“Long term success is a direct result of what you achieve every day. Goals provide your daily routine” – Rick Pitino

To be an effective basketball player, the first thing you need to do is establish your goals and priorities.

This might sound simple. Nevertheless, this very important step allows you to reach your long term goals in basketball and create a strong basketball mental game.

It is important to have a clear understanding of your goals and priorities.

A goal is a broad primary outcome – a future based anticipated expectation, possibility, end result or experience you are working towards creating, achieving or bringing to fruition that has not yet been realized in the present.

A priority is the approach you take to achieve a goal. What is most important and meaningful in your life today (activities, lifestyle, principles, standards, integrity, etc.) that you are not willing to compromise or sacrifice in pursuit of your goals.

Most basketball players think hard about big decisions, but smaller ones tend to be driven more by moods and intuition. Research on sports psychology for basketball shows that having a more organized approach, taking the time each day to determine what you want to achieve and setting your priorities accordingly increase the chance of your success.

If you are good at setting priorities, you will be better prepared to decide on goals, and in so doing, manage your stress levels more effectively.

As stress increases, we are often forced to prioritize our commitments and decide which things can be put to one side and which can’t.

This means that some aspects of life inevitably receive less attention than others. By doing so, you hurt your basketball confidence as well as your basketball mental game. Be sure not to ignore any one area entirely. This could be the area which keeps you sane! Let your priorities evolve as the need arises.

On a daily level, organize your schedule according to the importance of each activity. Use stars, arrows, or a numbered list, or devise your own system. Of course, it’s tempting to leave the most painful task for last, but think how pleased and relieved you’ll be when it’s complete.

Once you can orient your basketball goals around your priorities, you’ll have fewer goals that you’ll feel compelled to attain or be driven by.

If you design your goals around what is most important to you on a daily basis, you’ll avoid becoming hooked or attached to creating something ‘better’ at a future point in time, which can rob you of the quality of your life today.

It is reasonable that if your goals and priorities are not clear, it will be very hard to set up a successful system and even harder to maintain one. If your list is a mile long, you feel overwhelmed and scattered in a million directions, more likely your goals and priorities are in the state of chaos and frustration.

When your goals are aligned and balanced with your priorities, you’ll maintain your integrity, feel calmer, be mentally tough and will experience greater peace of mind and fulfillment while traveling on your path to achieving peak performance.

Download the free mental game assessment and get started on Improving your Mental Game in Basketball