review as that will help more people discover this podcast. If you would like to hear more from me to help stop faffing and take back control of your time, you'll find the link to join my mailing list in the show notes and I would really love for you to join us! So thanks so much for your support and I look forward to seeing you next time