4 Ways to Reach Your Goals in Half the Time.
I discovered a new show on Netflix called "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." I love this show. It is ridiculous. As a grown man with a 13 year old sense of humor, it is perfect.
Watching Kimmy's adventures have reminded me of the black hole that is Netflix.
I find myself spending hours, days, entire weekends mindlessly watching Netflix. Maybe you have stumbled out of a weekend only to realize you haven't seen the sun in 48 hours, but have successfully watched every episode of One Tree Hill. Part of you feels that is winning at life. Part of you wishes you could just start that weekend over!
One key to being successful as a leader is to adopt the mantra: Be a goal getter. Don't make fun of my word flow skills. Deep down I still want to be a hip hop artist and my mom things I am pretty good. Goals are your best friend at this season of your leadership. They are assets in reaching your dreams. Perhaps your only assets early on. Invest your time accordingly. Binge-watching Netflix is not a wise investment.
Here are 4 practices that maximize your time.
Building relationships.
This is the season of life when relationships shift from how many likes you get on Instagram to being a way to build capital. The right relationships have more value than money or talent. The right people in your life keep you balanced, open doors, and help you reach your goals faster. Reach out to a new contact today.
Planning.
Most young leaders plan way too far ahead. Aspire to something great in the future, but use this season to train yourself in short-term planning. Big dreams require small steps to get there. Make long term planning no more than three months ahead. Focus on planning an effective week. Work on making today efficient. These steps will lead you to crystallize those long term dreams.
My friend Michael Lukaszewski has a fantastic FREE resource to help you get things done every week. I use it. You should too. While you're there, check out his Systems Course.
Identifying opportunities.
The best leaders and entrepreneurs learn to distinguish between an opportunity and the right opportunity. Some opportunities are really distractions in disguise. Train yourself to say "no" more often than you say "yes" because not everything moves you towards your goal.
How can you grow in discerning the difference? Involve smart people in the process and watch yourself soar. Meet with a leader who is twice your age and ask them these questions: What do you look for in a potential opportunity? Tell me about the best offer you ever said "no" to? How about an offer you said "yes" to? What advice would you give yourself at my age? You do not want to know what they would DO, you want to learn how they THINK.
Learning.
Mark Cuban says that "doing your homework" around any idea could be what sets you apart.
Read more about his idea here. To reach your goals faster you need to learn how to learn. Create a framework today for how your learning will happen. I have three daily learning habits: I spend 15 minutes every day reading a book, 15 minutes every day reading blogs and time every day learning a new skill. Gaining knowledge is incomplete if you are not also adding skills to your quiver.
This weekend you are going to feel the pull of a cinematic classic like "Patch Adams" calling your name.