How To Make The Right Plays

The average person makes around 35,000 decisions a day. Stop reacting, start strategizing. Discover the framework for impactful decision-making.

“Time and score!”

A phrase that left my college basketball coach's mouth approximately 2,014 times in my 4 year career at Cal Poly - SLO. As players, we would often mimic him and just go on about practice. As a 33 year old retired athlete, he was definitely on to something and had the psychology degree to prove it.

You see, time and score are two of the most important things you can take note of in a basketball game. Based on those factors, you’re going to implement various strategies. I won’t get into the nuances of the game, but I will tell you that there is a framework to be learned which will set you or team up for success.

Stepping away from the court and into the working, middle-class world that I live in now, I am constantly looking for ways to maximize my impact through 3 categories.

Time. Opportunity. Self. (Or TOS as it’ll be branded as from now on.)

These are the key aspects of my life that I’ve determined are the most important for personal growth and fulfillment. Once I was able to align these with my personal brand and goals, I became better suited to recognize which of my daily decisions deserve a little more TLC and which were waterfalls not worth chasing.

Now, as a reader, I ask you to define your categories. Do you know the time and score of your daily game of life? What is your equivalent of my TOS? Take a second, write them down. This is a newsletter, I’ve got nothing but time! Whether that exercise was easy or difficult, you’re in the right place to make it even better.

Let's break down the TOS framework.

Time : Are you spending your time on activities that align with your goals? In basketball, we don’t waste time on low-percentage two point shots when you're down by three with seconds left. Similarly, in life, you need to prioritize tasks that yield the highest return and make sense based on the given situation.

Opportunity : How is the defense playing you? Are they sagging off giving you an open shot or are they pressing up so close that you could drive by them to score? In life, this might mean prioritizing high-impact tasks over low-value ones, or setting clear deadlines to avoid time-wasting activities. Whether it’s on the court or in the office, opportunities arise every second and you have to know yourself in order to make the right play.

Self : Are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses? Just as a basketball player practices their shooting or dribbling, you need to invest time in honing your skills. For me, that means finding ways to save time in my day. That can take many forms whether it’s editing software, a shortcut, or an AI assistant. Once I have mastered one thing, I move on to the next. Over time, with a “brick-by-brick” approach, I have a more-rounded toolkit to be a better CEO, basketball player, or partner.

By consistently applying the TOS framework, you'll be better equipped to recognize the 'time and score' of your own life, allowing you to make the right plays when it matters most. Master your time, seize your opportunities, and know yourself, and you'll always be ready to make the right play.

Homework : Start small. Try applying the TOS framework to a small decision and see how it impacts the outcome. It’s better to make a mistake in the second quarter than the fourth when the game is on the line. Once you’ve got enough reps, go hit your game-winner!

Let me know how your first TOS decision goes in the comments or DMs! Good luck ??