When you’re stuck and running on empty
24 cards from 10 books, filed under “Stuck or burned out”. Newest first; every row is the card’s title and the moment you would use it.
#c1491Self-Chosen Woes and the Blindness to Inner GoodAuditing why a person or organization is stuck in perpetual self-inflicted crisis despite having every resource needed to succeed right in…From The Golden Verses of Pythagoras
#c1459The Substitute's ScaffoldA brilliant, burned-out veteran sneers at a rising colleague during a layoff review. Let the veteran volunteer to take the fall and protect…From A Tale of Two Cities
#c1458The Martyr's ShieldA veteran worker freezes up during routine office politics. Put them in charge of shielding new hires from a crisis they once survived.From A Tale of Two Cities
#c1457The Captive's Busy HandsA burned-out colleague returns from leave and manicures spreadsheets for twelve hours straight. Sit quietly nearby and let them talk about…From A Tale of Two Cities
#c1443Empty Stomachs Break The Strictest BriefingWhen a crunch-week team starts talking about skipping test gates to go home, order food and enforce an eight-hour sleep break first.From The Hobbit
#c1387Burnt roux, start overYou're still trying to salvage something that went wrong too early to fix.From Matriarch
#c1376The ones who make it don't quitYou've just lost publicly and need to decide what changes.From Matriarch
#c1373You are your only competitionSomeone you're coaching wants you to fight a battle they could win by getting better.From Matriarch
#c1327Stop counting the political costFear of backlash is shaping every decision you make.From Courage Can Save Us
#c1312Be willing to destroy the pathA project is failing and the team feels committed to the approach it started with.From Digital Impact
#c1299Growth is slow and linearYou're discouraged that skills or results aren't compounding the way the self-help math promised.From Trade Outside the Box
#c1296Count the mental capital a bet consumesA project looks good on paper and would occupy your head every day for months.From Trade Outside the Box
#c1282Worry about what you're doingYou're frustrated by others getting the opportunities and have stopped working on your own game.From Trade Outside the Box
#c1252After a loss: look at the data, keep the coreYou've just lost a big contest and people are calling for a complete reinvention.From This Is the Plan
#c1242Do something, regularly, for a long timeYou're asking people to commit to a long cause and they look overwhelmed.From This Is the Plan
#c1231External rewards don't build a loopYou're relying on treats or bonuses to keep yourself or a team going on long work.From How to Take Smart Notes
#c1228Pretend it's just notes for yourselfThe importance of a piece of writing is keeping you from starting it.From How to Take Smart Notes
#c1226Do only what is easyYou're grinding on one blocked task and could be moving another forward.From How to Take Smart Notes
#c1219Separate writing from proofreadingYou or someone on your team edits every sentence while drafting and the draft barely moves.From How to Take Smart Notes
#c1218Write it down and the brain lets goUnfinished tasks keep pulling at your attention while you try to focus on one thing.From How to Take Smart Notes
#c1211Everything lands in one inbox, cleared within a dayYour ideas are scattered across apps, notebooks and voice memos and you can't find any of them.From How to Take Smart Notes
#c1175When the front stalls, the rear piles upSmall tasks are stacking up behind one you keep putting off.From Self-Help
#c1173Pay someone a crown to drag you out of bedYou keep breaking a resolution you've made to yourself many times.From Self-Help
#c1172Rats ate the drawings, so draw better onesMonths of work are gone and you can't face starting again.From Self-Help