Breaking a Rut..

Recently I feel I’ve been stuck in a whole bunch of ruts. First, being in a personal rut is really difficult. Secondly being in a business rut is also really difficult. But first let’s define what a rut actually is.

Rut, Noun: A habit or pattern of behaviour that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change.

“the administration was stuck in a rut and was losing its direction”

Now the first point I’m going to make is that nothing in the above definition says you are unhappy. It says things have become dull and unproductive. Writing my last blog (Crossroads!) kind of highlighted to me the fact that the last five years had so many changes in my life that perhaps it was inevitable that when the dust all settled it might be time to review things.

Now my personal rut I’m going to say is a blend of simple age catching up with me a little and the effects of that ageing changing my perspectives and values.

Inevitable changes have an effect

At some point accepting that the things that energised you and pushed you along once upon a time can start losing their appeal, maybe not completely gone but not as strong as it once was. I always remember Paul Stanley of the Rock Band Kiss stating in an interview shortly after they had abandoned their famous make up, that they didn’t want to end up becoming caricatures of themselves, this, in hindsight I believe was a very smart statement to make.

In the fight business world this is often shown by the fighter who seeks to relive his past glories by returning to the ring or the cage again to be a shadow of the champion he once was. Better to leave and evolve than to return and blight his own legacy.

Is the Business Rut the same Issue?

Personal life is one thing, business can be another, but in the life of an entrepreneur, the two are definitely linked, strongly linked at that. Energy to drive forward is something every entrepreneur needs and it is absolutely mentally exhausting.

By their very nature the entrepreneur has a thousand new ideas all of the time, they thrive on exploring new possibilities and new opportunities. Entrepreneurs accept that not everything they do will succeed, every heard the phrase ‘Fail fast, fail cheap?’

Simply put we can’t, and won’t follow all of the entrepreneurial ideas we have and it will often be entirely necessary to temper our creativity with a level of self discipline. Over time, you may have a bunch of factors slowly draining your energy, or your passion for a project may simply fade and it might be very tough to regain.

When I look back over many years of being in business, if I could choose one single thing to be able to go advise my past self, it would be when it was the right time to move on from a project and when it was better to have pushed through a barrier and driven it to a new destination.

Of course the real question is, how to go about the latter and when to do the former?

Returning to where you began.

One of the best bits of advice I received on breaking a rut was that you cannot think your way out of a rut, you can only act your way out of one. This was a bit of a revelation, especially to a business owner, someone who naturally will spend a lot of time planning, mapping and working out the next moves. To just do, not think, is almost counter intuitive. But grabbing hold of some of the things that maybe need to move and getting your hands dirtier for a while can really help drag you out of a negative cycle.

The other tip I thought was a gem, was to start doing some of the things you used to do and to remember why you liked doing them. This was in the context of personal things, but it actually applies really well in business.

If you feel in a rut, chances are you are not doing these things as much as you once did

Lastly clearing out the things you really hate doing in your business, find someone else to do those tasks. Centre your efforts on the things you enjoy. An entrepreneur connects dots, finds people, solves problems. If you feel in a rut, chances are you are not doing these things as much as you once did and have been dragged down into mundane and details. Get out and stay out of them. That’s not where you talent lies!

If all else fails…

I don’t like tapping out but if you can’t get your mojo back for a project then it may well be better to tap than snap. If you have lost your passion for something and can’t break the cycle, in business it’s better to walk away than fade out.

Putting your energy somewhere else can save years of pain, but more so you may be better off placing that energy somewhere more productive, it can be a tough call though and should be very carefully considered. Many businesses need new people to take them to the next level, the founder can sometimes be the wrong person to take a business all the way, this has been the case multiple times in business history.

To end on a postive note, Entrepreneurs, even anarchistic ones, will always find a new route, courage is king.

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