Don't make this goal setting mistake
Bencb gets you off to the best possible start with a primer on how to prevent your 2023 goals being derailed before you even get started.
Have you set any new year's resolutions for 2023?
Maybe you have poker goals like moving up in stakes, making a certain amount of money, or even quitting your job to play full time. Maybe you have other goals in life like losing weight, eating healthier, or building a relationship with someone. Whatever your goals are for this year, it’s important to remember that there are many pitfalls that will slow and even halt your progress towards achieving them. Here are some practical tips on setting goals for the new year.
Set goals you can control
If you’ve set any new year’s resolutions or goals for this year, take a second to think about them. Are your goals 100% focused on effort, or is there some luck involved in achieving them?
Personal development and growth isn’t measurable, despite what some “gurus” say. There is lots of luck involved when it comes to actually achieving your goals, whether they be poker related or life related. You might do enough work to expect success with your resolutions and goals, but sometimes you’ll still fall short. It’s important to set goals that are achievable solely through effort, and don’t partially rely on luck.
For example, let’s say your goal is to move up from low to mid stakes tournaments and grow your bankroll by a certain amount. This is a goal that is not entirely based in effort, there is a good amount of luck involved. Even if you studied 5 hours a day and played 10+ hours a day, you could run into a bad stroke of variance that cripples your bankroll in the first few months of 2023. Now all of a sudden you’re moving down in stakes despite your best efforts, and your goal seems that much farther away.
Instead, try structuring your goals in the form of easily achievable tasks. If you want to move up stakes, you know that you’ll have to study a certain amount and play a certain amount in order to achieve that goal. So, you might make a new year's resolution that you will study poker for 30 minutes and play 5 tournaments every day. This will allow you to detach from the outcome of moving up in stakes, and focus on the actions that you can actually control.
Avoid productive procrastination
Do you ever find yourself aimlessly watching poker videos on Youtube, or looking over your hand histories without any real purpose?
A major pitfall many people fall into when trying to achieve a goal is productive procrastination. At a certain point, you have enough information to take massive action. However, it’s a lot easier to buy another course, pick up another book, or watch another Youtube video than it is to actively work on your goals. It’s true that you need to learn if you want to reach your goals, but at a certain point aimless “study” becomes entertainment. This “productive” entertainment allows you to feel good about “progressing” when really all you’re doing is stalling and procrastinating.
A good way to make sure you’re not falling into this trap is to plan out your study sessions in advance. If you’re watching through one of our courses, plan which video you’ll watch in advance. While watching the video, take notes and actively look for ways to apply what you’ve learned to your game. If you’re planning on looking over your hand histories, decide beforehand that you’ll focus on 3-betting from the Small Blind, or whatever you may want to work on.
Active and engaged learning is a superpower that can catapult you above your competitors, who are typically just “learning” for the sake of feeling productive, and rarely applying anything.
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After an exemplary rise to the top of the poker world, starting out on low-stakes SNGs and grinding his way all the way to the top of six-figure buy-in tournaments, Benjamin 'bencb' Rolle launched his own poker training site Raise Your Edge, delivering world-class poker courses that can help anyone to get their own game to new heights.
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Key Features of Pairrd by Raise Your Edge
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Find out more about Pairrd by Raise Your Edge
