7 Time Management Lessons From Sports

Posted at May 9, 2009

Sports Series

With only 24 hours in a day, time is a finite resource that has to be well managed. If you manage to think through all aspects of sports, you will realize that there are many lessons in sports on time. Sports and time are natively interlinked. 

Every minute counts in sports. The last five minutes of a world cup soccer game keeps fans at the edge of their seats. This is especially true if the game is hotly contested. In boxing, every micro second counts. It can be the difference between life and death.

1 – Preparation

 There is a time for everything; a time to practice and a time to play; a time to be coached and a time to implement. Behind every crowning moment of glory is hours upon hours of sweat and tears of practice. Top form in sports does not come easy. Reflexes have to be trained. Bad habits have to be eliminated before competing. It takes tough mental, emotional and physical preparation to succeed in life.

 Do you happen to just do things in life or do you prepare for success? Have you prepared what you are going to do tomorrow? How often do you set aside practice and preparation time for your major goals? Did you know that failing to prepare is akin to preparing to fail?

 You will never get anything new in life if you keep doing the same things over and over. Your current situation is the sum result of the preparation you have had so far. If you want to become something, or be elsewhere, you need to set aside time to prepare for that.

 2 – Schedule

 Before a football, basketball, hockey, tennis etc season begins; a detailed schedule of matches is prepared. The schedule lists all the teams playing, when they are playing, where they will play and who they will be playing against.

 In the case of soccer world cup, the teams are grouped into… you guessed it “Groups”. Each group is assigned specific match dates and the winners progress to the next round. 

 You should set up a schedule for your commitments to ensure you are not over stretching yourself and are moving towards your goals. Setting a schedule for your goals and plans will set you aside from 90% of people who do not do it. Write down your goals and allow yourself ample time to achieve your goals. Set a schedule of what needs to be done, by whom and when. Then stick with it.

 3 – Prioritize

 Sports men and women are forced to set their priorities. What comes first? Playing for your country or playing for your team? Shall you attend the wedding or shall you go and play for your team? Coaches and players alike are forced to make hard choices in the allocation of their time and resources.

 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts. It is up to you to decide where to allocate your time. Decide in advance what tasks you will attend to and what you will delegate or outsource.

 Set up a daily to do list and arrange your priorities according to the order of importance to your mission. Spend your valuable time on tasks that make a difference.

 4 – Deadlines

 Some people love the whooshing sound of deadlines as they zoom past them. What is your take on a little dirty word called procrastination? Do you put off to tomorrow what you could or must do today?

 Remember that yesterday is gone and tomorrow never comes. By the time we get to tomorrow, it will have changed its name to today. Take action everyday towards your goals. Understand yourself and your speed when setting deadlines. Unrealistic deadlines can frustrate you and make you less effective.

 Sports have strict deadlines; everything has to be done before the final whistle. You may get a few minutes of extra time, but once the whistle is blown, the game is over. Take a similar approach to your life. Set deadlines that you can stick with.

 When your imaginary whistle is blown, just stop. Hopefully you will have finished what you had to do. Practice meeting deadlines and it will become second nature. There is no such thing as unrealistic goals, only unrealistic timelines. Learn to set deadlines that you can meet.

 5 – Breaks

 All work and no play makes jack a dull boy. Are you working yourself to an early grave? Working for hours on end is not good for your health. Try taking scheduled breaks from your workstation. Working without breaks can lead to stress, injury or sickliness.

 Taking breaks rejuvenates ones body and mind. Breaks are a tremendous time to reflect on how far you have come and to check if you are still on course.

 If you work on a computer all day, then you need to find activities away from the computer. Take time to stretch, move and focus your eyes on longer distances.

 Taking a vacation is a great way to recharge your batteries. Work hard and play hard. Many sportsmen and women take breaks in between matches, rest after the end of a game and go have a blast at the end of the season.

 Taking breaks from work or business helps create a healthy work / life balance. You can spend time with your family and friends when taking breaks from work.

 6 – Routine

 We are creatures of habits. We become what we think and do everyday. Think about it, what did you do today? Run through your day. What time did you wake up? What did you have for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Did you exercise? Did you talk to any of your family members? Did you check if you are still on track to meet your goals?

 Understand the habits that you need to have to be able to meet your objectives. Kill off bad habits and nurture good habits. If you do not master your habits, they will master you, and control your destiny.

 Top athletes know the value of routines. They turn up for practice or fitness training on a regular basis at set times. That routine over time creates phenomenal success. What is your routine? Does it take you closer or further from your goals?

 7 – Precision

 The final lesson from sports about time is precision. Most games kick off precisely at the appointed time (there may be delays, true). If it is a soccer game, it will run for 90 minutes.  Australian rules footballs runs for four quarters of half an hour each. Most games have a precise order of doing things. Do you?

 Get a good watch and alarm clock to move your time management up a notch. Do not be late for meetings or appointments. Be precise with your goals and management of your time. Set precise goals with time limits. Record how long it takes you to complete a given task and aim for gradual improvement. Do not guess, record precisely.

 Summary

 Time is a finite resource that needs to be harnessed for success. We have looked at 7 lessons from sports. These are: preparation, scheduling, prioritizing, deadlines, breaks, routines and precision. Time is money. Do not embezzle time.

Series Navigation«Its Your Choice: Make Progress or be RelegatedHow to Transition from Amateur to Professional»

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