Stop, Start, Continue
I’m willing to guess that just about everyone who reads this newsletter wants to continuously improve in one way or another, and one sure path to sustainable improvement is through developing (and maintaining) good habits.
Sometimes it can feel daunting, especially for young athletes, to figure out exactly which habits they should be further developing and how they should be trying to improve upon them. After all, there are only so many hours in a day, and it’s not possible to be working on everything all the time.
Time really is one of the most valuable assets that we all have and it’s the great equalizer as we all get the same amount of it. Finding ways to manage that time more efficiently is critical for success in any aspect of your life, regardless if you want to be a better ball player, student, or whatever it is that you’re after.
Luckily, you can begin to develop a sense for what is working and what isn’t if you take a second to reflect on how things are going *right now* and simply keep track. By regularly checking in on your daily routines to understand how your time is being used and where areas of improvement could be made, you’ll be able to make the necessary adjustments to continue on a path to success.
The first step towards making adjustments on or off the field is awareness, and the “Stop, Start, Continue” method is a simple way to reflect and build that awareness. After all, you can’t change what you are unaware of. Here is an example below:
START:
Being more efficient with my time so I can be in bed for at least 9 hours per night
Spending a little extra time working on my swing and arm care after practice
Keeping track of and limiting my screen time
Having a WIN or LEARN mindset and accepting tough times. Use setbacks as learning experiences.
STOP:
Judging myself against the performance of others
Feeling sorry for myself when something goes poorly (victim mindset)
Being overly aggressive early in counts, be willing to take more pitches
CONTINUE:
Eating healthy and prioritizing good nutrition
Using my mantras to feed the powerful wolf
AM gratitude practice and being a great teammate
This “Stop, Start, Continue” process is great for checking in on your behaviors regularly and will help you decide what’s working, what’s not, and what changes should be made. All that it takes is a bit of self-reflection and consistency.
My challenge to all of you is to come up with your own list. You can make it as simple or as complex as you like. Either way, I’m sure if you take the time to examine your own habits and ask yourself which ones are helping you improve and which are holding you back you’ll be able to identify at least a few that will fit into each category.
Once you’ve sorted them out, you can get down to business of taking them on one by one, then continue the cycle to make sure that you’re spending your time focusing on the biggest areas of improvement. Over time, you’ll find yourself getting better with your time allocation while also reinforcing good habits. That sounds like a great recipe for success to me!
