🕹️ You are in Control

Like Jim Rohn wisely said: ⏳ "Either you run the day, or the day runs you."

The reality is, we can’t create more time—but we can make better use of the time we have. And that we are in control of it. I love this video from Robin Van Persie (former Arsenal, Man Utd and Netherlands striker) where he talks about a conversation he had with his son about control and how it affects you being successful.

I had a similar discussion with my son this week when he was moaning about not having enough time for everything in his life. When we got down to the crux of the problem it became clearly apparent to him that he was not taking control of the time he had. “Chilling” (apparently the new word for scrolling on a phone) was creeping in and stopping him from achieving what he wanted, causing frustration and anxiety. Luckily he has realised that he can make it work if he prioritises what he says is important...and puts down his phone!

During our discussion I spoke with him about a few powerful time management lessons from great thinkers that help you stay in control. These are a couple we love:

1️⃣ Be the Pilot of Your Own Time

Michael Altshuler reminds us:

📌 "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot."

No one else controls your flight plan, only you. When we feel like we are being lead off the path of control and good time management by your own choices, distractions, or saying yes to other people’s needs or wants, you have all the control to steer yourself back to balance.

2️⃣ Say No to Say Yes

A busy schedule often means learning what to let go of. Remember:

📌 "Saying 'no' to something is saying 'yes' to something more important."

If an extra commitment is adding stress instead of value, don’t be afraid to say no—so you can say YES to what really counts.

3️⃣ Create Balance (It Won’t Happen by Itself!)

Jana Kingsford puts it best:

📌 "Balance is not something you find, it's something you create."

Planning ahead, setting clear priorities, and carving out downtime can help prevent burnout for both you and your athlete, but you HAVE to work at it.

How? Here are some more tips below:

🧠 Getting it Out of Your Head!

The key to being in control is to write it down. Did you know that we can only keep around 4 things in our head at once. Any more than that and we start to forget. If you are anything like me, that number is probably closer to 2!

Why Writing Down Things Helps:

🧠 Limited Working Memory – Studies, including those by cognitive psychologist John Sweller (Cognitive Load Theory) and neuroscientist John A. Cowan, suggest that our brain’s working memory can handle only around 3-5 items at once. This is why we often forget things if we don’t offload them.

📝 Writing Frees Up Mental Space – When we write things down, we offload information from our brain, making space for problem-solving, creativity, and deeper thinking. This is why athletes, executives, and students use planners, checklists, and goal-setting sheets.

📌 Clarity & Focus – Writing forces us to prioritize what’s important. As David Allen (author of Getting Things Done) says:
"Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them."

📊 Scientific Proof? – A 2010 study by Mueller & Oppenheimer found that writing things down (especially by hand) improves understanding and retention because it forces the brain to process the information more deeply.

Therefore it is vital that we write things down, and revisit them. As athletes we need to get our priorities down on paper

✏️ Designing Tomorrow

In our house we’ve been having some trouble with time management as our schedules are completely crazy. I have two sons who have made academies in two different sports, both in another city from ours, which is about an hours drive away. That means multiple trips for trainings and games each week. Both boys also want to do really well in school, and want to hang out with their teenage friends.

A couple of weeks ago it was super tough trying to balance this as a family and we all got worn down and a bit grumpy. So we have implemented a system that seems to be working. James Clear from Atomic Habits would be so impressed with us.

Now, I stole this idea from someone whom I can’t remember on a podcast and adapted it using ideas from Stephen Covey, David Galbraith, and some others. It’s not perfect but it is improving our time management. At the same time each night we sit down, all of us, with pen and paper each, and design our tomorrows. We actually call it that - geeky I know!

Designing Tomorrow goes like this:

1. We write 3 wins that we had today 

   No matter how small a win we had, we celebrate it and write it down - from not eating that 3rd cookie to completing your 27th day in a row of 1 hour of individual training, anything can be a win.

2. We write 3 actions that we can take to help us win tomorrow and grow as individuals.

   These are really varied. It could be making my lunch and packing my training kit tonight so that the morning is calm. It could be attacking training with aggression, enthusiasm and energy. It could be asking an uncomfortable question, or talking to someone when we are unsure of the outcome. We ask our kids (and ourselves) to be courageous here, just like Zane Winslade and David Galbraith speak about.

3. We plan in our big rocks for the different parts of our life.

   For your athlete these are likely to be their sport(s), school work, friends, chores, and family (maybe more). Firstly we plan the big rocks for each area - these are the most important things that must be done tomorrow. Don’t list any small things, just what is most important.

   Don’t know what big rocks are or how prioritise them? Watch this great video HERE from Stephen Covey - it’s an oldie (check out their threads!) but always a highly effective visual reminder of what works and what doesn’t.

4. Time block them in a plan.

   We do this really simply on a blank A4 sheet of paper. We literally draw rectangles with the time we are doing everything. It can then be carried with us and revisited throughout the day. It would work in a book or journal and I know there are apps and online planners too (our family is trying to get away from using devices as often as we currently do)

   Now we have designed our day with time blocks to fit everything in and 3 actions to win the day. My boys have asked if we can make a template so we are in designing one as we go. I’ll put it in a future newsletter for anyone that wants it.

5. Revisit it.

   In the morning we look over our plans, change anything our subconscious told us about at 3am in the morning, and get ready for a great day.

If that is too much for you right now, try the idea below that really does just take One Minute!

⏳ Try This Today: Your One-Minute Time Audit

Take one minute and ask yourself:
👉 What’s one thing I can cut out of my schedule this week?
👉 What’s one thing I can plan ahead to make life easier?
👉 What’s one thing I can prioritize to bring more balance?

Remember, you can’t control time—but you CAN control how you use it. 💡

Here’s to a week of smart time management and less stress! 🎯

🎯 The Youth Athletes Guide to Distraction

Why Saying No to Distractions is the Key to Success 🚀

In sports, school, and life, success isn’t just about what you do—it’s also about what you don’t do. Saying no to distractions is one of the most powerful skills an athlete (or anyone) can develop. Here’s why:

1️⃣ Focus = Faster Progress 🎯

Every time you get distracted—whether it’s scrolling social media, binge-watching, or procrastinating—you take time away from what really matters. As Michael Jordan once said:
📌 "If you quit once, it becomes a habit. Never quit."
Saying no to distractions builds the discipline needed to keep improving.

2️⃣ Energy is Limited—Use it Wisely ⚡

Your brain and body have only so much energy each day. If you waste it on things that don’t serve your goals, you’ll have less left for training, school, and recovery. Protect your energy by focusing on what truly matters.

3️⃣ Small Distractions Add Up ⏳

A five-minute distraction here and a ten-minute distraction there may not seem like much, but over time, they steal hours from your week.
✅ Tip: Next time you’re tempted by a distraction, ask yourself: “Is this helping or hurting my goals?”

4️⃣ Saying No = Saying Yes to Your Goals 💪

Every time you say no to a distraction, you’re saying yes to your bigger goals.
🔹 Want to be stronger? Say no to late nights and yes to sleep.
🔹 Want better grades? Say no to endless scrolling and yes to study time.
🔹 Want to improve in your sport? Say no to skipping workouts and yes to consistency.

5️⃣ Champions Make Choices, Not Excuses 🏆

Top athletes don’t just rely on talent—they prioritize what matters and block out distractions. As Kobe Bryant said:
📌 "We all can be masters at our craft, but you have to make sacrifices that come along with making that decision."

⚡ Try This Challenge: The “Distraction Detox”

For the next 24 hours, track where your time goes. Then, find one distraction to eliminate and replace it with something that helps your goals.

🚀 One small "no" today can lead to a huge "yes" in the future. Stay focused!

📚️ Great Reads

Want something more about time management or planning? read these two fantastic authors.

1. Getting Things Done - David Allan

Check our his website here: https://gettingthingsdone.com/

David is a time management guru, productivity consultant, author of Getting Things Done and creator of the Two Minute Rule (among many other concepts) - “If an action will take less than two minutes, it should be done at the moment it's defined.” Simple, yet potent, this rule is a defense against procrastination and letting the small things in work and life add up

2. Deep Work - Cal Newport

Not just a time management book but a Focus Management book Cal Newport believes in:

✔ Quality Over Quantity – Instead of trying to do more in less time, the book emphasizes doing better work with full concentration.
✔ Eliminating Distractions – Newport argues that shallow tasks (emails, notifications, multitasking) kill productivity, while deep focus leads to faster and better results.
✔ Scheduling Deep Work Blocks – He suggests time-blocking periods where you focus deeply without interruption—ideal for athletes, students, and professionals.
✔ Training the Focus Muscle – Just like athletes train their bodies, you must train your mind to resist distractions and stay locked in.

 🥝 Nutrition Management with FYA Nutrition

Time Management is one of the big reasons behind the creation of FYA nutrition. Fueling youth athletes with nutritious but super convenient food is what drives us.

We want to be able to feed our children food that helps them grow, energises them for their trainings and games, and aids recovery better than anything currently out there. It can’t have anything harmful in it yet it has to be easy to purchase and use.

If you are anything like us, then you are probably time poor too. What we are working on will save you time making and thinking about the food you buy to send to school, trainings and games with your athletes They will simply be able to throw it in their bag and you will know they are getting the best thing next to whole foods that money can buy.

We can’t wait to send you the samples to try!