The "Blue Line"

Dean Smith was an incredible college basketball coach. He had 879 wins over 36 years as a head coach, the most ever at the time of his retirement in 1997. He led the University of North Carolina to 11 Final Fours and 2 national championships. The basketball arena at UNC is named after him. He even led the US Olympic team to gold way before they started using NBA players.

The best coaches in any sport are great teachers and their lessons often go beyond the sport into life in general, still resonating long after their players retire.

One of my favorites by Dean Smith was his blue line. He had a blue line painted on the floor outside of the practice court. The players had to cross over that line in order to get to the court.

His rule was that before you crossed that line, 3 things had to be in place:

(1.) You had to have your shoes tied.

(2.) Your jersey had to be tucked in.

(3.) You had to be mentally ready to practice hard.

The rules were simple and easy to remember. That blue line acted as a reminder, a trigger, a switch, that it was time to go to work.

I love triggers. Triggers help us develop habits. They help us execute positive behaviors.

For me, in 1991, after years wearing a suit to work, I started working out of my home. With no videoconferencing back then, I could now dress as casually as I wanted. So I did. It felt great on my skin but not on my mind. I had a hard time concentrating. So I went back to the starched shirt & dress pants and my productivity came back.

Having always worked from my home since then it’s no longer a needed trigger. My “blue line” now is my written prioritized list for the day. Looking at that list with a cup of coffee takes me to my mental work zone.

And, if I start immediately on my first prioritized task, I work faster and at a higher concentration level than if I ease into my workday looking at email or reading something business-related. If I work faster I get more done more quickly. And that means a productive day comes much earlier.

The blue line. Thank you Dean Smith for your simple and powerful lesson.

How about you? Do you have a “blue line”, a physical trigger that you cross over to switch from whatever you’re doing into your mental work zone? If not, should you create one?