If You’re Feeling Stuck, This Might Be Your Solution

You’re feeling stuck. We’ve all been there. You’ve been working on a particular goal or habit for weeks or months or even years, and you feel like you just aren’t making progress no matter how hard you try. If that’s the case, this is 100% going to be the post for you.

Today I’m going to talk about the two reasons people generally feel stuck. I’ll also share a fun visual framework that teaches you what you can actually do about it. By the way — this is a science-based framework. Let’s dive right in.

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The Two Reasons You’re Feeling Stuck

The number one reason people feel stuck is because they are either underchallenged or overchallenged.

Reason #1: You’re Underchallenged

If you are underchallenged, that probably means whatever you’re doing is too easy. This can be the case if you’ve set a tiny habit so small it isn’t even the least bit exciting. When we’re underchallenged, we lose stimulation and engagement. We can feel stuck, demotivated, and like there’s no reason to move forward.

Reason #2: You’re Overchallenged

On the other hand, we can feel overchallenged — when we’re taking on way too much at once. Too many demands and not enough resources creates pure stress. That stress puts us in shutdown mode — and right back into that stuck mentality.

The Framework That Helps You Get Unstuck: The Zone of Proximal Development

So what do we do about it? Let me teach you my favorite framework for figuring out whether you are over or underchallenged. In the world of educational psychology, we have something called the zone of proximal development. First, there’s the things that you can do — you can think of this as a circle. Then there’s a bigger circle of the things that you can’t do. But in between those two circles, there’s a third circle of something that you can do with help.

You may have seen a growth zone versus challenge zone framework before — and it’s a useful model. I personally like the zone of proximal development because the idea of what we can do with help is very clarifying.

What the Zone of Proximal Development Looks Like in Practice

Let’s do an example. Let’s say you’re feeling particularly stuck because you have a report you need to finish and you are constantly procrastinating that report. In general, maybe you’re struggling with time management or productivity because you are constantly procrastinating. What can you do right now? Well, you can successfully identify that your behavior is procrastination, which is actually a really good start. What you can’t do right now is get past that sense of procrastination, and that’s okay.

Now, I want you to imagine what you could do with a little help. Imagine a PDF workbook listing the different types of procrastination and helping you identify the exact source of why you’re putting that task off. That is the scaffolding in this scenario. In that case, you could not only identify the procrastination — you could also move into the next area of growth. You could figure out what you were actually going to do about it. So you have awareness, and in this new world, you also have a plan.

From there, imagine you also had a coach to hold you accountable to that plan. In that case, you have even more help. You’d have accountability, awareness, and a plan that brings you much closer to your eventual goal. That’s the outer circle — the place where you’re not procrastinating at all.

Why Having Resources Matters

This is why having resources matters — and those resources can look different for each person. That might look like reaching out to an accountability buddy — someone who’s going to help you get to the gym. That might look like buying the right book or course or program. Say you’re trying to run a half marathon and feel stuck because your time isn’t improving. That calls for a different kind of resource — maybe working with a coach or finding a running plan you can follow.

Most of us understand the comfort zone and the growth zone. But we don’t know how to get in the middle. That’s where the actual growth happens — when we reach out to the resources around us to take that leap.

Ready to Stop Feeling Stuck?

By the way — the procrastination PDF I mentioned in this video is not a hypothetical situation. It’s an actual resource included in our Change Academy membership. If procrastination is where you feel stuck, check it out.

Otherwise, check out this video on what to do when you know what you should do — but just aren’t doing it. It connects directly to that stuck feeling many people experience.