If you have ever been in a rut, you know what it feels like — nothing is satisfactory, yet nothing changes.
Life is unhappy. Days just go by and nothing much gets done. You set goals and resolve to change ‘tomorrow,’ but alas, ‘tomorrow’ is just a repeat. It is as if you are in a trance — you can see the days slipping by but do nothing about it.
In short, a rut is like being in an unhappy equilibrium.
So how do you break a rut?
From my experience, half-measures won’t do. What has worked for me is giving my system a shock to jolt it out of equilibrium.
1. When I was in school, I would study the whole night. It wasn’t an efficient way to learn, but it shocked your system enough to get out of the rut.
2. During my startup life, when I once felt stuck, I started waking up early (between 4:30 and 5 am) followed by a workout.
Other things you could do:
1. Pick a book and try to finish it in two days.
2. Pick an audacious goal and work on it for 10-12 hrs.
You can’t creep out of a rut — you have to smash it. So go smash it. Be unreasonable. It will work – I guarantee it.
– Rajan