In the 1st two days of 2011 I have played almost completely distraction free. I have turned off AIM and my internet browser, which in turn has allowed me to fire up 6-8 tables instead of my regular 3-4. These extra tables have boosted my hand rate to about 450 hands / hour! I am kinda surprised that on only one or two brief occasions have I gotten that panicky overwhelmed feeling from being faced with too many decisions at once.
I skipped the p90x workout today and instead went for a walk / run outside. I always think the people that run outside in the MN winters are a little bit cookoo, but then again I do play poker for a living so I guess I should get out there and join them. 🙂
I just found a great poker blog, bazclark.com that includes this awesome chart (click here for a big version):
I want to use this chart more in the future and try to identify in which areas I am the weakest. I am pretty sure my weaknesses tend to float around in different areas, as I tend to go through phases. Keeping this chart handy will help remind me that every single area is important at all times for success.
Eliminating distractions is a big one for me. I used to have the same problem with AIM and now rarely use it. I’ve eliminated just about everything at this point except the TV. If I’m not listening to music and my wife is watching something while I’m in the room playing, I can’t help but to start listening and get distracted. I try to think of things in terms of how much it will cost me now – do I really want to pay $100/Hour to watch a sports game while playing or to chat with someone on AIM and that usually gets my attention back where it should be.
I agree Tony. That is a great way to think about it, in terms of the cost / hour.