Mindset Periodisation
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Hey friend, I’ve been thinking about progress a lot lately. Over the past year, one area I’ve seen real growth in is my gym work. I started following RP Strength on YouTube, downloaded their app, and the gains I’ve made in muscle and hypertrophy have been noticeable—to say the least. But none of it came quickly. It’s been slow, methodical, and structured. Week by week, session by session, I followed a plan. Reps went up, weight increased slightly, and over time, my body adapted. Not in days, but over months. Maybe even years. And it got me thinking—why don’t we treat mental progress the same way? When it comes to mindset, emotional challenges, or psychological growth, we expect transformation overnight. As if confidence, discipline, or self-compassion can be flicked on like a light switch. In hypertrophy training, progress is built week by week. You increase the weight slightly, maybe by 1 rep or 2.5kg, and over time, your body adapts. You get stronger. Eventually, that slow, steady effort becomes visible. You feel the change—and later, you see it. But with the mind, we rarely allow that time. Sometimes, we don’t even give that grace to others. We expect mindset shifts to be immediate, and if they’re not, we assume something’s wrong. We discount any progress that isn’t dramatic. We expect transformation of our mindset, emotional challenges, or psychological growth, to be overnight. As if confidence, discipline, or self-compassion can be flicked on like a light switch. But we know better when it comes to physical change. So why not apply the same thinking to the mind? What if we used mental periodisation? Pick one area—discipline, focus, anxiety, self-worth. And train it. Not intensely. Just consistently. Say this week you noticed five moments of negative self-talk. Instead of aiming to eliminate them all, what if you just changed one? Reframed one thought. Allowed the other four to exist without judgment. Next week, try for two. It’s small. But it adds up. Over time, you’d see change. You’d feel different. You’d handle things differently. Most importantly, you’d give yourself the grace to build slowly—which is more sustainable in the long term. Because just like the body, if you want to change your mind, it takes effort. It takes patience. It takes intensity, yes—but also structure. And maybe the real growth comes when we stop demanding transformation… And start respecting progression. Quote I likedBeing busy is a explanation of choice Recommendation for youMy episode with Connor Beaton Why Men Are Lost In A World Without Direction PodcastI have a podcast that helps you build a stronger mind to take on life. Like me, it's a work in progress. Subscribe to the podcast here. (p.s. If you can subscribe on Youtube that would be amazing.) I'll see you later, Lewis Try my Mindset app for sport here |
The Game Plan
Take on the next week with lessons, perspectives, or insights for your mindset.
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