It's All About Momentum

Do you know the feeling when everything just doesn't work? When there seems like something clogs the gears of life?

I had such a week.

New beginnings are always a little weird. Saying goodbye to 2025 and embracing 2026 is a change nonetheless. One can't help but get a little reflective. Even though reflecting is good, it can also become an inhibitor. You can reflect too much. And no, the irony is not lost on me that I'm reflecting about reflecting.

I've had a lot of frustration boiling up after this reflective period. When you can't get out of frustration, it can turn into lethargy.

That's what happened to me this week.

But I've found a way out again. It's simple, but not easy.

The best action you can take is the one you want to do the least: get moving.

You don't have to get moving in a physical sense (even though this is also great), but just do something. Every time I don't feel like doing anything, what gets me out of the rut is doing something. I know it's difficult. The last thing you want to do when you feel like crap is anything at all. But just this one little nudge forward is all you need.

This little nudge seems insurmountable at first, but it's only the first few seconds that feel bad. After starting, all the worries from before turn out to be paper tigers. One thing leads to the next, and before you know it, you've done five times the amount you thought you were able to do.

When you start moving, don't stop. At least for a little while. Sadly, stopping something in motion is still easier than bringing it into motion.

The worst trap you can fall into is when you judge a whole day by just one distinct part. Imagine you have a bad morning. Especially when you're already in a rut, you tend to call it a day and don't believe the rest of it could be any different. But that's not true at all. An American Football coach of mine used to say "blowing a quarter makes the comeback that much sweeter". Just because one part of the day was bad doesn't mean that you can't turn it around. I've had some horrible afternoons that were saved by a great spurt of inspiration and joy in the evening. I've had great mornings darkened by horrible evenings, that were then redeemed by the night.

If you lose momentum during the day, the same strategy for building it back up applies as well: get moving again. If you really feel low, look for a quick win. Something that doesn't take up that much time, builds momentum, and is accomplished when a metric is reached. Quick wins are only wins when you finish what you set out to do. This doesn't mean a whole project or anything. But if you set out to write 500 words today, don't write only 490. The task is done when there are 500 words on the page.

This creates a simple but powerful reinforcing feedback loop.

That's why I urge you: grease the groove, especially when you don't feel like it. You'll turn a setback into a comeback, a good hour into a good day, a good day into a good week, and a good week into a phenomenal year.