Feeling stuck? Read this and get going again!

Some days I wish we were machines and could hardwire ourselves to any task. From reading a 1000 page book to climbing an 8000-meter peak, the need to prepare oneself would vanish in thin air. The queue to Everest peak may begin at the Kathmandu airport. What a world that would be! Aspirations and dreams getting fulfilled everywhere- producing champions all around us. DJ Bravo may have to re-write his song then.

The 'Task'

Let's first define these tasks a little. There are two types of tasks: Easy and Difficult ones. The former I am not afraid of doing while the latter gives me palpitations even thinking about them. The difficult tasks usually involve endeavours like a competitive exam or a big public talk. When it comes to such endeavours, my emotions get the better of me time and again. The usual reaction is to give up, and if by anyhow I overcome this feeling to give up, I still lurk at the valley of hopelessness as so much energy has already been expended. A situation I am sure no one would want to be in.

It is in these situations of distraught that we find ourselves stuck. We get distracted from our process and lose the way forward. The time to get back on track takes days or even months. And once we are back, the sad part is that this situation may arise again, anytime soon.

The answer to this problem lies in finding the hardwiring algorithm that works for you. Every human finds himself at the lowest ebb at some point in his or her life. Those who exercise prudence to formulate a mental code and then rise through their struggle, we call them Champions! The recovery time is what matters. The sooner you get back on track the better it is for you. So what if we don’t have a hardwiring algorithm available right now- the will to develop one of our own is what we need.

For our endearing yet dreadful tasks, I think a few rules might show us the light.

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Back to Basics

“To think clearly, understand the basics”- Naval Ravikant

Any problem looks difficult only because one has not spent enough time learning the basics. Jumping the gun by simply collecting the necessary information to tackle the question posed to you may look successful in the short term but very painful in the future. And the more painful the process of learning, the better its imprint in the memory.

When stuck, the easiest way to move forward is to go back. Even the boxers take a step back to launch their best jab. The cracks usually start propagating when the foundation is only weak. Good knowledge of fundamentals has never let anyone down. It sets a platform for us to build upon it. Go back to the basics and sharpen them- the sharpness would only steer the way forward.

One step at a time

Chess can teach so much about life. One such learning I imbibed recently while watching a match of the great Vishy Anand. The former world champion doesn’t look for the win when he plays the first move of the chess game. He tries to find the best possible chess move in the position on board. And it is then this sequence of finding the best chess moves that grant him the win.

One step at a time towards glory!

If we could take one step at a time in whatever we pursue, things crystallise eventually. We incline towards results from day one that make us run out of patience- ultimately giving up whatever we were pursuing. Instead, if we focus on the process day after day, month after month, good things will inevitably appear.

No matter how big the task is, it’s surmountable if we take one step at a time.

Think Micro

Looking at things from a micro perspective will make us reach our destination on the macro scale.

While standing in front of a difficult trek, from where one can see its full scale, our first instincts would be of “how am I going to do this?”. But if we were at a spot where we couldn’t see the full scale but only the path in front of us, our first instinct would be to start walking the path. Put yourself in a situation wherein you can take your mind off the daunting goal and pay attention to the minute details. The refined details collectively will only result in a picturesque view.

Thinking micro in some way resonates with moving ahead one step at a time. While the former governs the thinking aspect, the latter covers the doing part.

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What is the fundamental unit of your task?

Every task has a fundamental unit on which its performance depends. There could be several such units for any given task. Identify the building blocks of your activities by looking from a micro perspective. Go back to the basics and make the fundamentals strong. And while you are at it, take one step at a time.