Lessons from tennis and difficult job market

🏸 It's Just a Point—But It Also Really Matters -- Balancing short-term intensity with long-term resilience

Roger Federer, in his Dortmouth commencement speech [1], said something I can’t stop thinking about:

“Every point matters. But it’s also… just a point.”

If you’ve ever played a sport — or lived a life — you know the tension between those two truths.

When you’re in it — the point, the project, the meeting, the sprint, the job interview — it’s the most important thing in the world. You give it everything. Total focus. Full effort.

But once it’s over?

You’ve got to let it go.

That’s the balance. Presence without over-attachment. Intensity without burnout.

But that’s hard when you're living in a world that doesn’t stop. It is really difficult to let go of a small mistake. It is really difficult to forgive yourself for giving a unsatisfactory answer.

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How long do you keep mulling over an unsatisfactory performance, or a mistake? That brings me to “The Next Play Speed”.

🏃‍♂️ The Next Play Speed of Being

I learned the concept of next play speed from Graham Betchart in the context of basketball. It is about how long it takes you to refocus on the next play after the last play is over. [2]

But the concept applies to everything we do.

I often talk to engineers who are anxious — not about one thing, but about everything.

Deadlines. Promotions. Layoffs. AI. Visas. Health. Kids. Unread messages. The code that didn’t ship. The one thing their manager said.

And they’re not wrong to care. Anxiety is often a sign of caring — about outcomes, people, identity.

But if you carry one "bad play" into the next sprint, the next meeting, the next conversation, it adds up. You start living as if the last point is still being played.

The problem isn’t anxiety — it’s the next play speed being too slow.

If it takes hours, days, or even months and years sometimes to emotionally reset after a setback, you can’t show up fully for the next thing. You’re distracted, hesitant, risk-averse — not because you’re lazy, but because you’re still in recovery.

And when you apply the next play speed to everything you do, what matters is who you are being. How long it takes for your being to focus on who you are, not how you played the last play. That is next play speed of being. [3]

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So, how do you improve the next play speed of your being?

🧘🏽‍♀️ How to Reset Your Next Play Speed of Being

Getting over a bad point — a mistake, a rough meeting, a disappointing outcome — doesn’t require perfection. It requires a practice.

Here’s what I coach people on — and what I try to live myself:

1. Acknowledge It Fully

   Don’t pretend it didn’t happen. Say it clearly: I messed that up. I got triggered. That wasn't my best.

   Naming it often takes the sting away.

   Also, that is the best I did in the moment. I can imagine doing it differently now, I can improve. But that is what I did. That is how it played out.

2. Have a Ritual to Leave It Behind

   Athletes do this instinctively — a shirt tug, a breath, a hand clap. You can do this too.

   At work: Close your laptop for 60 seconds. Take a walk. Change tabs and actually mean it.

3. Draw One Lesson

   Especially if the moment felt personal. Don’t spiral into a post-mortem. Just ask:

   What’s one thing I’d do differently next time?

   Write it down. Then close the tab in your brain.

You don’t always need a 30-minute meditation. Sometimes, you just need a 30-second mental timeout.

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So, how can you apply it right now?

Try This Prompt

Before you go:

What’s one mistake that’s still holding your attention?

Name it. Learn from it. Let it go.

You’ve got another point to play.

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Want to go deeper?

If you're feeling stuck, anxious, or just spread too thin — this is the kind of work I help engineers with.

It’s not therapy. It’s not just productivity.

It’s learning how to reset faster, so you can move forward with focus, clarity, and energy.

Reply to me if you want to go deeper and learn more. In any case, live consciously, and a life of success and harmony,

— Yogi

[1] 2024 Commencement Address by Roger Federer at Dartmouth - YouTube

[2] Next Play Speed - YouTube:

[3] Next play speed of being - YouTube: