by Mandy Green, Busy Coach
As college coaches, would you agree that 85% of our workdays are filled with practice, recruiting, and office tasks?
I believe that a lot of our success on game day often hinges on how well we manage our Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in the office.
The key to achieving results both on and off the field is effective day-by-day execution.
Having essential success habits in place is crucial to stay on track and accomplish your daily goals. There are many habits to consider, but for this article, I’ll focus on how our nights determine our days. Here are seven quick and easy tasks you can do every evening to set yourself up for success:
Make a Quick Start List
Planning your day the night before is helpful, but how you start is even more important. Create a “Quick Start” list by writing down 1-2 priorities for tomorrow and the first step for each. The goal isn’t to plan all your work but to automate how you’ll start. Place the list on your desk for the morning.
Prep the First Food You’ll Eat
A good day begins with high-quality fuel. Prep the first thing you’ll eat the night before to make it an easy choice in the morning. For example, take the eggs you’ll scramble out of the carton and put them in a bowl, or cut up the fruit you’ll eat and store it in a container.
Clean Your Work Area
Clutter impacts our emotions, behaviors, and relationships. It increases stress and anxiety and even affects our sleep. An underrated life hack: clean your desk each night.
Fill Up a Gallon Water Bottle
About 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. To fix this, buy a gallon water bottle and fill it up before bed each night. Place it where you start your morning, like the kitchen table or your desk. This simple habit ensures you stay hydrated throughout the day.
Schedule One Hour for Yourself
Time alone is incredibly beneficial for our health, creativity, and sanity, but it’s easy to overlook when life gets busy. Each night, schedule one hour for yourself to recharge.
Start on One Top Priority
Identify one high-value task you need to tackle tomorrow, whether it’s getting your top recruits to schedule a campus visit or organizing a camp. Spend five minutes on it the night before. The goal isn’t to finish but to create momentum, which will drive consistency and reduce friction the next day.
Eliminate One Thing
Look at tomorrow’s calendar and find one thing you can remove. Meetings are a great place to start. Honor your commitments but delete the non-essential tasks. This creates a mental “sigh of relief.” Bonus points if you can eliminate two things.
Give these habits a try. They might not go perfectly the first time, but taking action is key to learning and improving. As coaches, we’re always striving for high levels of performance with our teams and staff. Implementing these nightly routines can help us achieve that.