5 Steps to Get Out of the Career Swirl and Into Clear Action
If you’ve been spinning in indecision—overanalyzing your next move, cycling through possible outcomes, and feeling more stuck than clear—you’re likely caught in what I call the swirl.
The swirl is a loop of overthinking that masquerades as productivity. It keeps high-functioning professionals trapped in motion without movement. You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re overloaded—and trying to think your way out of something that requires a different approach.
Here’s how to step out of the mental spin and into grounded, forward action.
Step 1: Interrupt the Pattern
The swirl feeds on repetition. Same thoughts, different day. You don’t need to fix it right now—you need to step outside of it.
Coaching Prompt:
What thoughts are taking up the most space in your mind right now?
Tool:
Do a Thought Download. Set a timer for 15 minutes and write down everything swirling in your head about your career, identity, or next step—uncensored. Get it on paper. The goal isn’t to solve. It’s to see. Awareness always comes first.
Step 2: Anchor in Energy, Not Urgency
Most career decisions are made under internal pressure: a deadline, a layoff, a fear of wasting time. But urgency creates contraction. The more pressure you feel, the less clearly you can hear yourself.
Coaching Prompts:
What choices are you currently considering—and what’s the energy behind each one?
Which option feels like a move toward expansion or alignment, even if it’s uncertain?
What might shift if you made decisions from possibility instead of panic?
Tool:
Scan your body when thinking about a decision. Do you feel open or tense? Grounded or reactive? Let your body data join the conversation.
Step 3: Reconnect to What Matters
In the swirl, values get buried under logistics. You start asking what’s realistic instead of what’s real. That’s when decisions lose their meaning.
Coaching Prompts:
What do you want your work to feel like on a day-to-day level?
Which values have you compromised in your current role or path?
What kind of impact feels meaningful to you right now?
Tool:
List your top five core values. Then ask:
What’s one small way I could honor just one of these values this week?
Realignment happens through consistent, imperfect action—not big declarations.
Step 4: Choose a Micro-Move
Clarity doesn’t come from waiting. It comes from experimenting.
Coaching Prompts:
What’s one small action I haven’t taken because it “doesn’t feel like enough”?
What could I try this week that might give me more insight into what’s next?
Who might I reach out to who’s doing something I’m curious about?
Tool:
Use the 10-Minute Rule:
Pick one step that takes 10 minutes or less—a message, a question, a short journaling exercise. Then take it. Not to get “results,” but to gather information and momentum.
Step 5: Set a Short-Term Decision Window
When the future feels overwhelming, shrink the frame. Long-term clarity often comes from short-term commitment.
Coaching Prompts:
What feels worth exploring over the next 90 days—even if it doesn’t lead to a perfect outcome?
How would it feel to treat this phase as a learning season rather than a performance test?
What support do I need to stay grounded while I explore?
Tool:
Name your 90-day experiment. Give yourself permission to try without finalizing. Then build in regular reflection points to adjust as you go.
Final Thought
Getting unstuck isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking better questions—and creating the conditions for honest answers to emerge.
If you’ve been in the swirl, you’re not behind. You’re circling something important. The goal isn’t to force clarity. It’s to listen for what’s real, then move toward it—step by step, question by question.
This is the work I do every day with clients.
We don’t just talk goals. We track energy, unpack values, and build movement where there’s been hesitation for years.
If that’s the kind of support you’re craving, let’s talk.
Book a discovery call and take one aligned step out of the swirl.
