The Men of Iron Minute

by Chad Zueck | Director of Content Creation

Guidelines, Timelines, & Deadlines

Men often begin with a broad, expansive view at the beginning of a vision or cause of action. They start on the periphery and slowly take steps toward specificity. For example, a man says, “I want to lose the 20 pounds of beer and burgers I have put on in the last five years.” That’s very expansive because there are multiple ways of losing twenty pounds, so he leans into his newfound goal while deciding that he will lose twenty pounds by joining a cross fit gym and utilizing nutritional tools like Noom. That’s his specific course of action to lose twenty pounds.

Carrying the burden of needed change doesn’t help you unless you turn that burden into intentional actions. Those actions need to be narrowed with guidelines, timelines, and deadlines. Guidelines keep you within the scope of the mission, timelines chart progress while accomplishing the mission, and a deadline is the predetermined finish line for the goal you have set.

Using the scenario of losing twenty pounds. On the nutrition front, the guideline could be tracking nutrition and hydration daily, the timeline being after every meal, you take a few minutes to record what you have consumed, and the weight loss deadline could be three months. With the fitness element of the weight loss, the deadline remains the same; the guidelines could be attempting to complete the CrossFit WOD five days a week while at the gym. The timeline could be recording the workouts and how well you performed those workouts over the three months. The progression will motivate you on the days with low willpower.

The action we take needs a guideline, a timeline, and a deadline.

Willpower is a limited resource. Invest it wisely into your health and fitness.

Be a mentor.

Find a mentor.

Be a better man.

SUBSCRIBE | LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

30-Day men’s devotional, small group and bible study video courses, action plans for goal setting & more! Check out our FREE RESOURCES and find the tool you need to help you become the man you want to be!