• It’s the middle of the week- you feel buried, without a light at the end of the tunnel.

• Those app updates you’ve been wanting to start? Still untouched.

• Your new product launch is just around the corner. Your revolutionary marketing ideas = brainfart.

Not the least bit productive, they’re not the states of mind you want when you’re trying to, well… do anything. How do you get out of your slump? I think the first step is simple, although often overlooked.

First things first

Think about it this way. When you realize your problem is just a state of mind, you’ll realize you have the power to change it. Mentally take control of your actions- and know that you’re bigger than they are. Yeah, actions speak louder than words, but actions don’t happen without your willpower leading the way.

Here’s how it goes for me. There’s an internal battle going on in my head: I think about the thing I have to do. I realize how difficult this thing is going to be. I decide to do it anyway. Keep Reading

You’ve got to want to be productive. You’ve got to want to create. It will start when you see the joys of accomplishing something rather than absorbing others’ creations.

I think Adam Spooner nails it here. I’m certainly guilty of saying “Well, now that I have this productivity app, I’ll get more done” and then reading my guilty pleasure blog five minutes later.

No more. We have to stop blaming our inability to get stuff done on anyone (or anything!) other than ourselves. We have the most important tools already- we just have to dig all the way to the bottom of our toolbox (while hoisting those heavy distractions out of the way) to get to them.

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s, there are few.” – Shunryo Suzuki-Roshi

At first glance, you think “Yeah, that makes sense.” When you’re new at something, you try everything because you have tons of ideas. But you become more experienced; you learn the ropes and know what works. You’re seasoned… wise.

And if you think you’re right about the meaning of that phrase, think again. Keep Reading