Verified by 
When you’re commuting to work or sitting at your desk waiting for a meeting to start, what do you find yourself thinking about? Some people take this time to relax for a moment, to let their minds wander or “shut off” briefly. Others use these quick breaks to fret over daily tasks that have yet to be completed, a laundry list of duties that conjure up feelings of stress and anxiety. Still, others use this time more effectively, applying a particular technique that can be of great help in reaching their potential: imagery.
Imagery—mentally visualizing an action, event, or outcome—can be used to improve a variety of skills necessary to enhance a person’s performance, including increasing concentration, controlling emotional responses, acquiring and practicing a variety of techniques and strategies, and building confidence. Despite a proliferation of imagery approaches that have been popularized in recent years, such as the use of journals and vision boards to picture success, many people fail to properly implement imagery techniques.
To be effective, images should be vivid, involving as many senses as possible, and create the feelings associated with the skill to be learned, the task to be executed, or the goal to be achieved. In addition, imagery should be conducted in “real time,” meaning that the time spent on imagining a particular skill should be equal to the time it takes to execute the skill in reality. Images should also be controllable so that they follow our thoughts or directions in the way we personally choose.
Maybe most importantly the technique should be used regularly. I believe that’s where many people run into an issue: an uncertainty as to when they should be implementing imagery. As a result, there are numerous opportunities people fail to utilize. I call these moments “visualization holes,” a term that refers to the opportunities to productively visualize our success in order to increase our performance.
In sports, a huge “hole” is created when an athlete sits on the sidelines during a game. When asked what athletes think about while on the bench, many times they report that they pretty much think about “nothing.” However, like in physics, such a vacuum is fragile: it will soon be filled with “rubbish,” including worrisome thoughts. Instead, this “dead time” should be filled with positive thoughts and vivid preparatory images to prevent or fight these “nothings.” As in the book the NeverEnding Story, in which members of Fantasia fight against the evil Nothing, the nothing in real life can and should be fought with our imagination!
Instead of watching the countdown clock, athletes should picture their next move for when they hit the field or court. Basketball players, for example, should imagine the feel of the ball and the release of it from their hands into the air and into the basket. They should consider the squeak of their shoes, the smell of sweat from other players, and the sound of the crowd going wild as they take the shot. They have ample time to build the scene in their mind and mentally practice a shot, pass, or other play.
Even if the “holes” are short, they may be used effectively. For example, when I was working with the Israeli national water-polo team, the goalkeeper had a brilliant idea as to when to use imagery. When our team was on the attack, he usually dunked his head under the water from time to time to keep himself alert. We decided that he would use these small “holes” to visualize himself stopping balls, which helped him to do precisely that a few moments later when his team was on the defense.
Once in a while, the performer should imagine events that do not occur, those I call “non-occurrences,” to provide a full picture of the situation. Consider Sherlock Holmes, from The Hound of the Baskervilles, who deduces that the hound’s silence spoke volumes, discovering who the killer was from the fact that the dog did not bark in a particular instance. Or think about Simon and Garfunkel, who told us that “The Sound of Silence” can actually be loud. We must train ourselves to become more aware of these non-occurrences as they provide us with another chance to drop into a visualization hole and prepare for whatever may come. For example, a goalkeeper in soccer should also use images of not jumping during penalty kicks.
The next time you’re sitting on the train, driving to work, or waiting for a conference call, try to pay attention to that silence, that void. Then embrace it and visualize the problems you’re likely to face that day and how exactly you will overcome these obstacles—the more you picture your actions and imagine your surroundings, the more you’ll find your performance and productivity increases.
