Getting Unstuck

How do we re-engage when things feel off track?

It's day 26 of the 100 Day Project.

Or is is day 27?  Holy crap, maybe it's even day 28.  I know for sure that it's not day 30, because if it were, I'd be doing a check-in with Andrea and BB. 

Soooooo.....that's my 100 Day Project current moment snapshot.  I'm not even totally sure what day I'm on.  Because somewhere between the Day 20 check-in that we did (as part of #100DaysWithABC), and today, I've sorta stalled out.

It's been weighing on me, but not in TOO terrible a way.  I've been able to come back to my Day 1 commitments: to be gentle to myself, to give myself grace, to remember that this is supposed to be a chance for FUN and a daily dose of creativity, NOT 100 Days of Beating Myself Up.

I think I'm doing a pretty good job of reminding myself:  

---

a pause is not a personality flaw. It’s information.

​So what is this information telling me?  That's what I want to figure out.  So I sat down to do some journaling and self reflection, and as with so much of this project, it is both challenging and also enlightening.  When I can stay in gentle, mindful self study, it's actually really helpful and offers a lot of insight that I can apply not just to this creative project, but to so many other aspects of my life.

Maybe you are also feeling a little stuck, stalled out, de-railed, or paused.  Need some help gathering information?  Let's go!

---

First off, what's the source?

(a.k.a. let’s figure out what flavor of stuck this is)

You don’t need to answer all of these. Let one or two tap you on the shoulder.  Then take a few minutes to free write your answers.  (new to free writing?  There's a quick definition and some tips at the bottom of this post) 
​

• What's coming up for me when I think about feeling  stuck and returning to this project?
• What was happening the first day(s) that I missed participating?
• If I had to name the first resistance (not the most logical one), what is it?
• Does this feel like “I can’t” or “I don’t want to”?
• What part of this project currently feels too heavy, too vague, or too rigid?
• What am I afraid will happen if I do it badly today?
• Where have I quietly raised the bar without admitting it?
• Does my current life have the capacity for how I originally designed this?

A few more questions to help us zero in

This stall feels most like:

• avoidance / emotional friction
• external life stuff
• self-imposed structure mismatch
• something else: _______

The biggest blocker right now is:

• time / energy
• clarity
• emotion
• motivation
• fear
• meaning

If I had to blame this on something other than myself, what would it be?
(This last one is sneaky helpful. It loosens the shame knot.)

---

Some categories to consider

Here are some categories I've identified that seem to be many of the basic reasons someone might stall out or subconsciously push pause.  There are probably many more, but these are a starting point.  

Take what you've written and re-read it.  (be sure you aren't wearing your judge-y pants!)  Just notice themes, words that reappear frequently, emotions that are simmering under the words, or common threads.  Do they fit into any of these categories?  (and if they don't, maybe a different category comes up for you, that's great information!)

1. Loss of Spark (a.k.a. the Middle is Boring AF)
The beginning had novelty. The end has payoff.
The middle is… oatmeal.

• Not hard, not impossible—just weirdly dull
• No dopamine hit anymore

2. Misalignment / Drift
What felt right on Day 1 might not fit Day 42-you.

• The project evolved… but your “rules” didn’t
• You’ve outgrown your own container

3. Too Many Micro-Decisions
This is like decision fatigue’s annoying cousin.  Not big overwhelm—just death by 1,000 tiny choices.

• “What should I make today?”
• “What counts?”
• “Where do I even start?”

4. Invisible Rules / Perfectionism in Disguise
You've told yourself that you're to be messy… but secretly you don't believe it.

• “It has to be meaningful”
• “It should look like X by now”
• “I can’t phone it in”
• "It doesn't look like everyone else's."

5. Disconnection from Why
You started for a reason… but you’ve lost the thread.

• It feels like obligation instead of devotion
• You’re showing up out of habit, not desire
• Your "why" has changed. (spoiler alert:  that's allowed!)

6. Energy Mismatch / Real Life Shows Up
Your project asks for a version of you that doesn’t exist today.

• Requires focus but you’re fried
• Requires emotion but you’re numb
• Requires time you don’t currently have

7. Fear of Being Seen (or Not Seen)
A spicy paradox, sometimes with a side order of imposter syndrome.

• “What if people judge this?”
• “What if no one cares?
• "It will never look like theirs."

8. Being a Lone Wolf
Or maybe a Sad Panda?  Either way, doing it solo can SUCK big time.

• "No one cares whether I do this or not."
• Wishing you had some company or someone to show off to (just a little)
• Wanting some external validation of your efforts (not a bad thing at all!!)
• Wishing for a pep talk or some cheerleading, or someone to bounce ideas off of

---

Prompts to begin to gently unstick

Ok, we've gathered some info.  We've begun to identify the roots of the pause.  Let's shift into revving back up again.

If it’s emotional (avoidance, fear, comparison, loneliness):

• What would make this feel 10% safer to show up to?
• What is the lowest-stakes version of today’s participation?
• Does anything change if I decide to show no one what I'm working on?
• What does the world's most encouraging "art bestie" voice have to say about this?
• Where can I find some community and art pals to help keep me going?

If it’s structural (your rules are the problem):

• What rule can I break today without the project collapsing?
• If I redesigned this project for my current life, what would change?
• What counts as “done” if I make it wildly easier?

If it’s capacity (energy/time mismatch):

• What version of this fits in 5 minutes?
• What would “showing up while exhausted” look like?
• Can I make a placeholder instead of a masterpiece?
• Would it be easier to do my project in a different location or with different materials?

If it’s disconnection (lost your why):

• Why did I start this, really?
• What part of this still feels alive, even a tiny bit?
• What's different for me now than at the beginning?
• What part of continuing feels sparkly to me?
• If I let this project evolve, what is it trying to become?

If it’s boredom / middle slump:

• How can I make this weirder?
• What would surprise me?
• Can I introduce a constraint or a wildcard?
• Who can I reach out to for a pep talk?

---

Prompts that become your map to the on-ramp

​What feels like an easy "yes"?
No overthinking or list making.  Just letting the first answer pop into your head.  What is the simplest, easiest thing that makes your heart/mind/creative bones go "YES!"

Getting back on track doesn't have to be a one-and-done.  It might take some effort.  It might take some teamwork.  It might be a bit of a slog.  All of our previous effort still counts, it didn't go away just because we missed a few days.

• Today counts if I…
• I’m allowed to half-ass this by…
• The smallest possible action I can take is…
• I will stop after ___ minutes, even if I want to keep going
• The small (or gigantic) tweaks I plan to make are.....
• If I asked my inner "art bestie" to give me some gentle advice and a pep talk, they would say...
• This project feels most sparkly to me when....

---

This entire post was (selfishly) created for ME and shared with you in hope that it is helpful if you are also feeling stuck.  No shame circle, no judge-y pants.  Just me reminding myself and  you:  a pause is not a personality flaw.

It's not about catching up, it’s about finding my spark and re-engaging in a way that feels good to me.

So if you’ve drifted away from your project for a few days (or a few weeks), here’s your permission slip:

You don’t have to catch up.
You don’t have to make it good.
You don’t even have to make it make sense.

This is your invitation to just touch it again.

Was this helpful to you?  I'd love to hear!  Share a comment here on the blog, or on social media, or get in touch.  I always appreciate the company on the journey, and the solidarity of knowing that I'm not alone.

What is "free writing"?

Free writing for journaling is a stream-of-consciousness practice where you write continuously for a set time (for prompts like those shared here, I would typically use about 3 minutes) without pausing, editing, or worrying about grammar, spelling, or coherence. It is designed to bypass the inner critic to tap into raw emotions, clear mental clutter, and get at thoughts and emotions that can sometimes wiggle out of our grasp when we try too hard. 

Guidelines for Free Writing

• Keep your hand moving: Do not stop to think, read back, or edit.
• Don't censor: Write whatever comes to mind, even if it is nonsense, repetitive, or "bad" writing.
• Set a limit: Use a timer or other way to keep it limited.  You could write for the duration of a song, or until a page is filled.
• If you get stuck: Write "I'm stuck" or repeat the last word until a new thought arrives.  You can also re-write the question or key words until something new comes.

---

I do my free writing with prompts like these right in my art journal.  Later, I might come back to those pages and circle words, create black out poetry, or layer with paint, gesso or collage papers directly over the words.  Sometimes some of those words peek out here and there, sometimes they all get covered completely.  Free writing like this is about getting the words and ideas out of our brains, but not really about any intention to preserve those words or do anything with them.  I really enjoy the process of using prompts like this and then letting them become a layer in my art.

Hang out with us for the 100 Day Project!

The Day 30 Check-in with Andrea and BB will be Monday, March 23.  You can find all the dates & times for 100 Days With ABC here (we're going LIVE every 10 days) and you can sign up for email reminders here.