3 Effective Ways To Avoid Derailment
Updated: Feb 14, 2024
Written by: Debbie Gill, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you find yourself off track and don’t know why? It may be because you haven’t focused on what caused you to lose sight. When you get underneath the layers to the root, you can change your strategies and have better results.
“Get back on track after being derailed; your journey has just begun.” ‒ Scottie Somers
If you notice you’re not achieving the goals you set, consider searching for the underlying pattern that is the cause, when you find that, you can determine what solution or strategy to apply for not hitting your mark.
1. Write your intention in a log and track whatever got in the way.
You can adjust your strategies when identifying the conditions stopping you from achieving your goals. It may be excuses, lack of motivation, or something else. For example, you want to create an article for your blog to post later that day (intention), only to discover it didn’t happen (derailment).
What caused it? When you go back and track what happened, you may find several things to be true:
a) you didn’t allow enough time,
b) your previous task ran longer than expected,
c) you got distracted by a series of text messages, etc.
Writing down your intentions is to identify what is derailing you, not to keep you on track.
2. Create a full intention—one with a strategy.
You must have a clear-cut intention for your desired outcome to uncover what derails you. You got knocked off track for a reason, and you want to know why. Creating a full intention will include what you plan to do and the steps necessary for you to achieve success in doing it. Take the example above for creating an article for your blog.
Here are the ingredients to make your full intention a helpful tool:
a. Set a realistic goal. Conceiving, writing, and posting an article may be too much to do in a couple of hours, depending on the content.
b. What to do. Focus instead on the content and outline of your article and any research that may be needed.
c. Where to do it. Determine if it’s your office, library, or a place conducive to brainstorming.
d. What time. Provide a deadline to begin the process.
e. What is needed. What materials do you need—a laptop, pad and pen, books?
3. Uncover the root cause of your roadblocks.
Having found the patterns that arise for you most frequently, it’s time to clarify what the root cause may be. A simple yet effective technique is asking “Why” five times. Continuing to use the same example of creating an article for your blog (substitute your intention, ask five “Why’s,” and discover what you find), the following answers may become apparent:
WHY 1: Why didn’t you finish your article and post it to your blog?
You didn’t allocate enough time.
WHY 2: Why didn’t you give yourself enough time?
One reason could be that your previous task unexpectedly ran over into this one, or you did not anticipate writer’s block.
WHY 3: Why do your tasks run over into the next?
If this is the case, you may have a time management issue or didn’t prepare for writing.
WHY 4: Why do you have a time management problem?
Perhaps you have taken on too much work and are overwhelmed by the amount.
WHAT 5: What can you do about it?
You can learn to say no, to stop volunteering, or to schedule your work with time blocks, and when they are filled, you don’t accept another thing.
As you see, you have identified the underlying pattern of being a people pleaser or a hyper-achiever. You can begin working on the solution once you've identified the roadblocks that impede your progress. The next time someone asks you to do something, or you want to take on more than you can handle, you can start by simply saying no.
Of course, this is a simplified way to avoid being derailed. It is, however, the start of mastering your tasks and work schedule effectively.
Schedule a complimentary Reclaim Your Confident Self session today to learn more about going deeper!
Debbie Gill, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Debbie Gill is the founder of Go Within Spiritual Coaching and Go Within Yoga. She integrates her knowledge and experience as a spiritual coach and yoga teacher with the wisdom of Caroline Myss, a Medical Intuitive and five-time New York Times bestselling author, Anodea Judith, an expert on the Chakra System, somatic therapy, and yoga, and Lion Goodman, creator of the Clear Beliefs® Process. As a Certified Clear Beliefs® Coach, Debbie can assist you with clearing core beliefs that hold you back from becoming your true self and living your true purpose through the Clear Beliefs Process® (CBP). The CBP is a set of tools and techniques that frees you from past limitations so you can freely choose your beliefs and live an empowered and more fulfilling life. Debbie is the author of, Struck by Lightning: My Journey from the Shadow to the Light, where she chronicles her life’s struggles with her shadow aspects and addictions. The spiritual memoir reflects her emergence from the shadow caused by traumatic wounds to the light where truth brings awareness and healing. A grateful recovering alcoholic since June 6, 2000, she lives the 12-Steps of AA and practices its principles in her daily life and continues her study at CMED with Myss and Judith and Goodman.
