5 reasons you might be stuck on your project/goal

Round two of my upcoming accountability program starts on Friday,  so I thought it might be helpful to share some things I’ve learnt from the program so far - things that trip people up, and ways that participants get stuck.
 
And what we can do about it to move forward.

Here's a picture of a cute puppy in some leaves, to make you smile :)

So, without further ado, let’s jump right in!
 
5 reasons you might not be making progress on your project or goal:
 
1. You’re hiding behind admin tasks.
 
Let’s get one thing straight:
 
This is incredibly easy to do.
 
Admin tasks are so… appealing!
 
They make us feel like we’re getting things done!
 
And to a certain extent, admin tasks are helpful.
 
But there’s a limit.
 
Let’s say you want to run a half marathon or a marathon.
 
“Admin” tasks might be finding the perfect running shoe, or waiting til you have all the correct gear before you head out on a run.
 
Now, these things are important – but only to an extent.
 
The most important thing is… getting out there for a run!
 
Signing up for a race.
 
Doing the thing!
 
It’s the same with your business or project.
 
Admin tasks might be: making your website look pretty, or creating detailed categories for your blog posts.
 
Your posts might be very organized…
 
But you know what will really get you moving?
 
Writing a blog post… and publishing it!
 
Sending your live website to five friends and asking for feedback!
 
So what can we do about this?
 
I’m not saying don’t do admin tasks :)
 
I’m saying: keep them in check.
 
They are sneaky buggers, and will try to take over if you let them ;)
 
So mix them in with other tasks.

1. What task could you do as well? (Maybe a sales task?)
   
   
2. How quickly can you do that admin task, so you have time for the meaty stuff? (Admin tasks shouldn’t take up the bulk of your time, ideally.)
   
   
3. Can someone else help with the admin task, so it doesn’t take up all your time? (Yay! Outsourcing!)
   
   

Admin tasks make us feel like we’re getting lots done.
 
But they’re really a distraction from the important stuff.
 
Which brings me to…
 
2. Shying away from the scary tasks
 
What is your “scary” task?
 
What are you shying away from?
 
What do you know you should be doing, deep down… but you’re not?
 
Let me give you an example:
 
Most people don’t like sales conversations.
 
I definitely don’t.
 
Eeesh!
 
So we tend to put these tasks off.
 
The tasks that we know we really should be doing.

• Signing up to that new sports class (and then going).
  
  
• Posting your new blog on Facebook so your friends know about it.
  
  
• Making that scary call to a potential new publisher.  
  
  

But the thing is, the scary tasks are the ones that usually move us forward the most.
 
So take a minute...
 
Check in with what you really should be doing next.
 
I bet it’s not another admin task ;)
 
And, as always, give yourself credit when you do one of those scary tasks.
 
[And remember that it gets easier the more you do it.
 
The first time I ran my own workshop, my voice shook, and I’m not sure I breathed properly for two hours :)
 
Now I can confidently give workshops I'm proud of.]
 
So… what scary task are you avoiding?
 
Now for a “fun” challenge: go do it!
 
And now over to the other side of the coin…
 
3. Having so many tasks that you don’t get anything done
 
I still struggle with this at times.
 
I start a list of all the tasks I want to get done for my business, and halfway through I can feel the overwhelm kicking in.
 
All of a sudden, I have a strong desire to nap :)
 
So here are two things you can try instead:
 
A. Do one task a day.
 
One?!
 
Surely that won’t move you forward?
 
But – here’s the thing… it will.
 
When we try doing 10 tasks a day, we feel overwhelmed (which more often than not leads us to give up).
 
But when we do one task a day, we move ourselves forward - without the overwhelm.
 
Try it and see.
 
I bet you still get through that task list :)
 
Or try…
 
B. Doing three tasks a week
 
In my accountability program, I have my participants do three tasks a week (minimum).
 
Three tasks isn’t much, right?
 
But here’s the thing: three tasks will move you forward!
 
Because getting things done spurs you on… you build momentum.
 
One task leads to another task, which leads to another.
 
So you have two options:

• You can set yourself 20 tasks a day, and feel stressed and overwhelmed…
  
  
• Or you can do three tasks a week (or one a day) and feel relaxed and make steady progress, day by day.
  
  

Think marathon, rather than sprint.
 
Slow and steady…
 
And moving on, here’s one that really stops people in their tracks!
 
4. Thinking you have to have it all figured out before you start
 
Don’t get me wrong – my background is in events planning.
 
I know the value of planning.
 
But sometimes we take it too far.
 
We use it as an excuse:
 
I don’t have a five-year plan, or a financial forecast for the next six months, or a detailed plan for my blog for the next three years… and I can’t do anything before I get clear on these!
 
“I must have everything figured out before I start” is the best mantra to stop yourself moving forward.
 
The path will become clear as you take action.
 
The first step forward will highlight the next step.
 
So don’t wait to have it all figured out before you start – or you’ll likely never start.
 
Have a rough plan or goal, be ready to tweak it, and then get going.
  
Do it before you’re ready.
 
Cause you’ll never truly be ready anyway :)
 
And that leads nicely to the piece de resistance…
 
5. Waiting for it to be perfect.
 
I get it, I get it.
 
What’s the point in doing something if it’s not great?
 
What’s the point in creating something average?
 
The point is that this is how we learn.
 
This is how we make progress:
 
By growing, and tweaking, and improving.
 
And you can’t do that if your first draft has to be “perfect”.
 
So screw perfect.
 
Let yourself go through a few iterations before you get to where you want to be.
 
Produce “good enough” work (for now).

• Let go of having the perfect 10k time before you sign up for that half-marathon.
  
  
• Let go of having a perfect website or blog post before you publish it (how will your work help people if you keep it to yourself?)
  
  
• Let go of having the perfect Instagram post (the amount of effort you spend on a post is generally not directly proportional to how many likes you get!)
  ​

Let your work be “good enough”.
 
And then tweak it, if you need to.
 
But if you wait for the “perfect” piece of work, you’ll likely still be here in five years’ time…. perfecting, and worrying, and wondering why you haven’t made any progress ;)
 
…
 
So there we have it – five reasons people get stuck.
 
Do any of them relate to you?
 
Any of them your particular weakness?
 
We all have them.
 
We all struggle.
 
But if you can crack the above, you’re well on the way to making progress bit by bit, seeing your confidence grow, and actually doing the things you want to do.
 
The things that are important to you.
 
And that sounds pretty good to me :)
 
What do you think? I’d love to know in the comments.
 
What did I miss: what do you get stuck on? And how have you learnt to move past it?
 
As always, thanks for reading :)
 
Claire
 
PS - Details about the accountability program, for those who are interested: If you’re working on a side-hustle, business or project, our next accountability program starts this Friday, October 13th and I have a couple more places left for testers! Get support, encouragement, and straight talking (when required) every week, so you actually get stuff done.

It’s been really cool seeing my current testers make progress and blitz their to-do lists. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Now go off and have a wonderful day!

❤
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