February 7

It’s challenging (and maddening at times!) to attempt to turn a vague notion of an idea into something valuable. It’s easy to become paralyzed and incapable of knowing what to do next when it feels like you are making things up as you go. It’s like you’re driving along a remote road and come across a roadblock. Everything seemed to be going fine, but suddenly your plan is disrupted.

In these moments, it can be helpful to simply ask yourself, “What’s the very next thing I need to do to makeanykind of progress?” Sometimes you’ll discover that the reason you feel stuck is that you need some information to make a decision, or you don’t have a tool you need to tackle a task, or you need to have a conversation before you feel good about continuing on the path you’re on. By simply pausing and considering the very next action that needs to occur, you will often uncover the singular roadblock that is causing you to feel stuck.

If you feel stuck on a particular project, ask yourself, “What is the very next thing that needs to happen to make progress?”

Defining the very next step can get you out of your creative rut.

What is the very next thing that needs to happen on each of your current projects?