Please join me for a fun series.
My mission, and I've chosen to accept it, is to write a post based on each letter of the alphabet.
The English major inside of me is very excited about this project...
and my inner nerd is even more fired up! Keep checking back as I tackle the intangibles of sport...
from A to Z.
"You don't get paid for the hour.
You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.
" ~ Jim Rohn What a great quotation! Coaches work crazy hours and long hours...
but let's make sure that we're getting the most from those hours.
I understand that telling this to an in-season coach is like poking an angry bear, but I'm doing it anyway! Let's strive to stay balanced so that we're bringing incredible value to each hour we're in the office.
4 things we all need so that we don't "lose it" while in season.

1. Organization.
   I've found that most times when I'm feeling overwhelmed or like there aren't enough hours in the day, I'm just flying by the seat of my pants instead of having a plan.
   If I start the day thinking, "Oh my gosh, I've got so much to do and it's all super important and there's no way I'll finish it all"...
   I'm going to have a bad day.
   Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.
   I have to remind myself that it's impossible for it all to be super important (super important defined as having importance and a deadline)...
   that way I don't forget to get my practice plan finished for the day.
   
2. An understanding partner.
   If we've got a family at home, they've got to give us a pass sometimes.
   We may not be able to mow the lawn, or shovel the driveway, or make dinner, or vacuum the rug, or whatever the chore is that we're supposed to do.
   For me, I like to make dinner for my husband and family.
   But sometimes it just can't be done.
   While I worry that if I don't cook, they'll just have pop tarts for dinner, I've come to grips with the fact that pop tarts won't kill them...
   not right away at least.
   A helpful partner is huge!
3. The ability to stay present.
   When I'm home, I'm home.
   I'm not on the computer trying to get more work done.
   I'm not on the phone calling recruits.
   I'm not thumbing out texts to my team.
   I'm talking about how my day went or sitting down to a nice meal (of pop tarts!) or dominating a game of Sorry with the family.
   I'm gone too much to not be home when I'm at home.
   Maybe you don't have a family, but you've got amazing friends who miss you when you're in season...
   maybe you can grab a cup of coffee with them for some non-shop talk.
   
4. A willingness to shrug it off.
   At the end of every day, I have things left on my to-do list.
   When I come into the office, I move the old stuff to the new list.
   This is one of the gems from Franklin Covey's planning system.
   I prioritize, do what I can, call it quits when necessary...
   and do it again the next day.
   Sometimes I end up completing a task just because I'm sick of writing it day after day! Some days, I check a lot off of my list.
   Other days, I chat with my team and with my coworkers so much that not much of the list gets completed.
   That's okay, chatting is good for the soul! There's always tomorrow.
   

If we want to stay in coaching for the long haul, we've got to take care of ourselves.
Use these tips so that you can stay sane and try not to lose it.