Step by Step Process for Getting Out of a Rut

Everyone goes through phases of low motivation and monotony. In these times, the comfortable
is remarkably tempting, and the fruitful is insipid. These seasons of tedium can last days, weeks,
or even months. Often you might find yourself feeling like a passive observer of your own life.
You wake up, go through the motions, stop to sleep, then repeat. It's like the depressing version
of playing Red Light Green Light as a kid.

Three steps can get you out of this pit. (Technically, I guess reading this could be considered an
additional first step, so if that's all you can muster right now, consider it a success).

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THAT YOU'RE IN A RUT

The danger of these barren periods of life is that they're easy to get into without realizing it. It's
kind of like drunkenly stumbling into a Denny's at 2AM. You don't know how you got there or
why, but you know that, had you been of a clearer mind, you wouldn't have been there in the first
place. Unfortunately, you don't realize that until you start to sober up. Unlike being shitfaced,
though, you don't need an ice bath or slap to the face to break the spell. Instead, just look through
the following symptoms.

1. You have no motivation. There's a common adage among the personal development
community that discipline trumps motivation every time. While it's not inaccurate, it's
near impossible to break free from a rut in the absence of motivation.
2. Daily life lacks any sense of fulfillment. There's a cognitive detachment from the things
you do each day and your higher purpose. Whatever your long term goals are, you don't
see how your routine contributes to them. Sometimes, in a severe rut, you may no longer
even know what your goals are.
3. You have no reason to look forward to your day. You wake up uninspired. You
shower uninspired. You brush your teeth, make breakfast, and throw up last night's
Denny's uninspired. Nothing is exciting anymore. Your entire day is just a series of steps
to trudge through before crumbling into bed. Every day is the same.
4. You fall back on old, unhealthy habits. Why? Because they're simple. And, at a time
where you don't seem to have any energy and are often unhappy, they're seemingly the
only viable option. These habits may be poor eating, spending all your time in front of a
screen, or even drugs (including alcohol).
5. Part of you wants to change. But it's so effortless to do what's comfortable. And so
damn hard to do anything that isn't. Sticking to the status quo means that you don't need
to risk failure or pain. Luckily, if you get to this point, you've begun your climb out.

These five things are what differentiates a rut from a grind. Two people can have the exact same
monotonous routine. To one person, it's dreary and dull. To the other, it's all part of their larger
plan. They don't need their old unhealthy habits because what they do each day makes them feel
fulfilled. They know they're changing for the better.
If you're the first person, but want to be the second, that's good. But, we've already said that
changing without motivation is something of a paradox. It's like trying to drive to the gas station
in a car that has nothing in the tank. You can't stay stranded on the side of the highway, but you
can't get the engine firing. So, what do you do? Well, you start with what you can do.

STEP 2: OPTIMIZE YOUR FUTURE SELF FOR ACTION

If you're in a rut, odds are you can't find the drive to get yourself out of it. The physical action
required for change is too much of a roadblock. So, when people tell you, "just do something",
it's akin to telling a paraplegic to walk it off.

Therefore, the first thing to do needs to be the simplest as well. Start with self-compassion.
When you're in a rut, it's natural to let the dickhead region of the brain beat you up for it. (It's
been a while since I studied neuroscience in college, but I'm fairly certain this is a proper
anatomical region). You may criticize yourself for doing little of worth. As common as this is, it
serves no purpose. You can't change the actions of your past self. At all times, we do the best that
we can. So stop focusing on the things you could've "hypothetically" done because it's just that:
hypothetical. If you could have done it, you would have. But, you lacked the energy and a sense
of purpose, so you didn't. And that's okay, because it must be. It happened in the past, and cannot
be changed. So for it to be anything but okay is a waste of the limited mental resources that you
possess at this time. Forgive your past self, and work on what is within your control: the present.
It's this self-compassion that's fundamental to lowering the depressive symptoms that can keep us
in a rut.

Once you stop bullying your past self with mental wedgies and swirlies, it becomes moderately
more feasible to make minuscule changes that can raise your overall energy levels. Therefore,
the next step is to implement energizing habits without the intention of taking action yet.
These habits are small but can help you gather the energy needed to make more substantial steps.
But, if you pressure yourself to make these more significant moves now, you can easily fall back
into your negative self-talk. So, just do these simple things without the pressure of needing to
change anything else just yet. In order of increasing difficulty, here are some recommended
habits:

 Drink more water. Drinking water is an excellent way to boost energy levels a small
amount. Start easy, and just make sure that you drink 1 extra glass of water each day.
Slowly increase this amount until you graduate to doing keg stands with the water cooler.
It's recommended that adult men drink 131 ounces per day, and adult women drink 95
ounces. (This is about 13 cups and 9 cups, respectively).
 Get more (regular) sleep. At first, start by just making sure that you're getting between
7-9 hours of sleep each night. Whether you wake up with an alarm or not, slowly roll
back the time you go to sleep by 10 minutes each night until you hit this range. The most
immediate priority should be achieving an adequate duration. This will be good enough
for most things. But, if you want to also ruminate less, have less depressive symptoms,
and lessen your chance of contracting chronic diseases (you know, the secondary
benefits), you should strive to sleep during times that sync with your circadian rhythm.
 To do so, gradually adjust your 7-9 hours of sleep until you're in bed between 8PM and
midnight.
 Improve your diet. In general, you can make a few simple changes to your diet to boost
your energy. Certain fruits, namely bananas, oranges, strawberries, and apples, are
incredible for killing fatigue. Whole grains like brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and
oatmeal can alleviate lethargic feelings. Protein sources such as fatty fish, eggs, yogurt,
and beans are helpful as well. These foods contain nutrients or minerals that either slow
digestion (lengthening the energy-sustaining benefits of the meal) or combat symptoms
that cause fatigue.
 Go for a short walk. Evidence suggests that walking may be better than caffeine for
raising energy levels. Not only that, but it can also lift your mood. Plus, these aspects are
compounded upon if you take a walk outside in the sunlight.
 Do a small workout. Exercise serves all the same functions as a relaxing walk but to a
higher degree. Even 5-10 minutes can raise your heart rate enough to get the blood
pumping and bring up your energy.
 Take a cold shower. Later this month, I'll write a more in-depth article on this. Most of
us would sooner tongue kiss a sewer grate before willingly bathing in cold water. But, it
is incredible for more reasons than I can detail here. Most importantly, though, if you can
find the discipline to take a cold shower, you can undoubtedly get yourself out of a rut.

Keep working at these habits until you feel like you can take a small step forward. Then,
depending on your task, find out ways to facilitate that type of work. For example, walking can
improve creativity by an average of 60%. So, before creative work, it can be helpful to stroll
around the block. You may also find it useful to put on music (instrumental if the lyrics are
distracting) or create a mind map or creativity journal. For more pedestrian work, caffeine will
boost problem-solving ability but not creativity. In addition, you can make sure that you clear
your environment of any distractions, and establish a potent reward for doing some work.

STEP 3: UTILIZE THE 2-5-10 PRINCIPLE

The 2-5-10 principle is the name I've given to a productivity method that has given me the most
success in life. Like most everything I write, it's merely a compilation of the work of those who
are much smarter than I. Still, it's a handy mnemonic to remember four invaluable techniques.

When you finally cultivate the energy to take action, it's essential to not let your perception of the
task overwhelm you into inactivity. Therefore, tell yourself that you only need to work on it
for 2 minutes. This concept, popularized by James Clear, is prominent in the habit-forming
community. By committing to such a short time, you eliminate many of the excuses that may
deter you from starting. If you can't commit to 2 minutes, try 30 seconds. Then one minute, then
two. Start as small as you need. All that matters is that you start.

The "5" is based on the 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins. It translates to this: if you feel
apprehensive or nervous about doing something uncomfortable, count down from five in
your head. When you hit zero, go do that thing. The logic behind this is that you're taking action
before your brain can overthink the situation and discourage you. You're not giving your anxiety
enough time to kick up its feet and get comfortable. Some of you may have even stumbled upon
this in the past without realizing it. (This was the case for me when I started taking cold
showers). It can be employed in anything from a HIIT workout to social anxiety.

While both of the preceding sections refer to techniques used to start positive habits, the third
portion refers to resisting the temptation of negative urges. In his book The Science of Self-
Discipline, Peter Hollins discusses his Ten-Minute Rule. Whenever you're tempted to engage
in a bad habit, wait ten minutes. Set a timer, and if you still feel the urge by the time it rings,
go ahead and give in. (Or, set a timer for another ten minutes, because you survived Round 1).
This takes the "immediate" out of immediate gratification. Better yet, if you find a reliable way
to counter that urge during that time, you improve your chances of making a healthier choice
after the allotted time.

The fourth and final application of this principle is represented in how it is laid out. The numbers
are ordered from lowest to highest, which represents the concept of always scale up. With each
of these methods, you're starting with a relatively short response time. As you progress, so too
should this interval. Once it gets easy to stick to a habit for 2 minutes, do so for 5 minutes, then
10. If your anxiety adapts to kicking in in under 5 seconds, increase your response time. Count
down from 4, then 3, and so on until you don't even need to think about it. Are you still
frequently having urges after 10 minutes? Try 12, then 15. A rut is an abyss of nothingness. To
rise out of an abyss, you must scale upwards, one step at a time.

The important thing is that you're taking it one step at a time, always putting one foot in front of
the next. You need to crawl before you can walk, walk before you run, and run before you do
some sick nasty parkour. So make your next step inviting and pursue it.

ACTION STEP
You may find yourself reading this at the end of the day, and you might be drained of the little
energy you had at the start. So, I'll make this step as simple as possible. (After all, that has been a
central tenet of this post). So, try making a bingo card of small things that you can strive for
tomorrow, and pick a reward for getting "bingo".. If you're feeling even more ambitious, you can
also assign a reward for completing the entire card. Try to pick a reinforcer that's in line with the
improvements you're trying to make. So, if you've chosen the reward of snorting a cigarette
filled with black tar heroin, I'd highly encourage you to find another option. Sorry for the
inconvenience.