Measure to Improve

Something that I personally have been struggling with lately is the concept of becoming a better person, a better coach, and a better leader.

I’ve consistently been reflecting and actively trying to get rid of what I consider negative habits whilst adding positive habits into my lifestyle.

This has been challenging for me as I am inconsistent. I regularly fall of the track and forget to do what I’ve said I will do. Whether it is skip a gym session or skip a meditation session simply because I am too tired or just don’t feel like it.

Some simple examples would be that I want to drink 2 litres of water everyday, or that I want to meditate for five minutes daily.

Within my leadership, I want to connect and spend a minimum of five minutes chatting with each player on my team every week. I know five minutes sounds a little, but I personally have struggled to do that. I often end up making excuses saying that I have had a long day or that I need to get to the next session or countless other excuses, which at the end of the day; they don’t actually matter.

These last few weeks have been better though, as I have implemented a tracking system (an excel sheet does nicely). I have outlined the things that I want to do daily and simply tick them off at the end of the day if I have completed it. Sounds simple, but the visual cues of ❌ makes me focus on doing a better job the following day so I can see a ✔️.

It has also helped that when I see a ✔️ for 11 days straight, I want to keep the streak going, so I am conscious of connecting, or meditating or drinking another glass of water This can apply to absolutely anything you do.

If you are coaching, and your team consistently struggles with effort, find a way to quantify and track it. Make the results visible to the players without necessarily reprimanding them. Your hardest workers may not need to see that. However, the other guys may find some new motivation.

If you are trying to lose weight, track how many times you have gone to the gym every week. If you are trying to be a better leader, track how regularly you reflect, journal or read. If it is important enough to you and you want to improve on a certain aspect of your life, then measure it.