Efficiency: A Lifestyle Change

Two facts about human nature: 1. We are creatures of habit and 2. We tend to not enjoy change.

What does this have to do with baseball? I’ll tell you what. Players of every age and every level will find themselves stuck in a rut from time to time. Going through the same old routines; waking up at the same time, going through the same motions in practice, and approaching games the same way. Don’t get me wrong, this can be incredibly beneficial, IF (and that’s a big ‘if’) these routines are beneficial, pushing the player towards constantly bettering himself. However, odds are you’d be hard-pressed to confidently assert that all of your routines are as beneficial as they can possibly be.
So, let’s pretend you’re hooked. Sure, you’ve got a routine or two that could be updated, tweaked, or altered. That’s a daunting task though. Afterall, these are habits we’re talking about, not to mention we’re considering changing them! Let’s take a collective deep breath and dive into a hypothetical. You deem your morning routine to be less than optimal, leaving you occasionally unprepared for what the day will hold. Fantastic, pat your hypothetical self on the back for hypothetically being honest with yourself about an area of improvement.
Now, throw your entire morning routine right out of the window. This may seem counterproductive, as you may later reintroduce old aspects of your morning routine into your brand-new routine. However, this is the best way to combat that nasty nature of fighting off change. If you commit to a clean slate, you will limit your temptation to keep your old routine (after all, your goal is to create an efficient and beneficial routine, not patch up an old one!). Be creative and think of the perfect morning. What time do you get up? Are you resolute in refusing social media until you are ready for the day? In what order will you eat breakfast, brush your teeth, and shower? Take ownership of this new routine and relentlessly tell yourself that this is for your improvement!
Once you have your new, more efficient routine written out, all that’s left is to implement it. This will be the most challenging piece to the puzzle of ‘change.’ You’ve talked the talk, now it’s time to walk the walk. Be prepared for the battle of your life when your alarm goes off. You will be oh so tempted to keep to the old, familiar, safe, and comfortable routine. Be strong! Do not allow yourself to pull up Facebook; remember you are consciously making a positive change to better yourself. As soon as you leave your residence, after successfully following through with your new routine, you are one massive step closer to making this positive change, permanent. Pat your real self on the back!