Blog
Controllables
“Control the controllables” is a well-known saying, and I’ll be honest with you, one that I low key dislike.
Isn’t it obvious that you would control the controllables? Typically, when coaches say this to you it is in a moment where anxiety and stress is already running high and the saying adds little perspective to the situation at hand. What your coach is really saying, is that you shouldn’t let the anxiety of things out of your control, steer your mood or actions in the moment. Being willing to accept this mantra however, is a skill in itself.
Having a routine and time to organise our lives is of high importance to most people. Being able to plan training around school, work, traffic, dentist appointments, siblings and sleep is a never-ending balancing act, but alas, not always feasible. Add to this, packing kit and food for school and training, navigating the traffic to get to sessions on time, fitting dentist, doctor and physio appointments into the one free hour a week and collecting different children from different locations at different times and of course trying to fit in at least 8 hours of sleep between 10pm and 4am…it’s an anxiety riddled quest.
We can typically break down our lives into two different categories - negotiable and non-negotiable tasks. Things that must get done and things that we can do but don’t have to. The non-negotiable tasks form the foundation of our weekly schedules and then the negotiable tasks get added in around this. These are the controllables.
We all know sleep is important (I’ve written a previous blog about it) and getting as much as possible is the priority for athletes and parents alike – non-negotiable. Yet many Hamilton Aquatics swimmers still speak about a lack of sleep due to an excess of homework and extra studying time not allowing for sufficient sleep around sessions.
We all know that traffic in Dubai is a nightmare. It can take a long time to go very little distance when fighting against the school traffic, and regular accidents. Going home after school to eat and relax before setting off for sessions often results in a message to coaches’ apologising for being late.
In each of the above examples, would you classify these as controllable or un-controllable situations? Can you always control your hours of sleep, and can you predict when an accident will happen on the way to sessions? Of course not. But can you influence both? Absolutely.
Missing 8 hours of sleep one night won’t have drastic repercussions to the following day or week. Consistently getting 5 hours of sleep may lead to chronic fatigue, low performance levels, higher cravings for sugar and an increase in illness frequency.
Putting a non-negotiable bedtime on weekdays is often a great idea. It can help keep productivity high in getting tasks done in the day. The routine of bedtime will also help your body understand it’s time to switch off increasing restfulness and overall recovery. However, making 8 hours every night a non-negotiable may have an impact on training frequency, ability to socialise, and time to complete homework. Some flexibility with this is necessary. Naps, later weekend mornings and earlier bedtimes where possible can be utilised to help boost sleep and recovery.
Dubai traffic is infamously bad. Leaving only a 20minute window for a 20minute trip is likely to end up with you being late. There’s nothing wrong with being early! I am sure you have heard the saying “Early is on time, On time is late and Late is unacceptable!”. By arriving early, you could utilise the time for specific prehab, or to socialise with friends. You could even find a space and complete homework if productivity after sessions is low. Whilst this may seem uncool, it might make all the difference to your performance levels across a week or season.
Controllables also filter into race days as we know. Control your race, control your preparation and control your mental approach is all something you will have heard and hopefully put into practice. In recent times, our daily life has been thrown into disarray. With schools and pools being inaccessible, a lot of patience and adaptability has been required. With this, controlling the controllables has become a daily habit and affirmation for some of us. Session times are different, there are less Long Course sessions in the week, and lanes are potentially busier than what we are used to, but this is out of your control. Controlling the controllables means making the most out of all available sessions and pool time you have to get better and using the different recovery days and time to get on top of school-work and other life tasks. Whilst different routines are often uncomfortable, it builds resilient athletes who will be more adaptable to changes come squad movements or when you move on to University life.
“Control the controllables” might be a saying I dislike, but the message it tells is one we should all accept. Giving power to having control over the process, the planning and preparation and not obsessing over external influences which play on our happiness.