action vs. motion

Hey Coach,  

I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to crush this week!  

I want to start you off today with a great quote: “Progress requires action, not just motion.” – James Clear 

In the realm of college sports coaching, I often found myself caught up in what seemed like a flurry of activity, only to realize later that I was merely spinning my wheels in motion, mistaking it for genuine action. 

Picture this: as a college coach, you’re constantly juggling various tasks, from everything with your team, managing your team’s GroupMe app to dealing with emails, texts, and phone calls from administration and recruits, etc. The hours slip away, and it feels like you’ve achieved very little. 

But, after years and years of working this way, I finally managed to pull my head out of my ass and distinguish between mere motion and meaningful action in my daily routine.  

When I consciously made a change from motion to action, the impact on my coaching productivity was remarkable. 

Taking decisive action can redefine your entire day, week, and even months, leaving you with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.  

Here are some specific examples to illustrate my point: 

Being In Motion: 

Updating or rewriting your team’s practice schedule. 

Checking the stats of your previous games without a clear plan for improvement. 

Discussing potential recruits with your coaching staff without taking any concrete steps towards recruitment. 

Take Action: 

Do the most important thing on your list. Don’t even think about it, just do. 

Have your recruiting database batched into groups (come to campus, haven’t come to campus, new, etc.) and focus on getting them to the next step in the process.  

Decide the most important task you could work on next, set a time limit, start the clock, and then work like crazy to finish the task before the buzzer goes off.   

To use a quote from one of my favorite movies- Maverick from “Top Gun”: “Take action. Don’t think, just do.”  

In your coaching career, it’s the decisive actions you take that will truly propel your team, recruiting, and career forward and lead to success on and off the field.  

So, embrace the power of action, and watch your coaching journey soar to new heights. 

Have a great week.  To your success,  

Mandy Green