Time Management: Living a Balanced Life On and Off The Golf Course
Being disciplined and consistent are the key components to successfully managing your time on a daily basis. The old saying “By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail” is spot on.
One underlying factor that contributes to success with time management is the maturity level of each individual. My observations throughout the 20 years of working and coaching within the collegiate golf arena is that the higher maturity level of the player, the more consistent and precise the player is with his/her everyday routine. So how do you acquire maturity?
Time is something you can never regain so you have to make the most out of each moment, each opportunity, each shot, and each day.
Priorities play a major role in your success with the hours and minutes you are dealt each day. What do I choose to give my time and energy to today? If you are making the right decisions (which isn’t the easiest thing to do!) about your priorities, then you have just decided to become a better player, student and person. Once you have made this decision, you have created less stress in your everyday life from this moment forward.
I have often seen the student athlete whose expectations are high, but their daily plan, work ethic and internal passion do not match their ultimate goal. Everyone wants to be great, but are you willing to do the work?
We all get consumed with quantity of time instead of quality of time. Yes, it takes huge amounts of time to be great at golf, but the importance of using that time efficiently is imperative. You need to stay disciplined to stick to goals, Time Management: Living a Balanced Life On and Off The Golf Course intentions, and purpose of those set plans. At the end of the day, don’t forget to be grateful for the amazing opportunity to play this wonderful game. How do I begin to manage my time in an efficient manner? You MUST start each day with the simple task of setting specific goals. If your only goal is to be a professional golfer, how can you have true, sincere clarity about your priorities of that single day? How can you accomplish what you need to that day as a student athlete? Make your daily, weekly and monthly goals known to someone you trust or just simply recording them in your daily journal is the first step to success. There are two types of goals, process and outcome. Process is your daily goals that define your journey. Outcome is what we want to see happen as a result of our process goals. Speaking of your personal goals and seeing them in writing will give you the strength and directness that guides and steps you into the next day. Without setting daily goals we can become lost within our journey as a student athlete. Be open to new challenges and do not get bogged down in the same routine everyday. Failure is good as long as you learn from your mistakes and let that failure motivate you to become better. The beauty of the game is that it allows us to choose how we react to our failures, which in turn, makes us emotionally stronger athletes. Remember, this is YOUR story and YOU’RE the one writing it. What are you leaving today as your legacy for tomorrow? “Enjoy the Walk”
One Word: Discipline!
• Invest in a calendar/organizer/journal with plenty of space for daily entries and goal setting. Create daily, weekly and monthly goals. Plan ahead and spread out your academic assignments. Do the most difficult tasks first!
• Spend less time on social media and turn off your phone during study time.#onlywaytosucceed
• Plan your weekends and down time wisely. Life is important. People are important. Relationships and community ties are important. Learn to say “no” to situations that do not fit.
• Good habits begin in high school. Treat your life as a student athlete like a 9-5 job. Reflect at the end of each day.
• Ask for help! Physically, emotionally or academically: Ask for help when you need it.
• Do. Not. Procrastinate.