Lean Into Discipline To Get Through Drag Of December Practice

Yay for winter break! This time of year can be a festive time filled with fun activities, time with loved ones and friends, vacation (no school!), and rest and relaxation for many athletes. This is the time of year when college coaches are on pause, which means travel seasons end. But, as many spring sport athletes know, winter break is when individual training should continue.   Yet, it is so difficult to train compared to other parts of the year when you typically get to practice with others (a team) and sprinkle in games along the way. Compared to different times of the year, winter break can seem like a black hole for practice. The drudgery of practicing on your own while others get to do fun things is not something to look forward to. There are no teammates to join in, no one to push you, no one to compete with, and the solidarity makes seconds seem like hours. But, you know you need to stay in shape and stay in some action.   You may find yourself fighting with yourself and talking yourself out of practicing even though you know you will regret it later. Let's face it. You are just not motivated to practice over winter break. So what do you do? You lean into and build discipline. Discipline is your ability to maintain order and follow a set of rules. Being self-disciplined can help you stay on-task when you are not motivated to do so.   Keep reading for tips on how to become more disciplined and use that skill to get you through this winter break having taken meaningful steps toward your spring season goals.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Build Discipline By Not Relying On Motivation</h2>   Motivation is what gets you to act and behave in a specific way. Motivation is your reason or reasons (your "why") for doing something. For years, we have been told to "get motivated" to do something and then go do it. What may help you understand why this pattern of thinking does not always work is motivation can be both a state characteristic (meaning you can be motivated differently based on each situation) and a trait (meaning you have a natural disposition toward being motivated in a certain way toward certain tasks) (Wasserman & Wasserman, 2020). This means your motivation changes depending on the task.   Another fact about motivation is it flows along a continuum, meaning there are different types of motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Learning more about the continuum of motivation can help you understand how to get yourself up and practicing when you would rather do something else. Learning more about motivation can also help you realize that you may become more motivated to do a task (like practice) once you start the task first. Instead of waiting to get motivated to practice, try starting practice first (take action) then notice if you start to get more "into it" as you keep going. The key here is to take action whether you "feel like it" or not.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Build Discipline By Creating A Routine</h2>   If you think about your typical day when you are not on vacation, you probably have a distinguishable routine. You get up at a specific time, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, get dressed, go to school, practice, do homework, or something along those lines.   Your brain has identified certain cues in your environment that help you stay in that routine. When your day significantly changes (like when you're on vacation and have more free time), your cues can change or you ignore typical cues. Routines create structure, which gives us a sense of security because we can usually predict what is happening in our day (Blau, 2024). Without routines, we may feel "off" or left without a direction.   One way to build discipline is to create a vacation routine or give yourself some structure. This includes on days you plan to practice and off days. It does not have to be a rigid routine (leave flexibility), but a little structure (small routines) will help. Create a structure for your day and your practice. Set practice (or daily!) goals to give you direction, and prioritize the tasks you want to get done. Take action on your high-priority tasks first (the tasks you need/want to do the most).   Lastly, schedule your practice time during the time of day when you feel the best mentally and physically. For example, if you are more alert in the morning then set a plan to practice in the morning when you are more likely to get it done. One last thought about routines is they can be boring. Get comfortable with repeating mundane, boring tasks just like you do in practice. The most successful athletes know how to embrace repetition, both physically and mentally.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Build Discipline By Holding Yourself Accountable</h2>   Discipline is a skill that is built on accountability. This means you have to find a way to hold yourself to the process or rules in a way that will encourage you to follow through even when you don't want to. Let's say you set a winter practice schedule to follow over the break. One way you can create accountability is to ask someone to join you. This partner can join you at practice or could be someone you report back to on your practice progress (an accountability partner). One example of an accountability partner is to keep a practice log and share it with your coach and/or parents. Sharing your practice intentions and progress can be an excellent way to stay committed to your winter process.   Think about a reward system to help you stay consistent. Delayed gratification can be a good way to both challenge and reward yourself for progress made. Perhaps you hold yourself accountable by delaying doing an activity you want to do until you get your practice done first (prioritize practice). And, of course, building in rewards for yourself for completing a certain number of practices can be a solid strategy to ignite motivation to continue putting in the work.   These are just a few suggestions to get you thinking. Accountability also requires taking ownership of your actions. If you miss a planned practice or choose to not practice even when you said you would, own up to that decision. Don't let yourself slip into making excuses. It is okay to admit if you made a decision that was not ideal, but your next step is to forgive yourself. You will make mistakes, you will make unproductive decisions. What matters is what you do next. Decide to get back on track with your practice schedule and routine as quickly as you can and move forward from there.   Dr. Megan Buning is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (C.M.P.C.) with over a decade of experience training the mental game.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">References</h2>   Blau, R. (2024, September 11). The psychological benefits of a structured routine. Humantold. Retrieved from https://humantold.com/blog/the-psychological-benefits-of-a-structured-routine/   Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78   Wasserman, T., Wasserman, L. (2020). Motivation: State, trait, or both. Motivation, effort, and the neural network model. Neural Network Model: Applications and Implications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58724-6_8

Yay for winter break! This time of year can be a festive time filled with fun activities, time with loved ones and friends, vacation (no school!), and rest and relaxation for many athletes. This is the time of year when college coaches are on pause, which means travel seasons end. But, as many spring sport athletes know, winter break is when individual training should continue.