Where do you get stuck? A short test with 10 questions
Below are ten sentences that people say when they feel stuck. For each one, choose how often it fits you. Then you get your score, and up to three things to work on first, each with what you can do about it.
Your answers stay on your own device. They are not saved or sent.
Your score
0 out of 100
100 means none of these ten things hold you back right now. The lower the score, the more they do. It counts only your answers from today.
What to work on first
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I push it back every day, and then the day is over.
Why do I keep putting things off?
You put things off when they feel unpleasant, pay off only later or seem too hard, and something easier is close by. A review of 691 findings on procrastination found these were among the strongest links. People who are easily distracted put things off more. It can help to make the first step smaller and tie it to a set moment, like opening the file right after lunch.
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I know what I don't want, but not what I do want.
What should I do with my life?
You find out mostly by trying things. First, notice what matters to you on an ordinary day, like deciding your own hours or knowing what next year looks like. Then pick two options that fit, look at each one closely, and try one of them in a small way. What it's like in real life tells you more than another month of thinking.
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I think it through for so long that nothing comes of it.
How do I stop overthinking my future?
Give your worries their own time of day. Pick half an hour at the same time and place, like 7 pm at the kitchen table. When a worry about the future comes up earlier, write it down in a few words and save it for then. In small studies, people who did this for two to four weeks said they worried less.
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Everyone around me is further along than I am.
Why do I feel behind in life?
You feel behind when you hold your life up against a timeline: the age by which you should have a job, a partner or a place of your own. That timeline mostly comes from the people around you. In 60 years of research, comparing yourself with people who seem further along usually made people feel worse about themselves. A first step is to write down what you want, apart from what others have.
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I only get going when someone else says I have to.
Why do I have no motivation?
Often you're waiting to feel like it, while motivation tends to come once you've started. So begin small, at a set time. For example: two minutes on that one email at 7 pm. Motivation also drops when something feels too big or isn't your own choice, so make it smaller or choose something yourself. If this has gone on a long time, or everything feels heavy, see your doctor.
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I'm afraid I'll pick the wrong one.
Why can't I make decisions?
Usually because something is in the way. You don't know enough yet, what you want pulls two ways, or you're scared of getting it wrong for good. Searching for the perfect option tends to make that worse. It helps to choose for a month instead of forever, and to keep a second option ready.
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I pick what feels best right now, and later I regret it.
Why do I always choose instant gratification?
Your morning self makes the plan, and your evening self has to carry it out while the easy option sits right in front of you. Research on choices over time shows that a reward nearby pulls much harder. So pick one moment where it usually goes wrong, and change that moment before it comes.
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I'd rather not start than have it go wrong.
Why am I so afraid of failing?
A lot of the fear comes from treating one try as a verdict on yourself. It only tells you how that one try went. People also expect a setback to hurt for much longer than it really does, as Daniel Gilbert's studies showed. So you skip it, and never learn whether the fear was right. Write your guess down first, then try something small.
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I'm busy all day and I get nowhere.
Why do I feel lost?
You often feel lost when something that gave your days a direction has ended, like school, a job or a relationship. Then it helps to work out what it is you don't know. It could be which options there are, or what would suit you. Or you know where you want to go, but not how to start. Each of these has its own first step.
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I still need to look into a few things first.
What's my next step?
Your next step is one small thing you can do this week that tells you more about what you want. Pick something you're curious about and try a version you can undo. For example, ask someone who does that work what an ordinary day is like for them, or try an idea for one evening. Tie it to a moment, and afterwards write down what you noticed.
You chose “Never” for all ten sentences, so there is nothing here to work on first. You can still read all questions.
No Rush app
An iPhone app for people who feel stuck. It sets out one small next step at a time and tells you why that one. It is not therapy.
Sign up free For iPhone. Coming soon to the App Store. The first seven days are free in the app. After that, you choose whether to subscribe. Sign up now and the app stays free for you, for life.