No matter who you are and what you do, we can all get stuck in a rut. Routines are very comforting but can end up being prison-like instead of freeing if you don’t change them up after a while. All the repetition of daily life can take a toll on your motivation, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never be your own productive self ever again. All you have to do is break your patterns and shake up your routine.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Getting a fresh start and a fresh outlook on life takes a lot of planning but, at the same time, it requires you to be spontaneous. In truth, the key is to find a balance between the two extremes which allows you to live your best life and not lose the motivation you need to get on with daily life.
Getting motivated again may take you a couple of tries and some experimentation, but with these tips, the process will be much easier and you’ll get out of the rut in no time!
1. Go off the grid
Sometimes getting out of a rut means just disappearing for a few days. Constantly being surrounded by people and doing your routine over and over again means that you barely have any time to breathe and be yourself. Going off the grid is basically like shutting off your brain for a while and letting go of the tension in your body. So, your next weekend plans should involve putting your phone on airplane mode and not socializing.
No matter how extroverted you are, we all need a little alone time, especially when we’re facing a rut. You’ll have time to catch up on your favourite TV shows, take a brisk walk in nature, read a book, or just drink your coffee in silence. Whatever the activity you choose, you can be sure that it’s going to feel amazing. Your brain won’t have to process a ton of information and you’ll get to put your routine on pause. If you’re someone who gets tired of social interaction easily, you should consider going off the grid regularly. It could be once a month or more or less frequently depending on your needs.
2. Self-care for the win
When you’re constantly taking care of your routine, it usually means that you’re taking care of yourself a little bit less. In order to regain your motivation and get on with your life, you should put the focus back on self-care. It can be just a simple facemask or a full-on beauty day- you do you. The results are going to be amazing, though. Self-care is the best way to recharge your batteries at home or at the spa and let your mind wander aimlessly.
One tip is to make your own body and face masks at home, as they will feel much more rewarding because you put effort into making them. As well as that, they’ll be organic and better for your skin than plain chemicals. If you don’t have time to practice self-care on a daily basis, at least make time for a hot bath and a glass of wine once a week. This can be the regular escape from your routine that you need to keep your motivation up.
3. Let loose a little
You may be the kind of person that lives a life that’s mostly planned out. The weekday is reserved for work and housework, Fridays are for the girls or boys, and the weekend is reserved for the family. There’s some comfort in a week planned out this way, but sometimes you just need to let loose. Put on your favourite party outfit and head for the club. Take up that friend on a spontaneous drink at the bar. Disappear for a weekend with just a text to your family saying you’re off.
Letting loose reminds you that there’s more to life than just following the same old routine. It reminds you how fun and exciting everything can be and that being irresponsible once in a while won’t kill you. It doesn’t even have to be anything grand. Just take any opportunity you can to be spontaneous and don’t find excuses not to do something you really want for the sake of your routine. Your life won’t fall apart if you step out of the frame for just an evening.
4. Don’t be a perfectionist
Okay, we realize that perfectionism is not a light switch and turning it off is not as simple. Still, if you want to regain motivation, you need to break free of the shackles of perfectionism because it is only going to pull you down. When you constantly focus on everything being perfect, you don’t have priorities. Instead, you’re juggling everything with the same amount of effort and trying to make it perfect. This tires you out more quickly and puts immense pressure on you, inevitably leading to burning out and breaking down.
To avoid this, try focusing on the best thing you can do at the moment. This approach acknowledges that it’s not just up to your willpower to complete a task at a given moment. Other factors like your mental and physical wellbeing, uncontrollable circumstances, and pure luck come into play, too. This is why perfection is just a myth. If you just change your perspective from perfect to the best right now, you’ll end up doing much more without feeling as tired or losing motivation. As well as that, you won’t end up being dissatisfied when you finally reach your goals.
5. Take up a new sport
Exercise can be a great way to give yourself some more happy chemicals and see the bright side of life again. This is especially true if the exercise takes place outside. When you’re outside practising sport, you’re doing something nice for both your mind and body. The serenity of nature is bound to relax you and make you forget all about the rut of daily life while the exercise will help your body break down the stress and let go of the frustrations.
Thankfully, there are sports for every season. In the winter, you can enjoy skiing or ice skating, both of which allow you to immerse yourself in the cold weather and forget about seasonal depression. The best activity for Spring is cycling, as you’ll get to witness nature bloom firsthand. If you’re not much of a cyclist though, make sure to start with an easy-to use electric bike so that you can ease into the cardio without overworking your body. Summer is perfect for water and beach sports, while Autumn is the ideal time to start Yoga or going to the gym. Beach volleyball and swimming are in style every summer, and the Autumn weather is best suited for a meditative sport like Yoga to open up your mind and keep you focused.
6. Travel somewhere
Last but not least, it’s always a good idea to get yourself away from your daily life and travel. Even a weekend trip will help you get some perspective on your life and recharge your batteries. When we travel, we’re able to relax completely because we’re completely anonymous in the new location. As well as that, there are a lot of new things to see and places to explore, which means we don’t have to think about the life waiting for us when we come back home.
On top of all of that, travelling gives you a chance to leave your routine behind at least for a little while. Going back home means either having new motivation to continue the same routine or having enough time to come up with something entirely different. When you’re not burdened with responsibilities inside and outside work, you can actually focus on how you want to live your life. So, while a trip will help you relax, it will also be the perfect opportunity to reevaluate your priorities and see what kind of routine would be more suitable for you in the future.
Conclusion
Nothing is impossible when you set your mind to it. If you’re sick and tired of your routine, all you have to do is find ways to escape the ordinary. We’ve given you more than a couple of ideas to test out and try on for size. Hopefully, you’ll be able to breathe freely again soon. Just remember that getting out of a rut takes time and experimentation, so don’t stop after just one try. Soon enough, you’ll find just the thing to reset you and give you back the motivation you’ve been lacking.
