Motivation vs Discipline: Setting Yourself Realistic Expectations for Improvement

December is a funny time of year for netballers. It’s mid season, so we should be at peak performance, in a good training regime and motivated to do well in our games. But then, on the other side of our lives is an increased social schedule filled with Christmas parties, over indulgence and let’s face it, lots of late nights. 

So how can we make sure that we keep our performance up whilst also enjoying the festive period?

Personally, I think this comes down to your discipline and how much you really want to achieve your goals. If keeping in peak performance is truly important to you, then you need to be able to prioritise it in your weekly schedule regardless of the Christmas festivities. 

For me, discipline will always beat motivation. I am not always motivated to complete a sprint session – especially when I can only do this in the park and its -3 degrees outside. I am not always motivated to wake up early to complete my strength session because I have a busy day ahead. And I’m not always motivated to reflect on my performance in a game. But I will ALWAYS find a time and a way to do it. 

This is because I know what I want to achieve, I know what I need to do to get there and I am disciplined with myself to fit my sessions in no matter what. 

I thought I’d share a few of my tips and tricks I use to help myself stay disciplined so that when life gets busy it’s easy for me to stay on track. Hopefully they will help you too!

1. Plan your week ahead. – On a Sunday I will sit down with my schedule and plan my week ahead. I will start with work and put this into my calendar and then the next thing I prioritise is my training. I make sure to ‘book it in’ just like I would a client so that it becomes just as much a part of my week as my work schedule. 
2. Have a regime that works – You need to learn what training load is manageable for your body to avoid that ‘giving up’ feeling. Each week I will prioritise 2 x strength session and 1 x netball specific session as a non-negotiable – anything else I manage to do is a bonus but not essential. 
3. Organise your fridge – I am a STRESS eater! So if I have a busy week the first thing that will go out the window is my balances diet and normally when this happens I don’t train and everything starts to fall apart. So when I have a busy week ahead I make sure to have healthy grab and go snacks ready and maybe a few dinners prepped too so that I can keep to schedule without feeling like I need to juggle too much. 
4. Plan a me night – Whilst I love being busy and seeing friends, I know I am no fun if I don’t have at least one night for just ‘me’ time in the week. I have learnt that doing this actually makes me a better person so I add it into my weekly plan as a non-negotiable. One night a week to watch tv, and do nothing else is all I need to keep on top form for the rest of the week! 

Next time your’re feeling overwhelmed and a bit out of sorts, remember to check in with yourself and remember WHY you train like you do and use that as your motivation to get back on track.