You get the idea.
You can use simple drawings to help clarify your thinking, and notice how the things in your life either get you somewhere or throw you off track.
First, you should define whatever it is you are trying to accomplish: A degree, a health goal, a clean dining room, a promotion, whatever....
Maybe it looks something like this (put your own goal in the middle):
Now, you can use simple drawings to look at how well (or not) you are getting toward your goal. You may feel like there are a lot of things that interfere with your progress... maybe your drawing looks like this:
See how the energy and effort are going all over the place? Not in the same direction? Things are turning back on themselves, getting stuck in a cul de sac, spinning into a time and energy sink, or possibly going in the opposite way? Label these things. Maybe there are other commitments you have, or people you feel are working against you, or habits you have that keep you back. You can then see pretty clearly what is keeping you from moving forward.
Now, what you want is for your energies to be working together more. Obviously everything isn't going to align in one big giant arrow, because life doesn't work that way. But maybe, your efforts could look more like this:
There will still be distractions, and barriers, but are there ways you can get rid of the cul de sacs and opposing forces, and point all your energy in the same general direction? Maybe some of it is simply removing counterproductive things... but maybe some of it is also spending your energy always in ways that move you forward - taking care of yourself, really focusing on what you're doing so you're not permanently agitated and distracted, spending a certain amount of time every day working on your goal...
Sometimes just seeing your situation more clearly - getting it in front of you on a piece of paper - can get you moving, and give you a sense of progress.
Give it a try! What would your drawing look like? How can you get all those arrows at least aiming at the same general direction?
