The Mental Performance Corner: Is Time Management the Key to Success for Athletes?

You’ve heard the buzz word, maybe you’ve even received feedback on it, and you wonder…what the heck is this all about??

Time Management. 

Not excited yet? LOL. I know this topic maybe isn’t everyone’s cup of tea..maybe it even sounds a little boring… But what if I told you that time management might just be the key to your success? Here me out…

Imagine you have an upcoming tournament this weekend, plus a massive paper due, a huge test in bio, it’s your Moms birthday (& we know you can’t miss that!), you’ve got several classes that you want to get your grade up in, and you need to fit in all the training this week to get ready. Oh and don’t forget that team fundraiser you have to attend!

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired even reading through that. And we all know that that is how real life looks when you’re a competitive student-athlete. But the difference between someone thriving in this situation and failing? Time Management.

Whether you like it or not, to be successful you NEED to be in control of your time. If not, you will lose confidence in your abilities, & your performance will ultimately dip. Managing your time can actually give you the confidence to know that you can accomplish all those things WITHOUT feeling overwhelmed, and it will actually increase your confidence knowing that you can manage it.

Quick tip: When you’re feeling extra overwhelmed with a busy schedule, write every single thing you have to do down on paper. Then on the paper start to organize & prioritize it. Then you can look at what is right in front of you and decide what actually needs to get done right now. Figure out how much time it will take and then plug it into your calendar. 

This will leave you in control, help you manage your priorities and help ensure you aren’t missing critical things. THIS can give you back your power and in turn increase your confidence in your abilities to navigate competing priorities and THIS is a skill you NEED to be successful not just as an athlete, but in life. 

Ever wonder what an Olympic athlete does to ensure they have enough time in their lives to manage the training, interviews, school, family time, friends, etc.

A recent article I read in Forbes Magazine “Time Management Secrets Of 13 Olympic Athletes“ highlighted interviews from 13 Olympic athletes on the importance of time management & how they make sure it happens in their training and lives. Here are a few great takeaways:

• Schedule EVERYTHING & set priorities daily.  

• Ensure the right amount of sleep.

• Find a mentor or coach who has done what you want to do & learn from them.

• Get comfortable saying ‘no’ to things to allow you to say ‘yes’ to what matters.

• Down time matters.

Some of their points really hit home because time is one of our most valuable assets, and the more competitive of an athlete you are, the less time you really have. So to make the most out of it, you have to be Diligent, Disciplined and Deliberate.

But also making sure that same approach is taken with your downtime. Paralympian Scott Danberg said “As much as one may believe they need to “live and breathe” their sport, life balance, specifically interests outside of the sport itself, is as important a quality for athletic success as the sport training itself.” 

So schedule in time for other interests too. 

Want more tips about time management & other skills critical to success in building self-confidence as an athlete? Join me in my Facebook group “The Empowered Athlete!”