The Art Of Getting Your Spark Back: 11 Simple Ways To Jumpstart Your Life
Getty Images | UnsplashI get it. You feel tired of the same grind. Your projects have lost their glowing fascination. The world seems a little grey. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. There comes a point in almost everyone's life when things start to feel a little flat.
Maybe you're going through the motions at work, or your daily routine has started to feel more like a rut than a rhythm. The excitement that used to come so easily now takes a little more effort to find. The good news is that feeling stuck doesn't mean you're broken — and often, the smallest shifts can be the ones that wake you back up to your life again.
Here are 11 simple ways to jumpstart your life and get your spark back:
1. Message one person just to check in with no agenda
Forget networking for now. Just reach out to a single person. Just needs a ‘Hey, what’s up?’ Maybe even invite them for a coffee. This breaks the sense of isolation loop because now you’re a connector. You just put a wobble into the Universe.
2. Write a list of ten opportunities you’re ignoring
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Oh wow? What an unusual list. Yep. Barely anyone thinks like this. But today, you might try it. Re-configure where your mind is pointing — away from what’s wrong and towards what’s possible. You’ll be surprised by how your energy shifts when you remember you have options.
3. Imagine for a second that you didn’t have any resistance to your life right now
Weird idea, huh? Too many of us resist and push back because that’s all we see and all we’ve known. But we all have the creative capacity to imagine life through a new lens. And the moment you imagine it, you have it. Keep this up for a while, and creative insights will flow to you.
4. Take a no-obligation 20-minute walk
This is the time for just you and the outside world. This is something to look forward to, without the obligation to feel you need to do something productive while on the walk. No podcasts, no music, no notes, no productivity hacks. Just walk. Give yourself that gift. Open up fully to what’s around you, and you may be surprised.
5. Create something completely pointless
Doodle something for ten minutes. Write a poem that isn’t even all that good. Give yourself three minutes to write a full novel. You’re on a journey where the opening gate is wide open. Tantalizing even. Now you’re in motion, and motion always leads to the next point in your journey.
6. Delete five things from your to-do list
Kill Bill that stuff with a firm swoosh. Choose something you’ve been meaning to do for weeks but secretly don’t care about. This means no postponing or hoarding of to-dos. Delete that little sucker right here and now, and permit yourself to let it go.
7. Watch or read something completely outside your niche
How about a documentary about mountain goats? Or cryptocurrency? I know, it feels like a waste of time. That’s your ego talking. Shut him up. What about a novel set in 1800s Japan? Break the pattern.
This refills your creative well by letting you take in new ideas rather than recycling the same 12 concepts everyone in your industry regurgitates. Fresh input creates fresh output.
8. Write down five wins from the past month
Yes, it’s time to finally acknowledge something great that’s happened that you had some input in. These don’t need to be Oscar nominations. Small wins are great, and actually better, because they often go unnoticed. Be a noticer now. This trains your brain to take note of progress instead of fixating on what you haven’t done.
9. Change your environment for an afternoon
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This isn’t optional. It’s an order from Alex over here, working from Warsaw, Poland. Work from a cafe you normally wouldn’t. Maybe even a park bench today. Anywhere that isn’t your usual spot.Your brain associates your workspace with the grind, so shifting location tricks it into feeling fresh again.
I’ve had more creative breakthroughs sitting in random coffee shops or on random adventures than I ever have at my desk. Sometimes you just need different walls.
10. Mind map something you’re stuck on
Grab paper and just dump every thought related to the thing you’re avoiding. Forget about creating some clever structure or thinking too hard here. Just arrange your thoughts in a new, more visual way. This might spark new, creative ideas that surprise you. Plus, it feels playful, which exhausted brains desperately need.
11. Ask yourself ‘What would I do if I weren’t trying to prove anything?’
This question cuts through all the performance anxiety and comparison traps that suck the joy out of creating. Write down whatever comes up. Dig deep, and then deeper by just writing whatever comes up until you fill the page.
You’ll probably find that what you actually want to do is simpler, more fun, and more aligned than what you’ve been forcing yourself to create. Sometimes the spark returns when you stop chasing it. You don’t need a complete life overhaul, just small resets that remind you why you started this weird, lonely, thrilling journey in the first place.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient. He's the author of the Mastery Den newsletter, which helps people triple their productivity.
