Why This Works
Athletes who focus on controllable factors experience less anxiety and perform more consistently under pressure (Rotter, 1966). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) research shows that psychological flexibility — the ability to redirect attention from uncontrollables to controllables — is one of the strongest predictors of sustained performance (Hayes et al., 2006). This worksheet trains that skill.
Instructions
Time required: 15 minutes initially, then 2 minutes daily for 7 days
What you need: This worksheet, a pen
When to use: Start within 24 hours of watching Episode 3. Use the daily check before every practice or competition this week.
Exercise 1: Build Your Control Circle
Think about a specific upcoming competition or high-pressure situation. List everything that's on your mind — worries, goals, variables — then sort them.
INSIDE My Control (Things I can directly influence)
| # | What I Control | Specific Action I Can Take |
|---|
| 1 | | |
| 2 | | |
| 3 | | |
| 4 | | |
| 5 | | |
OUTSIDE My Control (Things I need to let go of)
| # | What I Can't Control | My Redirect: What I'll Focus on Instead |
|---|
| 1 | | |
| 2 | | |
| 3 | | |
| 4 | | |
| 5 | | |
Check yourself: If you listed "winning" or "the score" inside your circle, move it out. You influence outcomes through your actions, but you don't control outcomes. Focus on the actions that give you the best chance.
Exercise 2: The Redirect Drill
When you catch yourself worrying about something outside your control, use this 3-step redirect:
| Step |
What to Do |
Example |
| 1. Catch it |
Notice you're focused on an uncontrollable |
"I'm thinking about whether the ref will be fair" |
| 2. Name it |
Say: "That's outside my circle" |
"Ref calls are outside my circle" |
| 3. Redirect |
Shift to one controllable action |
"I'm going to focus on my first-step quickness" |
Practice right now: Write one worry from your "Outside" list and run the redirect:
My worry:
"That's outside my circle."
My redirect:
Exercise 3: 7-Day Daily Control Check
Before each practice or competition, take 2 minutes to complete this check. Write one uncontrollable you're tempted to focus on, then redirect to one controllable.
| Day |
Uncontrollable I Caught Myself On |
My Redirect (Controllable Focus) |
Did I stay focused? (Y / N) |
| Mon | | | |
| Tue | | | |
| Wed | | | |
| Thu | | | |
| Fri | | | |
| Sat | | | |
| Sun | | | |
End-of-week success rate: ___/7 days I stayed focused on controllables
Exercise 4: Stress Situations Map
List 3 situations in your sport that consistently stress you out. For each one, separate the controllable from the uncontrollable.
| Stressful Situation |
What I CAN'T Control |
What I CAN Control |
My Go-To Redirect |
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Reflection Questions
- How much of your mental energy this week was spent on things outside your control? If you could redirect even 20% of that energy to controllables, what would change?
- Think of an athlete you admire. What controllables do you think they focus on that other athletes ignore?
- The video connects to EP2 (self-talk): when you catch yourself worrying about an uncontrollable, what does your inner voice say? How could you use a self-talk replacement from EP2 to help redirect faster?