10 WAYS TO GET OUT OF A SLUMP & REFOCUS ON YOUR GOALS

Before I started my #AprilBloggingChallenge (which is where, you guessed it, I blog every single day this month), I had hit such a slump. I was feeling unmotivated, I felt like my brain had literally dried up and taken all my good ideas with it, and I was a little unsure which direction I needed to take next. I mentioned over on my Instagram earlier this week how I was even hovering over the Delete Blog button back in December last year, that's how blah I felt about Apartment Number 4. 

I know there a few of you out there right now who are feeling the same about your business or your blog, so I wanted to just share ten things that might help you climb out of your slump, shake it off, get back to feeling motivated and refocus on your goals again.

Clear Your Mind

I'm guessing if you're feeling anything like I was feeling, your head is probably about to burst. When we feel like everything is getting on top of us, that's when the slump hits and we don't want to do anything other than lay on the sofa and watch TV. And doing that is absolutely fine, but just take a moment to clear your mind, write down everything you're thinking and try to stop worrying about things out of your control. I love nothing more than getting a bath and clearing my mind completely of everything I've been thinking about that day - it's harder than you think at first but your brain quickly comes around once you get into the habit.

Do The Things That Make You Happy

I can't stress this enough - if you're waking up every morning and having zero to look forward to, that slump is going to stay around a hell of a lot longer. So make plans. Look for future holidays. Drink mojitos in your back garden. Read a book. Watch Friends for the hundredth time. Catch up with your favourite Youtubers. Visit the Cat Cafe. Just be as happy as you can.

Write Down What You're Grateful For

I started to do this a while ago, and by writing down three things that I'm grateful for at the end of the day made me realise how much of a great life I had. Yes bad stuff happens. We all know that. But it's how you react to the situations you find yourself in that really makes all the difference. We can't be happy and motivated all of the time, but we can chose to be grateful for what we've had that day, whether it be clean running water, an email complimenting your work or the chance to see your baby niece. 

Spend Time With Good People

Whether that's friends, family or even new people you've only just met, spending time with positive people really can make all the difference to your mood. Although I'm not a huge fan of networking and making small talk - it gives me serious anxiety - I do love to meet someone on the same wavelength as me, be it creatively or not. You can't beat the feeling of grabbing lunch with a friend and leaving it feeling motivated and ready to take on the world. I'm blessed I have a number of #girlbosses in my life who make me feel like this.

Listen to an inspiring Podcast or Ted Talk

I know I've banged on about this since joining at the beginning of April, but becoming a member of Female Entrepreneur Association has given me so much drive to make shit happen. Seriously. I now have daily, weekly and monthly goals (I've already smashed April's goal), and the resources and webinars it has for business owners, especially online business owners like myself, are so inspiring and helpful. Check out founder Carrie Green's Youtube channel, or find a Ted Talk or Podcast you think will inspire you. It only took me one webinar with Carrie to get my head out of my slump and become motivated to grow my blog and put my plans into action.

Focus on your goals

I'd been floating along for so long with great ideas in my head, yet not really doing anything about them apart from saying to myself, I'll definitely sort that this weekend. Did that ever happen? Nope. Which is why I can't stress enough, if you're in a slump and you feel like you're not really getting anywhere, write down what you'd ideally like to achieve and work out the steps to get there. My goal this month was to get 100 people subscribed ready to receive my new monthly interiors lookbook I'm launching at the start of May, and with a little hard work, I've already got over 120 subscribers. You bloody lovely lot.

Break It Down Into Small Chunks

With the goal mentioned above, I knew I had to break it down to see what I needed to do to attract 100 people to sign up for my lookbook. So I started by making a list of everything that would make this happen - set up Mailchimp, design email pop-up, create sidebar graphic to attract people, conduct survey to see if people wanted my product etc. Once it was broken down I was able to see what I could start working on first and it didn't seem so overwhelming. This can translate into any area of your life. If you're stuck in a job you don't like, break it down into things you need to do to get another - rework CV, research how to write a killer covering letter, sign up to recruitment agencies, look online to see what jobs are out there, create LinkedIn profile, start applying for jobs. You get my point.

Switch up your routine

If you're doing the same thing each and every day, it's no wonder you end up losing sight of your goals and becoming demotivated. So switch up your routine, like exercising in the morning, working away from your desk at a local coffee shop, visiting somewhere new, researching new photography styles to try on your blog, take up a course of some sort, find new blogs to inspire you. Just switch things up from the norm.

Eat Well

This is a no-brainer but if you're eating rubbish and not moving your body, then you won't on top of your game. I think a major factor in me getting my blogging mojo back this month and being able to do so much in terms of social media and developing my lookbook, is because I have my energy back after quitting refined sugar and losing so much weight - 10 per cent of my body to be exact. Feed your brain as well as your stomach and you'll achieve great things.

Get Organised

A lot of time when I find myself in a slump it's because I've fallen out of my routine and I'm not being very organised. I let things slide and often find myself feeling overwhelmed. So getting organised, such as an excel spreadsheet with all my finances on, prepping my food for the week, pre-planning my social media content and having an empty inbox, makes me feel ready to take on the world. Even just tidying, rejigging my office and having a clean desk can motivate me to start working on my goals again.

Brainstorm

This is one of the easiest, but most effective, ways of getting my motivation back. I sat and brainstormed everything I wanted to achieve for the rest of 2017, broke it down into achievable chunks and got working on each bite size piece. If you're lacking creativity for blog posts, sit and brainstorm everything you love, whether it be interiors, food, travel etc and then brainstorm content around each theme. If you're trying to lose weight and you're struggling, brainstorm loads of recipe ideas and plan out your week ahead. If you've found yourself in a financial slump, brainstorm ways you can save money or make more. Getting your thoughts out onto paper can really help clear your mind and spark a potential idea that could see you become the positive, motivated person you were before the slump hit. 

Trust me, I know how rubbish it is when you feel like you've lost your motivation and can't seem to shake your slump off, but it does come back and I'm hoping following these tips might help you as much as they helped me.

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