Why the Little Things Matter So Much for Athletes
The little things matter so much because “how you do anything is how you do everything.” This statement is more than just a catchy phrase; it’s a fundamental truth for athletes. As a mental skills coach, I’ve seen firsthand how small details can make or break an athlete’s journey to achieve their goals.
These details are not always sports related either. The athlete who makes their bed is also the athlete who has the discipline to pay meticulous attention to their daily habits. Ignoring the little things can lead to a dangerous path of underperformance. As a coach, it’s disheartening to see talented athletes fall short of their potential because they fail to appreciate the importance of details. Neglecting aspects like proper rest, mental preparation, or even tying shoelaces correctly can accumulate and result in failure when it matters most.
The Essence of Habits
Habits are the building blocks of excellence. They’re not just formed in the spotlight of big matches or competitions; they’re painstakingly built through the mundane, everyday tasks that average athletes overlook. I have seen many athletes transform from average to college All-Americans and there is no secret to this. It’s simply about paying meticulous attention to the little things in your daily habits.
The key to success lies in embracing the small tasks with as much enthusiasm as the big moments. As a proponent of Stoicism, I advise athletes to focus on what they can control – their effort and their attitude towards small but significant tasks. As Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations, Book 2, Section 5:
…do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you…
~ Marcus Aurelius
How to Make the Little Things Matter
Once an athlete buys into the idea that the little things matter, next, it’s essential that they understand the practical steps for prioritizing disciplined action. This starts with well-defined routines rather than spontaneous decisions. Shifting towards structured daily activities is not about constraining spontaneity but about channeling focus and energy into actions that cumulatively build a foundation for peak performance.
The Power of Discipline: Begin by establishing clear, achievable goals for your routines, whether they involve nutrition, sleep, training, or mental preparation. Consistency in these areas is crucial. Each small task, no matter how mundane, is a step toward your larger objectives. This disciplined approach ensures that every action contributes positively to your development.
Avoiding Impulses: Understand that impulsive decisions can undermine your progress. Replace them with thoughtful, purposeful actions. This means prioritizing planned routines over spontaneous actions, thereby reinforcing your commitment to your goals.
Building Routine Streaks: Implement ‘routine streaks’ by identifying key habits you want to develop and tracking your success in maintaining these habits daily. Use an app to visually mark your progress, and treat each streak as a milestone, celebrating your consistency. In addition, use any breaks in the streak as a learning opportunity to refine your approach and begin again with a goal to break your streak record.
Persistence, Not Perfection, is the Key
Cultivating a mindset that emphasizes the little things as much as the big moments hinges on embracing the process and tracking the progress you make with your process. This perspective is rooted in the practice of maintaining routines, recognizing that while streaks may end, the focus should be on progressively extending the length of these streaks rather than achieving perfection.
In other words, it’s about resilience—bouncing back from off days without losing momentum and continually striving to improve. This cycle involves setting clear goals, tracking progress, learning from lapses, and adjusting strategies to foster lasting habits. Ultimately, persistence, not perfection, is the key to developing and sustaining good habits with the little things. This process involves:
- Setting a clear objective for a new habit.
- Establishing a daily regimen to nurture this habit, while tracking your consistency and progress.
- Persisting with this routine, understanding that challenges may arise, leading to occasional lapses.
- After a disruption, note the duration of your consistency, evaluate the reasons for the lapse, but remain undiscouraged and prepared to begin again.
- Adjust your approach based on insights gained and resume the daily practice, aiming for a longer streak of consistency.
This methodology underscores resilience and adaptability as crucial for habit formation, highlighting that persistence, rather than flawlessness, is the mindset one needs for cultivating lasting positive habits. Moreover, this is a practical application of the idea that an athlete’s journey doesn’t merely pass through the defining moments that remain in their core memory. Instead, this journey thrives on the meticulous care given to the smallest actions, embodying the principle that how you do anything is how you do everything