Are You Being Consistent?

They say that consistency is the key to success. If you have a goal, a predictable way of achieving it is through breaking it down into steps and then consistently taking action to execute those steps.

If you want to declutter a space, just choose an area to start with: the bed, the bookshelf, the desk, the floor, a drawer. Dedicate 15, 5, or even just 1 minute a day to toss trash/recyclables or put away items not in use. If you were to do this every day for a month and took before/after pictures, you could be surprised by how much of a difference it makes.

The reason that consistent people are successful is because they are not focused on just the end results. Sure, having a clean room at the end of the day is nice. Having a perfectly toned body is great. But, as cliché as it sounds, the journey is just as important.

And honestly, people who are consistent are not any more disciplined than anyone else. There can be a combination of factors that contribute to consistency, such as established habits and environment.

Environment

I recently purchased a smartwatch, and I’ve been more aware of how many steps I take each day or how I often I go for a walk/to the gym. I also purchased a sleep mask, so once I put it on, I’m pretty relaxed and usually don’t feel tempted to get back on my phone/tablet, shortly drifting off to sleep before even realizing it.

There are plenty of ways that people improve consistency or maintain habits through environmental cues. People may have a huge water bottle that is marked on a surface that is easily visible, so that they will drink a certain amount of water each day. Or they will purposely place fresh fruits on their kitchen counters, as an easy snack to consume throughout the day.

Your environment may also sabotage your efforts, if you’re not paying close attention. For example, you might already have junk food or sodas in the fridge. Or, your TV is next to your kitchen with easy access to Netflix, making it hard to resist watching with your meal.

So, one way to be consistent in your progress is to make the environment conducive to your goals. If you want to write more, place a writing pad/pen where you find yourself sitting most times. If you want to go out for walks more in the morning, have your running shoes and clothes ready by your bed.

I don’t know, I don’t think I’ll ever be consistent…

We are all consistent at something, even if we are not conscious of it. It it just how our brain works, as it is efficient in reserving our energy. It’s just a matter of whether the things we unconsciously do are things we would want to be spending our time doing.

Think of the things you do every day, or even just a few times a week. I’ll give you a few examples of the things I do regularly to help you brainstorm:

– Wash my face
– Brush my teeth
– Eat breakfast
– Eat dinner
– Comb my hair
– Change my clothes
– Shower
– Apply lotion
– Drink water
– Sit in front of my computer
– Dream logging
– Go to bed
– Text someone
– Check my phone
– Check the time
– Write in my planner

I mean, these aren’t profound habits. But, they are habits nonetheless. We could even consider bad habits as being consistent. Still, if you find yourself with a habit you don’t particularly like, you have the potential to be consistent, and you can find a way to change it in a way that is much more beneficial for you!

Take smoking, for example. Now, I’ve never smoked in my life, so I’m only sharing stories of what has worked for others. I knew one person who successfully quit smoking by replacing it with breathing meditations and yoga. Others have tried apps to time their smoking, and eventually it got to the point where it was so spaced out that they could quit.

For quitting video games, some people go as far as giving away their old gaming systems. For improving diet, some people will remove all the junk food from their house and sign up for those meal delivery services.

It can still be tempting to go back to our old habits, as they have been wired and established in our brains. But, it is definitely possible to learn new ways.

I’d say the simplest way to start with change is to make it as easy as possible. There’s actually books and courses dedicated to the topic. And, there are various methods for creating habits. In one book I read, the author talks about making the habit as attractive as possible.

For some time, I was struggling with music production. I wanted to publish more music, but the process was so time-consuming and sometimes a struggle. Eventually, I hired a producer to help me with one of my recent tracks, in addition to my friend helping me with the artwork. Now, I can focus more on the parts that are my “specialty”, so to speak (the vocals). I have a habit tracker in my planner that shows me how many times I worked on producing that week, so that motivates me to get back on it when there are too many blank spaces. Also, I sometimes just make it a goal to listen to a project and give myself the option to not do anything further if I feel stuck. But usually after listening, I end up recording or doing more.

For reading more, I sometimes just make it a goal to get through one page or one minute of reading. By the end of the one page or one minute, I am into enough that I continue reading much more or for much longer. At one point, I even tried graphic novels to give me some more visual interest while reading. Some people prefer audiobooks. Some people will listen to audiobooks while doing other mundane tasks, like brushing their teeth or washing the dishes.

To sum it up…

Are you being consistent? Probably. But, it might not be in the way that you desire. Consistency doesn’t have to be hard. It doesn’t require discipline. It doesn’t matter who you are or where your life is right now. All that is required is a little bit of preplanning, and you can be on your way to achieving your goals.

In case anyone needs helping engineering habits in their life to build consistency in the areas that matter to them, feel free to contact me.