Jeremy Abbott knows what is at stake for himself later this week and has decided to make sure he can focus on what matters; skating well.
Abbott, who did not skate well during the figure skating team competition last week, has checked out of the Olympic Village in Sochi, Russia and into a hotel.
During a news conference, Abbott talked about what he is doing to stay on top of his game.
"Thursday and Friday we are going to make sure that every hair is in place, and every step is in the right place, you know there is no perfect feeling when you go out and compete, there is no perfect mind set, it's just about setting everything up as well as you possibly can, so when you take that ice, everything is organized and together and there is no other thought intruding."
Abbott, 28, told NBCOlympics.com that his practice days were disorganized because he was returning to the village and connecting with friends.
Abbott, who trains at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, is trying to come back from a disappointing performance during the figure skating team event. Team USA won the bronze medal, but Abbott came in seventh with his men's short program.
This is not the first time Abbott has struggled at international competition. He came in ninth at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010 and has never made the podium at the world championships.
As for his individual event, Abbott will not speculating about how he will do when he competes in the men's singles Thursday and Friday.
"I think for me it's not living in this dream ideal performance, you know, you always kinds of dreaming of having that Olympic moment, that Olympic performance where everything is just perfect, and everyone is on their feet, I think for me it's just about staying in the moment, staying present through the competition, and taking it one element at a time, and just checking off the check list," said Abbott.
Sleep has been a worry for Abbott who admitted to NBCOlympics.com after practice last week that he brought a queen-sized air mattress with him to Sochi. He said he had trouble sleeping on the twin beds in Vancouver in 2010.
Now in a hotel, he hopes to focus on his performance only.
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"It's more about just kid of doing the work, getting the job done and not living some big expectation because you can never live up to that. So, a successful games for me, would literally just be to do my job the way that I have trained to do it," Abbott said.
This is Abbott's final time competing at the Olympic level, he plans to retire from competitive figure skating at the end of this season.