Three Simple Ways to Reset When You Feel Stuck (No Matter How Packed Your Schedule Is)

You know that feeling when you're juggling seventeen different things and somehow still feel like you're getting nowhere? When your energy is running on empty, but your to-do list keeps growing, and even choosing what to make for dinner feels like solving a complex equation.

Whether you're managing a team at work, keeping a household running, building a business, or trying to do all of the above, we've all hit those walls. That weird stuck place where you're busy as hell but not actually moving forward. You're productive but not fulfilled. Getting things done but not feeling good about any of it.

Here's what I've learned from talking to people across all kinds of demanding roles: feeling stuck isn't a personal failing. It's what happens when capable people take on meaningful work in a world that never seems to slow down. But staying stuck? That's where we actually have more control than we think.

We often assume we need some major life overhaul to feel unstuck—new job, new routine, complete schedule makeover. Sometimes, though, the most powerful resets happen in the small pockets of time we actually have. Here are three that work, even when your calendar looks like a game of Tetris.

1. Interrupt the Mental Hamster Wheel (even in five minutes)

When we feel stuck, our brains become these endless loops of responsibility: Did I follow up on that project? What's for dinner? How am I going to handle that difficult conversation? When will I find time to exercise? Did I remember to...

The fastest way to break that cycle isn't to solve everything; it's to step out of your head and back into your body.

Here's something you can do anywhere: in your car before walking into a meeting, while your coffee brews, even in the bathroom (hey, sometimes that's the only private space we get). Stop and breathe. Not that shallow, rushed breathing we do when we're stressed, but intentional breathing.

Try this: Inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, pause for four. Do this maybe five times. That's it.

This isn't woo-woo—it's nervous system regulation. It pulls you out of that constant low-level stress mode most of us live in and reminds your brain that you're actually okay right now.

If you have even two extra minutes, add movement. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Do shoulder rolls while you're on a call. Walk to get your lunch instead of ordering delivery. Stretch while you're waiting for that Zoom call to start.

One executive I know does wall push-ups in his office between meetings. A working mom does squats while her coffee maker runs. Find your version.

2. Get the Mental Clutter Out of Your Head

Sometimes we feel stuck because our brains are trying to hold too much at once. When you're managing work deadlines, family schedules, household tasks, and personal goals all in your mental RAM, even small decisions become overwhelming.

It's like having thirty browser tabs open—everything slows down and nothing works well.

So let's close some tabs. Even if you only have ten minutes during lunch or while dinner's in the oven.

Grab whatever you can write with—your phone notes, a napkin, the back of that envelope—and do a complete brain dump. Every work project, family obligation, personal goal, random worry, thing you need to buy, person you need to call. Don't organise it. Don't solve it. Just get it out of your head and onto something else.

You'll probably be amazed at how much you've been mentally juggling without realising it.

Once it's all out there, circle three things that actually need your attention today. Not this week, not eventually—today. Everything else can wait. The world won't end if you don't reorganise that closet this weekend.

There's something almost magical about seeing your mental load on paper instead of carrying it all in your head like some kind of cognitive pack mule.

3. Reconnect with What Actually Matters to You

Here's what I think happens when we get stuck: we get so focused on what we have to do that we lose touch with what we want to do, what we care about, and who we are beyond our roles and responsibilities.

We become so good at managing everyone else's needs that we forget we have preferences, dreams, and things that light us up.

When you're feeling stuck, ask yourself: "What's the smallest thing I can do right now that feels like the real me?"

Not the you that has to show up professionally all day. Not the you that manages everyone else's needs. The actual you. The person who has interests and values and things that make you feel alive.

Maybe it's sending a voice message to that friend who always makes you laugh. Maybe it's spending ten minutes sketching, reading, or listening to that podcast you love. Maybe it's cooking something you actually enjoy instead of just grabbing whatever's fastest. Maybe it's as simple as drinking your coffee in a real mug instead of a to-go cup, or taking five minutes to sit outside and notice the weather.

The point isn't to solve your entire life situation. It's important to remember that you're not just a collection of responsibilities. You're a whole person with preferences, relationships, dreams, and quirks.

One small action that feels authentically you reminds you: you're not just surviving your life. You get to participate in it.

The Reality Check About Feeling Stuck

Look, feeling stuck when you're juggling a demanding career, family responsibilities, and personal goals isn't a character flaw. It's not evidence that you're not grateful enough or organised enough or balanced enough. It's what happens to engaged people living full lives in a world that asks a lot of us.

These three practices—interrupting the mental loops, clearing the cognitive clutter, reconnecting with yourself—they're not going to solve systemic issues like overwork culture or impossible expectations. However, they might help you find a little space to breathe in the middle of it all.

The small resets matter. The tiny moments of alignment count. The brief pauses to remember who you are beyond what you do—these aren't luxuries when your life is demanding. They're necessities.

The next time you feel stuck, try one of these in whatever pocket of time you can find. Maybe while you're waiting in the school pickup line, or during your commute, or in those five minutes before everyone else wakes up.

Remember: you don't have to reinvent your entire life to feel unstuck. Sometimes all it takes is a deep breath, a clear head, and one small step that reminds you who you are. Sometimes our stuck feelings aren't roadblocks; they're signals that we're ready for the next version of ourselves to emerge.

Questions for Reflection

When you have a quiet moment (maybe Sunday morning with coffee, or during your evening wind-down), consider these:

• What does feeling "stuck" actually look like in your current life? Is it the pace, the lack of time for what matters to you, feeling disconnected from your bigger goals, or something else?

• If you could have coffee with the version of yourself from five years ago, what would they be most excited to know about the life you're building now? What would surprise them?