Getting Unstuck

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“A bad system will beat a good person every time.”
— W. Edwards Deming

Motion vs. Progress

Most operators experience stuck as a productivity problem.

It isn't. It's a clarity problem.

Here are 3 shifts that move you from motion to actual progress.

1️⃣ Symptoms Are Not Problems

When something isn't working, the instinct is to react.

Downloads are flat? Change the format.

Engagement is down? Post more.

Revenue isn't growing? Run ads.

But as Aric put it, organizations at every level tend to treat symptoms as the problem itself.

They see the number that isn't moving, and attack it directly.

Without asking what's actually causing it.

It's like trying to fix a fever by changing the thermometer.

A newsletter that isn't growing might not have a distribution problem.

It might have a relevance problem.

A podcast with declining downloads might not need better marketing.

It might need a sharper editorial point of view.

The move isn't to fix the symptom.

It's to trace it back to the root.

For builders: Before you add a new tactic to fix a number that isn't moving, ask: "Is this a symptom, or is this the actual problem?"

If your newsletter open rate is dropping, the fix might not be better subject lines.

It might be that your content has drifted from what your audience originally subscribed for.

Treating the symptom keeps you busy, but finding the problem is real progress.

2️⃣ Audit Your Assumptions Before Adding Effort

Every content operation is built on a stack of assumptions you made early on.

Things like:

Some of those assumptions were right at the time.

Some were never tested.

And some stopped being true a long time ago.

Aric described this pattern clearly in his work with companies:

Those assumptions can quietly expire.

And if you don't go back and validate them, no amount of execution will fix the gap.

This is one of the hardest things to do when you're operating.

You're busy producing.

You don't have time to question the foundation.

But that's exactly when questioning it matters most.

For builders: Take one hour this week and write down the top five assumptions your content operation runs on.

Examples:

Now ask: When did I last validate this?

If the answer is “when I started”…

That assumption is overdue for a check.

Your media infrastructure is only as strong as the assumptions it's built on.

3️⃣ Get Clear on What You're Actually Trying to Achieve

This sounds obvious.

It isn't.

Aric's biggest piece of advice was also his simplest: figure out what you're trying to achieve, and don't broaden it out.

Because if you haven't reset and figured that out…

Steps 2, 3, and beyond will never matter.

A lot of businesses run content operations without a clear answer to one question:

What is this for?

Is the YouTube channel for depth, or mass appeal?

Is your social content driving people somewhere specific, or is it just activity?

When you're unclear on the destination, every format feels equally important.

And when every format feels equally important…

You spread thin.

Burn out.

And wonder why nothing compounds into a real asset.

For builders: You don't need a 30-page strategy document.

You need one clear sentence: "The purpose of my content operation is to ___."

If you can't finish that sentence without hedging…

You've identified the real reason you're stuck.

Not effort.

Not tools.

Not “grind” or hustle.

Clarity of purpose.

Start there.

The format decisions, editorial choices, and resource allocation become dramatically simpler.

Being stuck doesn't always feel dramatic.

Sometimes it feels like cruise control.

You're publishing.

The calendar is full.

Things are generally fine.

But fine isn't growing.

And if you're not expanding — reaching, learning, experimenting —

Then as Aric framed it:

You're already moving backwards.

The system that got you where you are today was built for a different version of your business.

Respecting that system means being honest about when it stops serving you.

And being willing to do the uncomfortable work of questioning it.

Motion is easy to create.

Real progress requires knowing:

The Stuck Audit

Use this to evaluate whether your content is telling stories or just sharing information, and to identify where your best untold stories live.

Copy + paste this prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini:

Prompt:

Use this to identify whether you're actually making progress, or just generating motion.

My Current Situation:

Help me evaluate:

Be direct. No hype. Tell me what I need to hear.

Ask me one clarifying question at a time until you have enough information to complete this task.

Here are a few other ways I can help:

And I’d really appreciate your help:

Both make a real difference—thank you 🙏

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Thanks for spending time with Red Threads this week, I’m glad you’re here :)

~ Jaime