Overcoming Inertia

Last week I wrote about the reasons and excuses we use to not move forward, this week is about overcoming inertia.

Yes, it’s true, there may be many things to overcome like time, finding quiet space to sit and work, or perhaps it’s having the energy to do it.

Some recommendations that I use to overcome inertia and get up, out, and Engaged in Life (and may work for you if stuck on the “proverbial couch”) are as follows:

• Plan my day and stick to the plan. Sometimes I plan my day the night before to ensure I am prepared.
• Build in flex time. This is the time to handle things that will and do come up.
• Build in routines. For example: exercising in the morning is best for me because it sets up my day. I feel better, more limber, and crave healthy foods. I also know my habit of slowing down in the afternoon. During a low energy time of day, it’s more difficult to overcome the inertia and get started again once I stop.
• Structure your day by managing your energy not by time. What I mean by this is that I’m more productive when energized and focused in 1 or 2 hours than I can be in double that in my low time. So high priority things get done in my high energy time, low priority things get done in my low energy time. Energy cycles up and down through our day. When caught off guard and in a low cycle, use strategies like the check-in, breathing, meditation, a quick walk in fresh air to bump your energy reserves.
• Think about how I will feel once I accomplish what I want to do. Then focus on expanding that feeling. This alone often gets me to move on to “whatever” again.
• Spend time each day on what feeds you – not in the food sense but on what feeds your soul. It may be as little as 3 minutes and can act as a total reset.
• Take the Move to Mastery program – it’ll help you break through blocks and create a roadmap to whatever you dream.