CrossFit Mindset: Focus On What You Can Control
Guess what?
I haven’t hit the snooze button in nearly 12 months.
Why?
Because I told myself to stop hitting the snooze button.
Pretty crazy, huh?
I didn’t do a magical anti-snooze-button dance. I didn’t pray. I didn’t write down all of the reasons why hitting the snooze button was bad for me. I didn’t even consult 3,075 of my closest Facebook friends and post “I’m thinking about trying to stop snoozing in the mornings – what do you think? LOL!” (because we all know that every good Facebook status update needs an LOL to ease tension and promote the right tone).
Nope, I didn’t do any of that. I just decided to change my mindset, and I stopped doing it.
And it feels awesome.
Don’t get me wrong, it still sucks when my body is saying things like, “Yo, Ben. It’s 5:00AM. Why are you awake right now? Slide back into bed and no one will notice. You don’t have to be awake for another 3 hours.”
But instead of snoozing for three hours, I get up.
I tell that little voice in my head to shut up, and I get moving. Each step away from the bed is another step closer to starting my day exactly how I want to start it – on my own terms.
Now if you haven’t known me for awhile, you might be thinking to yourself, “Ben gets up at 5:00AM?! He must be such a morning person!”
False. I am not a morning person.
Before really getting into this 5:00AM groove, I used to take pride in being a night owl. I was the kind of guy who needed to set seven different alarms just to get my butt out of bed before 10AM. And yes, I would snooze-button almost every single one of those suckers.
But now, I’ve changed my mindset. I don’t hit the snooze button anymore.
What made me take control of my mindset?
Well, after reading some really thought provoking books I started to notice a trend.
The highest achievers in the world tend to focus heavily on the things that they can control. Conversely, they don’t care about things that they cannot control. Also, here’s where the highest achievers really get things right:
They focus on things that they can control AND things that matter.
Here’s a great diagram to show you what I mean:
I realized that I tend to have really unproductive days when I get up late. There was always that feeling that I was ‘behind the ball’, living my life on other people’s schedules, trying to catch up to the day that I let slip away.
I used to frequently complain and say things like “I’m too busy”, or “I don’t have time for that”, or my favorite: “There just aren’t enough hours in the day!”
I’d say all of those things, portraying myself as a victim. “Woe is me”.
Yet at the same time, I was wasting hours of my life hitting the snooze button – drifting in and out of a sort-of-awake stupor (that isn’t even quality sleep, by the way) before finally getting my ass out of bed.
Oh, and what kept me awake the night before? Netflix. Facebook. Instagram. Obviously…
What does this story have to do with your CrossFit Mindset?
You might be wondering what the heck any of this has to do with your training, or your mindset. Fair enough, hear me out:
There are many aspects of your fitness that you can control. There are also some things that are way more important than others. The most effective athletes are able to figure out the “sweet spot” in the middle – controlling what matters most.
Whether it’s with your alarm clock, or with your training – you must set deadlines and strict requirements with yourself in order to see change.
You cannot declare that you are going to learn double unders and then just sit there thinking about double unders. You need to actually have a plan, set aside the time to work on them, and stick to a program.
Just like saying “I should probably stop hitting the snooze button…” won’t get you anywhere. You must take action, and actively work on your CrossFit mindset.
Set yourself up for success.
If you’re interested, below is exactly how I chose to set myself up for success in order to stop hitting the snooze button:
WODprep’s rules for waking up and taking control of your mindset:
- Set your alarm clock for 5:00AM (note: alarm clock should NOT be on your phone – phone alarms are the reason you keep snoozing! Get a real alarm clock).
- Place the alarm on the other side of the room (or in the hallway, which is what I do).
- Turn off your wifi and cell service on your phone (AKA notification free).
- Plug your phone into the outlet farthest away from your bed.
- Go to sleep – aiming for a full 8 hours.
- When the alarm wakes you up, get out of bed, walk across the room, and turn it off.
- You’re already up. Get out of your bedroom immediately. Start your day. You’ll thank yourself later.
- Begin your morning routine.
So – what do you think? Are you willing to try the #NoSnooze challenge, and stop hitting snooze?
Let’s do it.
Starting TODAY, for the next 30 days, try doing a #NoSnooze challenge. Comment below and let us know how it goes!
You might be surprised how much it changes your life, as well as your training mindset.
It’s time to take control – and make snoozing a thing of the past. 🙂
P.S. – It’s totally up to you, but most weekends I don’t set an alarm clock, which means I get up whenever I want to. But Monday through Friday is always bright and early, 5:00AM.