Not In A Rut But Definitely Stuck

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Photo by Polina Kovaleva from Pexels

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck? Feel like you’re not making any progress at all? That’s how I’ve been feeling lately. I thought maybe I was just in a rut but that’s not it. It’s not that I’m stuck in a boring routine that I can’t escape from or don’t know what I want to do next. It’s worse then that. 

Earlier this year I suddenly became an empty-nester. Well, that’s not true, it was a 20+ year process of my kids growing up. So….not that sudden. Regardless, it was a bit jarring to me. I’m that parent that tried really hard to talk my kids into staying home a bit longer. Spoiler alert: It didn’t work.

Once I realized the empty-nester thing was official, I realized it was time to re-group. I realized now was the time to embrace the next season of my life. Guess what? There are a lot of things I’ve postponed doing in life. Here’s a partial list:

Personal/Career

• Redesign/update my blog
• Write my novel
• Submit some extra writing projects 
• Create my legacy binder

Home

• Remodel my master bath ($$$)
• Upgrade my electric so I can purchase a new washer/dryer
• Create a cute home office space for myself
• Replace the nasty carpet in our bedrooms
• Replace the two bedroom windows
• New lighter furniture (especially in my bedroom)
• Reading nook (I soooo want a papasan chair)

General

• Go on a cruise
• Weekend writing retreat
• Payoff all my credit cards/debt
• Help my kids with their student loans
• Upgrade condos
• Come up with an exercise routine I can keep up with

Whew…that’s a lot of stuff. Here’s a few other facts about me…I tend to have analysis paralysis when I have too many choices. Where to start? Anyone else struggle with this?

Also, I struggle greatly with work/life balance. That means less time for me to do what I want in my personal life.

Solutions?

I know the first step in most problems is identifying the problem. I think I’ve done that. It’s a little reassuring to know that I’m not depressed or burnt out (well maybe a little, but not enough to quit my job or anything desperate). I just need to figure out what my priorities are.

Second step is some soul-searching. I need to figure out what’s most important. Some of these things are just cost-prohibitive at this point so those will obviously drop down a bit in the list. That doesn’t mean I can’t get some estimates though so I have an idea what money I need to come up with. I can definitely make a list and start working my way down it (did I mention I love lists?!)

Third step is look for some low-cost alternatives. I can probably find a student to help me re-design my website for a lower cost than a professional. I have some talented family and friends that can help me design my office space and refresh my old furniture or sell some of my current furniture and use that money to purchase some new-to-me/used pieces, etc.

Am I the only one who struggles with this? Do you have a list of things you want to do that seems overwhelming at times? Is money a limiting factor for you?

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