Build A Productive Mindset with This One Practice
A productive mindset consciously maintains thoughts that drive actions in the direction of a specific outcome. An unproductive mindset unconsciously follows thoughts that drive actions away from a specific outcome. When it comes to performance in sport and life, I try to eliminate the words “positive” and “negative.” They are subjective labels. When we have a clear outcome we are pursuing then we should try to maintain objective language, particularly when it comes to identifying the thoughts that support our actions. That’s why I use “productive” and “unproductive.”
When I completed Seventy48 earlier this year, I used a specific mindfulness practice in the lead up to the race and on race day. It helped build the skill of awareness leading into the race and helped me maintain a productive mindset through the 70 mile, 27 hour paddle race.
It is important to front load our mental training. Just like we front load our physical training. We don’t show up on race day expecting to be fast if we didn’t spend the last 6 months training strength, power, and endurance. So we shouldn’t expect to show up on race day (or when life hits hard) if we haven’t spent time building the skills of becoming aware of our thoughts and replacing them with productive thoughts when needed. This practice is a way to front load your mental training. It can be practiced at anytime and i’ve found my mindset is the strongest when I set aside time outside my sport and while I am actually training.
Labeling
Labeling , also known as noting, is a mindfulness practice that involves giving your thoughts a specific label when you become aware of them. You notice, apply the label, and let the thought go. If it comes back you simply notice, label, let go. If you think of yourself as an assembly line worker with your thoughts coming down the line to you, you will gently place a label on it, and let it carry on down the line until the next thought comes through.
Here are a few labels you can try:
Past or Future: This can be a great label to use when you are applying this practice outside of your training, maybe its when you first wake up or before your training session. The thoughts that enter our head are often about something that has happened in the past or something that might happen in the future. Recognize the thought, label as past or future, and let it go.
Helpful or Unhelpful: This is a great label to use during training. With a clear objective or outcome we can then determine the types of thoughts that will help us achieve that outcome or will be unhelpful.
Productive or Unproductive: Similar to helpful/unhelpful and another great one to use during training or everyday life.
Two ways to practice labeling:
Outside of Training: You could be sitting or laying somewhere comfortably or walking. Start with 2-3 minutes of brining awareness to your breath and then slowly take your awareness to your mind. As thoughts enter your awareness label them with whatever label you chose and let them go.
In Training: Before starting your training sessions, either sport specific or strength/conditioning, set a period of time within your training session that you will intentionally bring awareness to your thoughts. In field/court sports the best time to do that is during the warm up or the cool down. While you’re in the flow of a team sport its much tougher to do. However the goal is that if you practice it in the warm up, then it will carry over during the session and you can find moments of awareness to replace unhelpful or unproductive thoughts. If you are in an endurance sport athlete then you have more opportunities in your training session to work this in. I would dedicate certain 5-10 minute periods of paddling to this practice in my lead up to Seventy48.
Over the course of my 70 mile stand up paddle from Tacoma to Port Townsend I had a lot of unhelpful/unproductive thoughts arise and occasionally those single thoughts turned into thought streams. However the more often I was able to recognize the unhelpful/unproductive thought, label it, and let it go…the less frequent they became. Until eventually I was left with streams of productive and helpful thoughts more often. With practice I believe the same can happen for you in your sport and day to day life.
Give the practice a try for 5-10 minutes each day this week and let me know how it goes. Or if you want a guided practice i’m happy to jump on a call and walk you through it: alex@evergreen-performance.com