We Asked Our Psych: When Progress Feels Slow, Despite Trying Your Best: Strategies for Pushing Through

Most of us have experienced the frustration of putting in significant effort—day after day, managing work,  social stuff and family responsibilities—only to feel like we’re stuck on a treadmill, one of those shitty ones where the belt keeps slipping. Progress feels slow, sometimes nonexistent, sometimes backwards. Here are some strategies to help you keep moving forward.

Personal Accountability and Honest Self-Appraisal

True progress requires a clear-eyed view of your efforts and results. Personal accountability means taking ownership of your actions and their outcomes. This is closely related to defining ‘your best.’

Defining ‘Your Best’

• ‘Your best’ can vary based on life experiences, circumstances and available resources.
• It means consistently applying effort and focus, even when motivation wanes.
• It involves pushing your boundaries while respecting your limits.

Practical Steps for Honest Self-Appraisal

• Regularly assess your efforts against your defined goals.
• Ask yourself: “Am I truly giving my all, or am I making excuses?” “Am I putting into action advice from those around me that are excelling or who I trust?”
• Identify areas where you’re falling short and develop specific plans to improve.
• Seek feedback from trusted mentors or peers to gain an external perspective.
• Be willing to acknowledge and learn from failures or setbacks.

Honest self-appraisal isn’t about harsh self-criticism. It’s about clear-sighted evaluation to fuel growth and improvement. By holding yourself accountable and regularly reassessing your efforts, you ensure that ‘your best’ keeps evolving.

Reassess Your Goals: The SMART Approach

Are your goals realistic and specific enough? Research in goal-setting theory suggests that well-defined goals lead to better performance.

Practical Steps

• Use the SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
• Write down your goals and review them regularly.
• Adjust goals if they’re too ambitious or not challenging enough.

**Example**

• Specific:** “I want to run a 5K.”
• Measurable:** “I will track my runs with an app.”
• Achievable:** “I will train three times a week.”
• Relevant:** “Running helps me stay healthy.”
• Time-bound:** “I will complete the 5K in two months.”

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” – Zig Ziglar

Break It Down and Celebrate: The Progress Principle

Breaking larger goals into smaller, measurable tasks can significantly boost motivation and progress. This approach is known as the “progress principle.”

Practical Steps

• Identify the smallest possible steps towards your goal.
• Create a checklist of these micro-tasks.
• Track your progress using a journal or habit-tracking app.
• Celebrate each step forward (not talking benders here, but gentle pats on the back), no matter how small.
• Share your wins with a supportive friend or community.

Practice Patience and Self-Compassion

• Remind yourself that significant change often takes time.
• Treat yourself with the same kindness you’d offer a good friend.
• Use positive self-talk and challenge your inner critic.

By consciously replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, you can cultivate a more motivating and empowering mental environment. This ain’t fluff, this is a method for training your brain to stop being such a douche to you! 

E.g., “I can handle today, one step at a time.”

E.g., “I’ll focus on what I can control and let go of the rest.”

E.g., “I’m doing my best, and that’s enough.”

E.g., “Every day is a chance to improve, and I’m here for it.”

“Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.” – Joyce Meyer

Be Flexible and Shift Your Approach. 

If one approach isn’t working, be willing to adjust your strategy. Research in psychological flexibility suggests that adaptable individuals are more resilient and successful in achieving their goals.

Practical Steps

• Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your current strategies.
• Be open to trying new approaches.
• Learn from setbacks and use them to inform your next steps.
• Implement small changes and monitor their impact.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein

Reframe Comparisons

• Identify trusted individuals who can provide honest feedback.
• Ask specific questions about your progress and areas for improvement.
• Be open to learning about aspects of yourself you might not be aware of.
• Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to others.
• Keep a “progress journal” to document your evolution over time.

“The only person you should try to be better than is who you were yesterday.” – Jordan Peterson in one of his books, podcasts or YouTube series – can’t remember, but he said something similar.

Progress isn’t always linear. It’s normal to have ups and downs, plateaus, and breakthroughs. By applying these strategies, you can maintain momentum and push through periods when progress feels slow.