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🏀 Making a Routine You’ll Actually Stick To
Signing with a new team is one of the most exciting parts of a professional career, but also one of the most challenging. Often means moving to a different country, adapting to a new coach, teammates, and systems, and even building a new daily rhythm for my family and me.
Throughout my career, I have packed up my life more times than I can count. One season, I was in Europe learning a new system and style of basketball, and within the same season, I stepped onto an NBA court with the Bucks.
@elijah.bryant3 How I MADE it to the NBA?!? #storytime #nba #elijahbryant
Each move is a completely different culture outside the arena. It was exciting, but it was also overwhelming at times.
What I realized very quickly was that the game alone is not enough to keep you steady. The flights, practices, pressure, and unfamiliar surroundings can all start to weigh on you. What helped me was creating routines that traveled with me wherever I went.
These routines gave me a sense of normalcy.
Why Routines Matter for Athletes
For athletes, routine is more than just a habit; it’s a performance tool.
Consistency under pressure: With routines in place, every day feels familiar, even in unfamiliar environments.
Reduced mental load: Instead of making dozens of small decisions, routines streamline your day so you can focus on the game.
Performance stability: From recovery to nutrition, routines protect against the little things that can derail performance.
Adaptability: With the right core routines, you can carry stability anywhere—whether it’s a new league, city, or continent.
This is why I treat my routines with the same importance as I do my training sessions, wherever I am!
My Morning Routine
The way I start my day often determines how I finish it. My mornings usually include:
Prayer and reflection: keeps me centered and focused on gratitude before the work begins.
Preparing breakfast: fueling my body the right way sets the tone for energy and recovery.
Time with my kids: no matter how intense the schedule is, this family time gives me perspective and motivation.
Stretching and mobility: wakes up my body, reduces stiffness, and lowers injury risk.
Meditation: even 5 minutes helps calm my thoughts and sharpen my focus before practices or games.
Journaling: I write down goals, thoughts, and reflections. This clears my head, tracks progress, and gives me a reminder of what matters most.
How You Can Build Routines That Last
Even if you’re not playing professionally, the same principles apply whether you’re working out, building a career, or balancing family life:
Start with the essentials: Choose 2–3 core habits that directly support your goals.
Anchor routines to existing habits: Attach new actions to things you already do daily, like stretching after brushing your teeth.
Balance discipline with flexibility: Life changes, such as moving to a new place or having kids, can throw things off balance. Adjust instead of abandoning the routine.
Track and review: Keep notes on your habits and progress. You can’t manage what you don’t measure!
Prioritize recovery: Sleep, nutrition, and mental rest should be non-negotiables, not afterthoughts.
Takeaway
Routines are not just habits. They are anchors that provide consistency in high pressure and ever changing environments.
For athletes, routines stabilize both body and mind, creating a foundation for performance.
Start simple, stay consistent, and be willing to adapt as life and circumstances shift.
At the highest level, the separation between players is not always talent. Often, it comes down to who can maintain discipline, focus, and stability across different environments. That is what routines give you.
Check the links below for my PDFs where I share more practical tools and examples you can use to build your own routines.
And remember Faith + Consistency. That’s the formula.
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Elijah
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