Consistency: steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc
Last week, I posted this quote on Instagram.
The comments and amount of saves that I received led me to start a “Q&A Session”.
I asked my audience, “What do you think is holding you back from being consistent?”
Many gave answers along the lines of fear, time management, and procrastination….all things that can be fixed.
So, I decided to create this list of suggestions to help those along the way who might be having some trouble with staying consistent.
KEEP THE END GOAL IN MIND
When things get tough, remember WHY you’re trying to be consistent in the first place. The journey won’t be easy, it’s not supposed to be! It’s meant to knock you down, to challenge you, to push you. YOU just have to be willing to not only face but also beat adversity as it comes your way. Ask yourself these three questions when you feel like you’re losing consistency: WHY am I doing this? WHAT do I plan to gain by continuing to do this? What do I risk losing by not remaining consistent?
CREATE A ROUTINE
Getting into a pattern of behaviors and actions is the easiest way to trick the mind into becoming consistent. Start simple. Try creating a routine for one day of the week. Let’s say, Sunday is your “free day”. Take this day to perform and commit specific actions that will set you up for success for the rest of the week. For example, if you are a blogger, set aside Sunday’s for creating weekly content. Publish that post, create your social media captions, schedule your content. Do this every Sunday and watch how easy it becomes to be consistent AND productive.
MANAGE YOUR TIME
Time will never be on your side. There will never be enough hours in the day. You will always be busy. You will always feel tired.
Whew! Not that we’ve gotten the excuses out of the way, let’s discuss how we can fix this.
Create a small “to - do” list and give yourself an allotted amount of time to complete each task. Nothing more, nothing less. For example, if you are writing a blog post (sorry for the biased examples lol) give yourself three hours to draft it. Once those three hours are up, YOU’RE DONE! Whether it’s complete or not, move on to the next task! The same goes for running errands or meal prepping. Give yourself a hard time frame to complete your task and move on once the alarm rings!
...and please REMOVE all distractions. That means turning off your phone, the TV, or even going into a different room to get focused on the task at hand.
Check out this article to read more about time management tips.
CHANGE YOUR MINDSET
Understand that this is a marathon, not a race. You are in competition with NO ONE. #DontLetTheInternetRushYou Make a conscious decision to change. Commit to the process. Be accountable. Learn something new with every trial. Rest, but NEVER quit!
I hope that these tips help you along your journey of consistency.
And if you’ve skipped over the entire post (lol), remember this.
Just...keep...going!
Images taken by Arnold Farmer