Comments on: Feeling Stuck? Try This

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:40:02 +0000

Chris, thank you so much for writing this (and similar) articles. As a person who finds herself frequently “stuck,” your small, yet actionable ideas really help take the anxiety out of the equation.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:02:24 +0000

Just read this post again, Chris. And it made me feel as awesome as it did the last time. Thanks again for the suggestions; they make lots of sense for an entrepreneur. Now to start cracking away at that inertia…

By: Alex

Alex — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 00:03:21 +0000

I fight this battle all the time… including right now.

Ok, though, I just have to share this: You said “Should you learn Spanish or Chinese?” and then said either flip a coin or do both… I was faced with that exact dilemma, and I did both. I love little coincidences like that.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:52:49 +0000

Another great read!

I agree with some of the other comments – getting physical really helps me get out of my mind and into my body for a little bit – it’s a good break. I may clean dishes, straighten up some clutter, put on loud music and dance… or play with my cat. Getting dressed and going outside is even better but I find it soooo hard to do most days, unless I absolutely have to be somewhere.

I like your suggestions to help someone else if you can’t think of anything else to do, and your short list of productive things to do online. I’ve got to check out the $100 hour exercise too.

Thanks much,
Heather

By: Jon Strocel

Jon Strocel — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:42:03 +0000

I was feeling stuck until I read this. So I went and fixed a backup problem here at work that I had been ignoring. I feel much better now.

By: Rebecca MacDonald

Rebecca MacDonald — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:34:13 +0000

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a great idea and not written it down. Poof! There it goes into the ether, perhaps seeking out someone in the universe more inclined to act on it. I’m trying to get into the habit of writing more of them down. Now, I just have to remind myself to go look at my notes!

By: Chris Dillon

Chris Dillon — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:03:57 +0000

Thanks for the swift-kick-in-the-pants post. I was looking for something to motivate the first Monday of a new decade and you nailed it.

The Spanish-Chinese dilemma speaks to my current situation. Flip a coin or find a way to do both – spot on.

Great website design BTW.

By: reese

reese — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:05:13 +0000

when I’m stuck, I often try to do what Elizabeth Potts Weinstein advocates up there: nothing.

This is, of course, counter to my impatient nature. And when you’re under the gun doing work for other people, it doesn’t always fly.

Some of our greatest leaps can come after extended times of silence and calm. We leave room for creativity to blossom.

By: Trackback from AP

Trackback from AP — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:55:16 +0000

[...] If you’re feeling stuck – you just don’t know what to do or where to start, despite a feeling that you should be doing something – read this post from Chirs Guillebeau’s fabulous The Art of Non-Conformity. He has a few simple tips designed to help you get out of that place of being stuck and into a more productive place. [...]

By: Laura Cococcia | The Journal of Cultural Conversation

Laura Cococcia | The Journal of Cultural Conversation — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:26:05 +0000

Hey Chris – Happy New Year to you! It’s funny you wrote this – I’m at an adventure retreat right now that focuses on mindfulness. One exercise we did today involved experimenting with task, how we feel (inertia was one of the feelings) and if our approach was working for us. For me, it wasn’t so we talked about how I could do it differently. People came up with 5 ways and I tried one. And it worked. We’re definitely programmed in certain ways – it’s just human nature, I think – but remembering that there are different ways to do things can get us unstuck. Or at least it did for me today.