"Systems of Thought"- Installment 2
“Systems are about the process that lead to results.
When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t need to wait for permission to be happy.”
-James Clear
Goal Setting
In my first installment, I talked about starting the new season with a Growth Mindset. Meaning that you believe you are in control of your own destiny and that through focused practice, grit, and perseverance, you can overcome obstacles. Growth Mindset is the cornerstone for everything we do and with that in place you need to know how to set the proper course. In this post, I will explain what Stretch and SMART goals are. And how to create systems around those goals to become highly productive.
Stretch Goals
The first thing you need to establish is what is called a Stretch goal. A Stretch goal is something that is down the road. Stretch goals take time. They take you out of your comfort zone and the target is something beyond your grasp. They’re effective because they motivate you to continue to develop and push yourself. An example of a Stretch goal is: “I want to get a college scholarship” or “I want to play in the NHL.” These goals would be the result of many years of playing at a high level.
A tip that I recommend at my summer camp is to physically write down your Stretch goals. Psychological data shows that writing down your goals is more effective than simply saying them. This is because the act of physically writing them down causes you to enter into a personal contract with yourself. It makes it real and tangible. The second tip is to put it somewhere hidden but in a place that only you can see it. There is additional psychological data that suggests if you talk about your goals too much outwardly, your brain starts to think that you have already achieved them. To summarize: Write down your goals. Put them somewhere you can see them. Work quietly, and don’t stop until you cross it off your list.
Once you have written down your goals, the next thing to do is make a Stretch goal timeline. Make a one year, four year, and ten year timeline. What do I want to achieve this season? Where do I want to be when I leave high school? Have I achieved my Stretch goal or am I still moving towards it? Keep this timeline with you. Keep it in drawer and return to it every once and while. This timeline will give you permission to dream past what you once thought was impossible.
SMART Goals
Now you have established your stretch goals, and put them into a timeline. When first looking at these, it can be difficult to decide where to start. This is where SMART goals come in. SMART goals break down bigger goals into smaller more manageable parts. This is the system that make your daily tasks more productive. Each letter in the acronym pairs with a question.
S - Specific. What do I specifically want to get done?
M - Measurable. How will I know when I have achieved my goal?
A - Achievable. Is reaching this goal a realistic achievement?
R - Relevant. Is my goal relevant to my life and my Stretch goal?
T - Timely. Can my goal be completed with in a specific time frame?
Here is an example of what a productive daily schedule could look like for a High School Goaltender.
7:00am - Wake up - Make a healthy breakfast
8:00am - Arrive at school - Attentive mindset, take care of responsibilities
12:00pm - Lunch - put good fuel in your body
2:00pm - Leave for practice
2:30pm - Mobility & Activation routine to prep for on ice
3:30pm - Practice - Crease Movement warm-up - Tracking drill before live drills
3:45pm - Live drills start - Focused practice - Honor the save process on every shot
4:45pm - Practice ends - Net Play or Traffic drills for extra work
5:15pm - Foam Roll & recover - Cold bath after shower
6:00pm - Dinner - Healthy meal - Good fuel in
6:30pm - Homework/Active leisure
7:30pm - Relax time - Passive leisure
With a solid daily schedule in place you can eliminate procrastination which plagues individual productivity. Having a consistent warm up routine before practice will help prepare your mind and body to get the most out of your ice time. Having pre planned drills before and after the team practice allows for the crucial skill development that is often neglected for youth goalies. Don’t rely on a coach to tell you what to do. Take that responsibility on yourself and plan it with teammates or a coach if they can help. Finally, paying attention to the small details of recovery and nutrition so that you consistently feel good each day. Being disciplined with your schedule allows for creativity within your day. Finding better and more efficient ways of completing tasks will become enjoyable and rewarding. Losing yourself in the task at hand is what we call “Flow State” and I will dive deep into that topic in my next post.
If you have followed along and used this post to actively write out your goals, then you now have Stretch Goals in place, SMART Goals System with your day to day schedule, and a new direction for ultimate productivity in you development.
This month’s suggested reading: Better, Stronger, Faster - by Charles Duhigg
-JP-