Productivity Secrets for Sports Bettors: Part 2

What is the hardest thing about betting on sports for you?  Is it keeping up with all the news?  Staying on top of games as they are going on?  Planning and testing and executing betting strategies?  Learning new statistical concepts?  There is so much that goes into becoming a successful punter, and the more dedicated you become, the more overwhelmed you can be by all the tasks you need to focus on.  Productivity may in fact be your greatest challenge.  In productivity secrets part 1, we discussed some simple ideas for staying focused and getting things done, including prioritizing your to-do list, creating a don’t list, and knowing when to take breaks.  Here are a few more great tips.

1. Work according to your own body clock (if you can).

You may have no choice about when you do your research and strategizing because of mitigating factors (like your day job schedule), but if you do have some freedom, try to work during the time of day when you focus best.  If you are a night owl and can work at night, there’s no reason to force yourself to work in the morning.  If you have an early morning burst of productivity, get up early and make the best of it.  You will get more done with less effort and probably free up hours in your day. 

2. Be wary about multitasking.

Multitasking is seen as a great thing in our fast-paced modern world, and you do need to be able to juggle tasks as a sports bettor.  But you should be very cautious about extending yourself too far and spreading yourself too thin.  Most people are more productive if they handle just one task at a time.  And you will accomplish more if you focus on just one sport at a time too. 

3. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals.

What kinds of goals do you have as a sports bettor?  Goals like “I want to become a professional sports bettor” are good, but that is also more of a dream than a goal.  Why?  Because it isn’t timely, and the “T.” in S.M.A.R.T. stands for “timely.”  A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.  Dreams can inspire you to meet your goals, but goals are usually achievable within a shorter, specific timeframe like a day, a week, a month, or a year.  “Today I will learn a new betting strategy,” is a good example, or “On my next paper test, I want to boost my win percentage for the month by 5%.” 

SMART goals help you stay productive by focusing your efforts on something you can realistically achieve.  Poorly defined goals distribute your time and energies poorly, and give you no way to measure your progress.  Set SMART goals as a sports bettor, stay focused on one thing at a time when you can, and work when you are at your best.  If you follow these tips, you will become more productive, and ultimately more successful at sports gambling.