This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering the mental side of sports. Sign up for Peak’s newsletter here.

When former NFL linebacker Mike Peterson hears certain songs now, they transport him back to an exact step in his pre-game routine.

The other week, he heard a song while with his sons, and almost immediately, he looked at them.

“I’m in the locker room getting my wrist taped right now,” he told them.

His sons exchanged confused looks, so Peterson explained: When he walked into the locker room before games, he would turn on his gameday playlist before anything else. Then, as he transitioned through each step of his pregame routine, he knew which songs would play for each part and curated the playlist’s order for it.

Peterson, who played 14 years with the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons, didn’t just methodically pair songs with each part of his gameday routine; he set designated times for each task and meal, too. In fact, everything he did was copy and paste, never more so than during the playoffs.

“I’m still going to stick to what I know,” he said. “I may stick to it even tighter when the games are bigger like that.”

For any athlete or person facing a big moment in their career, such as the playoffs, there might be a natural temptation to try to do more and change things up.

Sounds proactive, right?

“Actually,” said Dr. Rachel Goldman, “the worst thing you could be doing.”

Goldman, a clinical psychologist and professor at NYU, focused on sports psychology in graduate school and has previously worked with athletes. But her real speciality is cognitive behavioral therapy and managing stress with new patterns. In her upcoming book, When Life Happens, Goldman explores how confidence is built through schedule and sustainable habits.

In high-stress situations, she said, our brain craves familiarity and safety. A solid routine that becomes muscle memory can give you that.

“Your routine creates a sense of control when we feel like there’s so much around us that is out of control,” Goldman said. “If it’s habit, so you don’t have to think about it, that actually decreases our mental load and eliminates decision fatigue.”

Peterson learned that three years into his 14-year NFL career, when he noticed a change in his results.

“I was like, ‘Why did I have so much success this week?’” he said. “‘Oh, man, I was on my routine.’”

Rather than adding something new before big games as a last-ditch effort, Peterson became stricter in sticking to his routine:

Waking up early on game days and playing only gospel music to stay calm
Eating light pasta with chicken, like usual
Driving the same route to the stadium for home games
Getting the same treatment from the same person at the stadium

He was a creature of habit because it helped him feel stable and calm.

“People think the bigger the game is, then, ‘Oh, he’s going to be stressed,’” Peterson said. “But I’m doing the same thing I’ve been doing since Week 1. I’ve been here already.”

By sticking to those habits he developed, he relied on what Goldman calls “automatic processes,” or effortless mental actions that require little attention, which in turn, frees up some cognitive space and energy. Goldman said it also helps eliminate feelings of uncertainty in big moments.

Now an outside linebackers coach at the University of Florida, Peterson has his players create detailed schedules, asking them to write down what works for them, along with specific days, times and other details such as what they’re eating for breakfast or what time they’ll pack their bag before an away trip. If a routine isn’t specific enough, he hands the schedule back and asks for more.

To find what works, Goldman suggested people ask themselves: What do I need right now?

How much sleep do I need? Do I need movement? Does it need to be something more calming, like yoga or stretching? Or do I need to get that nervous energy out through a cardio workout? Do I need to wake up earlier, so I can have a slow, intentional morning?

Slowly, Goldman said, we can start to tap into the power of everyday habits.

“Slow down and remind yourself that you know what you need,” she said. “Rather than doing more, trust that what you’ve already been doing is enough, and it works for you already.”