Planning is an essential tool to your success as a ball player. Once you know what your dreams are, it is important to create an organized structure in your daily life to create the routines and habits that will serve you.
Plans will differ from player to player depending on the individual’s needs. If you are an outfielder, maybe you would focus more on your reads off the bat, your footwork for your drop steps, your throwing accuracy to each base, or your speed to track down fly balls. If you are an catcher, maybe you would work on your mobility, your transfers, your receiving, and your blocking. It is important to know what you must work on in order to succeed.
Once you know what you must work on, you can implement that into your daily routine. Maybe you are lacking strength and need to get in the weight room more. Maybe you are one of the slower guys on your team and want to work on your speed. It does not matter what skill you work on, as long as you have a plan and are working hard everyday to reach your dreams.
A characteristic you must build is discipline. This will be your key to always executing your plan. Discipline means doing what you need to get done whether you feel like it or not. It is easy to get work done when you feel refreshed and motivated, but what happens when you do not? These are the times discipline will hold you accountable.
There are many ways to plan your day out, but here are a few tips that really helped me as a player to make sure I was executing it:
Prioritize
Prioritizing your day will ensure you are getting the necessities done. If you really want to tackle something, that should be the first thing on your list. Choose 1-3 things to work on each day. Remember, it is about getting 1% better and not about over working yourself which will eventually lead to burning out.
Schedule it
It is one thing to know what you need to do and it is another thing to actually do it. Scheduling your workouts is one of the most effective ways to ensure you are taking action. This will help you to make your workout a priority. One thing I have experienced was not scheduling what I needed to do and ended up putting it off to the next day. That next day turned into the day after and it became a vicious cycle until I finally used a schedule.
Reflect
Every month, reflect on your daily habits and schedules to see if you need to make any adjustments. Do you feel as if you are progressing to your goals or are you being stagnant or even regressing? It is important to notice your progress because that will determine if your plan needs adjustments. Give yourself that full month because changes do not happen over night. They will happen through a consistent effort.
Planning may not be the funnest thing to do in the world, but it is necessary. Create your plan by prioritizing, scheduling, and reflecting your daily habits as this will help you on your journey to reaching your dreams.
