Hey Reader

You know those times when everything seems to be going wrong at once? 😅

That was last week 😝

It started with lower than usual motivation, which isn't necessarily atypical for Jess vs. April. What wasn't so typical was how debilitating that dip felt compared to usual.

Our regular weekly livestream got cancelled and last week's newsletter didn't get written. I just couldn't do it.

This was on a week where I already committed to doing less video content so I could focus on other projects, but I definitely wasn't planning for that big of a drop in output.

The demotivation also affected my bullet journaling. Using layouts that previously have worked well for me felt like a massive chore and the least appealing thing possible. My everyday journal is feeling quite neglected.

While demotivation alone can be a pain to deal with, the week wasn't finished with dealing its blows.

What we thought was a small leak in the bathroom has now turned into a much bigger issue. A rip-out-and-remodel sized issue 🤨 Yay, surprise renovations 🙃

A mysterious cloud storage syncing issue also deleted a shared space Vogel and I use to keep all our important household info. So now we get to rebuild that from scratch too 😐

And to add injury to insult, I managed to bash my hand on a cupboard door this morning. Typing hurts 🤕

But we persevere!

The idea - Rebuild from where you are, not where you wish you were

I've been in slumps before, and even though this one is feeling a bit rougher than most, I've got a plan to get out of it 💪

I often approach smaller slumps with a "let's just push through" attitude. When everything feels hard though, overwhelming ourselves further with "musts" and "shoulds" isn't going to help.

Instead, I’m approaching my slump with more leniency and intention. These three things are helping me get back on track:

1. Returning to baseline habits

I'm cutting back on the number of habits and routines I'm expecting myself to do so I can focus on the essentials.

Essential habits are the ones that give the most "bang for their buck", or the ones that have the largest positive impact in terms of my health, motivation and goals.

When my motivation is low, I want to use the little I have for the things that matter most.

2. Re-evaluating my journaling

I'm critically evaluating my journaling to identify what is working and what's not.

If parts of my setup feel redundant, chore-like, or just aren't fun anymore, they’re out. I want to focus my attention on the aspects that support me most in terms of productivity and creativity.

3. Committing to gratitude

I'm focusing on the positive.

When a lot of things go wrong at once, it can be all too easy to just ruminate on the negative. I missed a livestream, I didn't get my newsletter out, my bathroom is broken, our information is lost, my journal isn't working...

But even in a rough week, there are things worth appreciating.

Along with all that "suck", I also:

• Kept up my exercise streak which is now at 37 days in a row!
• Decked out the layout library I’ve been building out for channel members which now has over 600 layout pictures!
• Had a fun gaming day with my Dad; I love that my parents live closer to me now!

These three things are helping me shift my momentum though 👏

I’m not waiting for motivation to come back before I take action. I’m taking action to help it return.

Let's take action

If you've also been feeling stuck, unmotivated, or like nothing’s going your way lately, you’re not alone 💜

Slumps don't last forever though, and we can take some small steps to get ourselves out of them.

If you're in a slump at the moment, use the questions below to help you start working your way out of it:

If you're up for it, hit reply and let me know what your answers are. We can cheer each other on 💪

You're invited

We've talked previously about how having something to look forward to on your calendar can bring back a bit of excitement to life, so I'd love to give you something to add to yours!

In May, the Bujo Buddies Book Club (run by myself and two friends) are hosting the second edition of the Goober Readathon 🥳 This reading challenge is for anyone who is looking to gamify their reading or kick-start a new reading habit.

No matter how much you read, we'd love to have you join us for a fun month. Check out the video below for how to get involved!

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Until next time!

- Jess

Sick of setting goals that don't get achieved? Learn the system everyday goal-getters are using to make EPIC things happen.