by Mandy Green, Busy Coach
Just like everybody else, I get overwhelmed every now and then. I take on too many things, try to do to much, and wear myself out because of it.
When I take a step back and take a 30,000 ft view of what the heck I am doing that caused me to feel overwhelmed in the first place, it usually comes down to a lack of discipline in a few areas.
I am bringing up these things now because a lot of you are telling me that you are overwhelmed with recruiting, practices and spring games, doing your other duties on campus if you have them, and keeping your team on track as you finish up the spring.
It’s a lot. I know.
Today I want to get straight to the point and give you my favorite 2 simple and actionable ways to instantly boost your discipline to stay on track this week (and reduce overwhelm).
They are…
- Create a Not-To-Do List (And Take It Seriously)
Despite what you hear from the motivational YouTube videos and rah rah gurus…
Discipline is a game of subtraction, not addition.
Forget ice baths, ultra-marathons, and 2-hour meditation sessions.
If you really want more discipline in your life, it all starts by cutting the habits, activities, and behaviors that don’t serve you.
To give you an example, I just spent this last week with a few coaches helping them with their recruiting plan for this upcoming year.
I was asking them questions like-
What worked last year?
What didn’t work?
What do you see you need to do more of this year?
What are you going to start doing?
What are you going to do more of?
What are you going to do less of?
What are you going to stop doing?
This last question stumped almost everyone. With how jam packed our days already are, I believe there is no way to do more of something that you know is getting you great results without taking away something.
So do this. Sometime today…
Sit down and make a list of all the things holding you back from your #1 recruiting goal…
…And commit to NOT doing them (simple, but not easy)
Don’t just focus on “obvious” things like drinking on weeknights, binge watching Netflix before bed, or hitting snooze.
Think about the “positive” parasites eating away at your time, attention, and energy and distracting you from what you really want.
Things like organizing your recruiting database, endless meetings, responding to every single email Immediately when it comes into your inbox, browsing the internet, scrolling through social media, writing your own recruiting emails (seriously, you need to have Tudor Collegiate Strategies do that for you. Reach out and I can talk to you more about it)…
Because even though these things might feel productive…
They’re aren’t moving the needle forward where it really matters so they need to be reduced or completely eliminated.
When you can automate, delegate, or eliminate 90% of the habits and activities that aren’t directly related to your big vision… success becomes almost automatic.
- Unsubscribe from 5 Email Lists (Just not this one 😉 )
When I start to feel overwhelmed by the amount of emails I get, I start to unsubscribe to everything I haven’t opened in a week or so.
When they pile up, I feel really behind and get overwhelmed.
It’ll take you less than 30-seconds a day to start unsubscribing but will save a ton of mental and emotional bandwidth each month.
99% of emails are nothing but a distraction.
They don’t teach you anything.
They don’t challenge your thinking or push you to a higher level of performance.
They’re just well-placed ads dressed up like a newsletter.
Stop giving them your time and attention (even if it’s just the 2-seconds it takes to hit “delete”) and your days will improve immediately.
Discipline isn’t about depriving yourself of everything that brings you joy.
It’s about creating the structures and routines required to live the life and to create the results you really want.
As you continue to develop your discipline and move closer to your big goals just remember…
Discipline is a game of subtraction, not addition.
It might not seem like it makes a difference day to day, but I promise you it will pay huge dividends in the long run.
Need to be more disciplined as a college coach and recruiter? Mandy Green works with hundreds of coaches helping them be more efficient with their busy lives in college athletics. You can reach her with any questions at mandy@busy.coach.