Do you often struggle to get things back on track after a period of downtime or when you are stuck in a slump or ‘stuck in a rut’ kind of phase?

Perhaps you want to get back into routine after the holidays or after a trip or vacation, or perhaps it is a case of feeling stuck, feeling a bit lost, and not knowing where to start or how to reset or how to get back on track!

For different people, this sort of ‘stuck-ness’ could be dealt with in different ways, but today I wanted to deep dive into a particular way of tackling this situation, that has personally been helpful for me many a time. It is what I refer to as the ‘back to form’ or a ‘back to routine’ reset.

Setting the intention and expectations

Probably what makes it work is the ‘intention’ behind it. Setting the intention that – “I want to get myself out of this rut, I want to keep moving and start feeling better” – helps in consciously or unconsciously introducing a shift in how one operates. But just setting the intention is not enough; it is the actions that follow that help in moving the needle in the right direction.

The ‘formula’, in short, is this:

Setting the right intention + taking aligned actions -> helps build the momentum + the trust back with yourself, to get things moving again

You can think of this reset as a combination of self-care + organisation + goal setting/ planning + reflection activities but the aim here is not to overwhelm, nor is the goal to fix or do everything perfectly.

Rather, the aim of this reset is to simply clear some space to bring back the momentum and to help you keep moving (rather than stalling). The aim is to get to a better place than where we started – that is all there is to it.

Before we dive into the details, there are two things I wanted to highlight:

The first being, it is important to choose the ‘right kind of reset’ depending on the situation one finds themselves in. In situations like these, it may be tempting to directly jump into a ‘planning kind of reset’ and go all in on just planning and tackling your ‘work’ goals. But this might not be enough to get you out of that ‘rut feeling’. This is where a more well-rounded reset that caters to different aspects of you can come in handy.

Secondly, though I will be sharing below a set of steps as part of this reset, sometimes our body and mind may just not be open to doing all of them yet. So, feel free to pick and choose what resonates the most with you and what you know will help you – pace it across different sessions if needed. Basically, customize it to your needs. Doing all the steps mentioned may not even be realistic for your situation, but the idea here is to give you different options to choose from.

The most important thing is that you act, despite how difficult or challenging it feels.

My version of the back to routine/ back to form reset goes like this:

Part I: Waking up your body

As much as you might feel resistance to do this step, I highly urge you to do this in some form or the other. If not all, pick and choose a few things from below that call out to you – cause a refreshed body does make one feel better (even if by a tad bit) than before and can pave the way to tackle whatever is coming up next.

• Hydrate yourself – have a glass of water
• Lightly stretch or move your body for 1-2 mins
• Shower (a quick shower or a relaxing bath – choose whatever your body calls for) and change into clean and comfy clothes

Part II: Nourishing/ refuelling gently

Next is nourishment if this is something you haven’t paid attention to in your day yet. How much ever willpower and motivation we may or may not have to get things moving, it is difficult to do so without the energy to fuel it.

• Have a comforting drink of your choice (warm tea, coffee, matcha anyone?)
• Eat a nourishing meal – buy it or make it, doesn’t matter but have it

Part III: Clearing your space

As they say, ‘a clear space is a clear mind’. Now, at this stage - where we are aiming to get back into our routines- rest assured, we are not going to dive into deep cleaning activities but let’s just get the space cleaned ‘enough’

• Make your bed
• Put away visible clutter from an area- basically, put back things where they belong
• Clear or clean one area or surface (perhaps the space you are going to work from next)

Quick tip: If any of this feels overwhelming to start, set a timer for 10-20 mins and clean till the timer goes off. Worst case scenario, know that you can stop anytime.

Part IV: Focus your mind

Now, we get to the part where most of us tend to jump to first in situations like these. Hopefully some of the previous actions have built up the momentum, space and energy needed to focus on this section.

You could start with doing a brain dump or making a list of all the things that are bogging down your mind. It could be:

• Just random things that need to get out of your brain
• A list of To-dos
• Things that have been bothering you
• Just raw, unfiltered thoughts

Once you are done with this, that’s great - as now you have vented out or done away with some of the mental clutter. If there are any key actions that have come out of this for you to do, make a note of it or schedule it for later. The good thing is that it is out of your mind and onto paper now.

Next, select one or more errands (that could have been piling up) that are urgent or that could be done today. It could be a few tasks from the list you created above (if any) or any of the below actions:

• Restocking essentials
• Closing any pending or due payments
• Catching up on important emails (pro tip: set a timer for this)
• Expenditure tracking

Lastly, if you are up for it, let’s move on to the slightly more demanding process of planning – as in reviewing open/ in-progress tasks and preparing for what’s next.

• Review the progress on your current projects and tasks
  • See if you need to delegate/ remove or add actions as needed
• Plan for the next day or the next week ahead

Remember, the key here is prioritisation – prioritisation of tasks that will move the needle towards your most important goals/ projects – be it personal or professional.

And don’t forget to give yourself a big pat on your back for coming this far. It is not easy, but you are moving and taking steps to get out of the rut which is great in itself!

Part V: Lifting your mood

With a lot of heavy lifting done in the previous part, it is now time to pivot and lift and shift your mood further.

Below are a few ideas to aid with this:

• Step outside for a short walk in nature
• Open your curtains/ windows for fresh breeze and sunlight to come in
• Set up the diffuser or light a candle if you’d prefer
• Refresh the wallpaper in your gadgets if you’d like, for a fresh look
• Do something that you enjoy (a hobby or listen to your favourite music or talk to a loved one) – anything that calls you at present

Part VI: Winding down strong

And finally, below are a few ideas to wind down this reset on a strong note. Prioritise getting a good night’s rest so that you can kickstart freshly tomorrow.

• Prep the space for tomorrow
• Lay out your clothes for the next day
• And close the day with some reflections as below:
  • Set an intention or theme for the present season of your life – something you’d like to carry forward in the coming days. Eg: “I will be kinder with myself”, “This is the season of new learnings and growth”
  • Think of a few things/ people/ experiences that you are grateful for presently
  • What is something that brought you joy today?

Few gentle reminders

• It is okay if you have not been consistent in the things you do. In fact, it is quite normal to ebb and flow. Just know that you can always pick yourself back up and get going from that point onwards
• Rest and recuperation are important. And it is so important to try to take that rest or break without feeling guilty or judging ourselves
• And, if at times you need a step or few to get back up after a period of downtime or stuck-ness - know that you can always fall back to this kind of back-to-routine resets to bring you back on track
• Remember, this is not about ‘perfectly’ sliding back to your routines but about taking enough action to build back the momentum and make the way clearer than it was before

Taking intentional actions is the antidote to come out of a period or state of stagnancy or slump. Action and systems over motivation any day - that is my motto!

Set the intentions and get going – you can take a half hour or a half day or even make a whole day out of this ‘reset’ if that is what helps you feel better. You got this!

Cheers!

PS – If this way of approaching resets resonated with you, you can consider signing up for my free email series, 7 days of Everyday Reset. You’ll receive simple, practical reset ideas each day for your mind, mood and surroundings – one reset theme delivered straight to your inbox for a week.