Step Out of “The Muck”
Updating your Facebook page, tweeting, reality television, going out, errands, deadlines, etc...the build-up of all these activities is what I define as “the muck”. Think of “the muck” like quicksand or a ball and chain shackled to your foot. Once “the muck” of life takes over and you cede control to it, it’s very hard to move in the direction you want, go after opportunities, or give yourself a strategic advantage in life.
Now I’m not saying don’t have fun, shut down your Facebook page and never watch TV again. What I am saying is the competitive real world you will face soon rewards those that strategically use more time than others to better themselves, their situations and their goals. For example, let’s say after going to a party, you decide to sleep in the next morning until noon. That is your choice, but you missed out on waking up at 9 a.m. instead and using those 3 hours more effectively. I travel a lot for work and am amazed sometimes when I sit next to people on the plane who choose to spend 2 hours reading trashy magazines, updating themselves on the lives of Hollywood instead of using that time more strategically.
Success and effectiveness are built through strategy, so the more you strategize, the more success and effectiveness will come to your life. The key though is to step out of “the muck” to give yourself time to strategize. Here’s a step-by-step approach to make this work for you:
- Figure out what you want to accomplish, what are your goals, where you want to improve, etc.
- Consciously step out of “the muck” and build amounts of time into your schedule to work on these items. It’s going to be challenging at first to step out and fight “the muck”, but once you do this a few times, you will find out it’s much easier than you think.
- Use your dead time during the day to keep evaluating your progress. Dead time is time in your day that you can take better advantage of. When you are brushing your teeth, showering, walking to class, eating lunch, etc. There are many times throughout the day when we can be more strategic and use our brain more.
- Keep a journal, take notes and actively track your progress.
- When you accomplish what you set out to accomplish, choose the next thing you want to work on and start the process all over again.
“The muck” is very powerful and it’s easy to blame it for the reason to what’s holding you back. Let others use that as an excuse. Step out and you will accomplish more than you ever dreamed possible. So, what are you going to turn off or do first to take your first step out of “the muck”?