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Phillies 2nd Baseman Chase Utley is slumping hard. The perennial all-star was in the middle of a great season, and then all of a sudden, things weren’t going his way.
I’m sure you know the feeling.
Maybe not belting home runs in a major league ballpark, but going into a slump, having the wheels come off, or just generally falling apart. Also like Utley, you probably also realize that it’s not the end of the world. Just like anything else, there’s going to be ups and downs, good times and well..not so good times. And the truth is, whether you’re cooking, blogging, negotiating, brewing, or brainstorming, you’ll eventually come around.
And how is that you might ask? We’ll here’s a few things that might get you back on track.
Back to basics
The penultimate Slump-Busting technique. Stop trying to add that top-spin, sell that warranty, or get tons of link-love with one post. Just settle down and go back to what worked for you in the first place. Focus on connecting with people and creating value, it doesn’t matter if that value is from a home run post, or an actual home run. Check your foundation, and everything else will follow.
Breathe, Grasshopper
This one might be the easiest. Just slow down and take a breath. Nothing good ever came from panic, fear or anxiety. I’m not advocating full out lotus-position meditation here (although it’s a great idea), just taking a moment to slow down and focus yourself. You’d be surprised how effective this can be sometimes.
Elvis has left the building
Adios. Spater. So long. Farewell. Just get up and goooooo. When you reach the point that you’re thinking “Wow, no more good can come from this”, it’s probably time to take a break. Sometimes this, in conjunction with “Breathe, Grasshopper” is a great quick fix. No matter how focused you are, there’s going to be some drop off after staring at Excel sheets for 14 hours.
Grind it out
A tougher solution, but sometimes the only one. With this approach you just have to keep plugging away and rely on the law of averages bringing you back on par. It can be tough to weather the storm and keep going through the bad times, but have faith that once things come around, it’ll be your hard work that caused it.
…And now for something completely different
If you’ve been doing X your whole life, maybe it’s time for some Y, or maybe even (gasp!) Z. If it seems like nothing else is working then hey, what the hell, right? Turn that foot in, add that paprika, ditch those pivot tables or knock-knock jokes. It won’t necessarily be a better way, but it’ll be a different way, and that might be all you need.
So there you have it. That’s my checklist for getting it going. How about you? (I shared mine, it’s only fair!)
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