We all have them. You’re not immune either. If you took a few moments to introspect – you’ll be able to define yours pretty easily.

Just knowing they’re there will bring you relief. But really the point is to define them and just elevate them into your field of awareness. Then only – you get to choose: leave them to rule you and run your focus, attention and energy. Or harness their power to create unstoppable shifts towards what you value most.

Worth saying before we go further – no amount of grit will get you from here to a destination you don’t have defined for yourself. Clarity breathes motivation… get clear on where you’re headed first.

But say you’ve set your sights on what you want to achieve. Then understanding how your Doom and Boom loops manifest and play out, will be a great source of energy and directionality for you.

Here’s what I mean and how…

Your Boom Loop/s

Become aware and document the exact, replicable steps of the before, during and after of your super productive episode/s (because you may have 1,2, or more typically repeatable MOs). One that you virtually wake up from and hey-presto the work’s not only done, but you’re left there beating your chest (not even secretly): Damn! Did I do that!

That’s your Boom loop.

Document it. Internalise it. Viscerally, intellectually, and somatically. Then pay attention to when the somatic print of a Boom appears in your body, and using your A.B.C. technique make a choice.

Knowing how to recognise you’re about to get into flow, can be the fuel for you to reframe anxiety, the Resistance, or avoidance into excitement for the massive win that’s approaching.

Take the challenge!

Your Doom Loop/s

Then there’s your Doom loop.

You have certain pattern/s of behavior that you do when trying to avoid or cope with something.

Sometimes a Doom loop is a signal for a Boom. But you won’t be able to tell unless you decode your Doom loop/s.

Do the same as with the Booms.

Think about what patterns you get into to waste time.

One of my most ingrained Doom loops is to open my scheduling app and start ‘planning’, and jotting down things I ‘must get done’. Before I know it I’m into my email – just in case so-and-so has replied. Then somehow I’m on Facebook (that one I struggle to explain). And hey-presto 30 mins later I feel like shit for wasting 30 minutes on nothing…

My other Doom loop usually follows directly after the first… I beat myself up for wasting the 30 min, then I feel bad for being bad to myself when I should be practicing self- compassion. And before I know it, I’m so demotivated I can’t lift a finger… which re-starts that loop and plunges me even deeper.

What is your Doom loop? How many can you document?

What intervention/s can you put in place to stop yourself before moving past step 1?

How can you leverage your Doom loops as energy and motivators towards your bigger goal?

For example, I’ve learned to ask myself as soon as I recognise my Doom loop starting point, I ask – could this be me avoiding the Resistance? Could this be the start of Flow? If the answer is yes – I turn the somatic print of anxiety and procrastination, into excitement. I rise to the challenge in the excitement of the great result that awaits me in my flow – there’s always a win on the other side of flow :o)

Feel free to share what you find and how you’re dealing with each.