In The Zone

Setting The Stage For Success

The successful angler balances many competing demands and expectations simultaneously. Family, friends, and work commitments, as well as fishing clubs or perhaps sponsors require your time and energy. How is it possible to balance these numerous commitments and still realize angling success? For starters, the trap you don’t want to fall into is the one were you spend much of your time at home or on the job thinking about fishing, and then worrying about family or work issues while you are on the water! The simple exercise below can help keep that from happening.

Additionally, there is good psychological research evidence to suggest that having a clear sense of what is important and where you are headed will make it easier for you to apply focused concentration to the task at hand. Clarifying your priorities and commitments is a good way to set the stage for success. The following exercise will help you do that, too.

Knowing What’s Important

An easy first step toward managing the upcoming fishing season is to review what you did last year. Begin by putting together a three-ring binder, the kind that allows you to add or subtract additional pages. You could label this your Performance Psychology notebook, and use it to keep track of all the mental skills topics you find valuable.

At the top of the first page create a title like My Priorities, or My Commitments. Now, look back at how you spent your time last year. When you consider how you spend your time, it will be easy to see what you value. Based on what you find, list in your notebook the 10 most important things in your life. Certainly family, work, and friends will make everyone’s top 10. If you are married and have children, list your spouse and your kids separately.

Next, rank your priorities or commitments in order of importance; put the most significant people and circumstances at the top, and work your way down. After each entry, write the approximate amount of time you spend per week or per month on each of these priorities. Play with this exercise for a few days, discuss it with family members, and then put your notebook aside.

In a week or so, review what you wrote and see if the numbers still make sense. If they don’t, change them. Now you’re ready for the next step.

On the following page, again list your priorities in order of importance, only this time write down the ideal number of hours you would like to devote to each one. You’ve probably guessed what’s next. Compare the first two pages and see where the numbers match up or are close, and where they are significantly different. What you have done, without much work, is to turn a confusing hodgepodge of How-to-I-manage-all-these-things into a down-to-earth picture that you can make decisions about.

Now comes the hard part. Focus specifically on those categories where there is a significant time commitment difference, more than an hour or two, between what you do now, and what is ideal. Let’s say, for example, that you currently spend about 20 hours a week with your spouse and children when ideally you think this number should be 25. From what other category or categories can you borrow time to make up the difference? Similarly, if your commitment to fishing is currently 5 hours a week and you want it to be 20, you may need to make some difficult choices.

Get a Second Opinion

Especially if you have never done this exercise before, it makes sense to involve one or two important people in your life as you generate your priority list. Consider those who would be most directly affected by your choices, and ask them what they think. This can help you in several ways.

First of all, outside observers can notice things you might have missed. They may offer important additional information or suggest options you hadn’t considered. Perhaps more importantly, asking the significant people in your life for their opinions increases the likelihood that these individuals will endorse and support your decisions. Social psychology research tells us that assistance from someone you trust can make sorting out priority issues substantially easier.

Do an Annual Review

Fishing seasons vary from region to region throughout the country, and if you fish tournament circuits, you will have externally imposed schedules. However, it is worthwhile to pick a time, either at the beginning or the end of your season to do an annual review of your priority list. Think of it this way, you usually remember to take your truck or van to the shop for routine maintenance, and when you do, your mechanic goes through a multipoint checklist to make sure each component is functioning smoothly. Using the checklist system you just created can function in the same way and help you keep your several commitments and priorities in balance.

This exercise is valuable regardless of the type of fishing you do. Whether you are a seasoned tournament professional or a weekend angler, knowing how the time you spend fishing fits into your other priorities will make it easier to focus on fishing when you are fishing, and pay attention to your other commitments when you are not. The key principle here is to be proactive in managing your fishing career, rather than just letting the days, weeks, and months roll by. Clarifying your priorities and balancing your commitments can be an important step in setting the stage for fishing success.

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Jay T. McNamara Ph.D., L.P. is a psychologist, and also an avid bass and walleye angler. With more than 30 years of professional experience complemented by participation in competitive fishing at local and national levels, he is uniquely qualified illustrate how Performance Psychology principles apply to fishing. His writing has appeared in both recreational and competitive fishing journals.