A few weeks ago, a blizzard knocked out the power, and with it went the whole evening. No easy routine of putting something on TV while our brains slowly turn off. Suddenly we were back to an analog world: do we read a physical book by the halogen lantern (or worse, the iPhone flashlight), try to tune a radio station on the battery-powered radio, talk contingency plans for how cold the house might get and what happens to all the food… or just sit.

It made me think about how often getting unstuck isn’t about finding some brilliant new strategy. It’s about removing the constant stream of inputs that keeps us from noticing what’s actually going on inside us. When the distractions disappear, there’s nowhere to send yourself. And in that quiet, things come into focus—things you either hadn’t wanted to think about, or just hadn’t made time to think about.

Forced analog isn’t a lifestyle statement. It’s a constraint. And constraints are underrated because they create space, and space makes things clearer. Sometimes what becomes clear is as small as noticing your jaw is clenched the second you think about something you don’t want to deal with. Sometimes it’s recognizing that the reason a decision feels sticky isn’t because you don’t know what you want… it’s because you do, and you’re caught in the gap between knowing and doing.

One way to describe what I do at Get UnStuck HQ: I create “forced analog” on purpose—without the blizzard. 🥶 I slow things down just enough so you can think clearly, find the real sticking point, and make the next move that fits you.