Although I am a personal development blogger by profession, I am in no way a mental health professional. See my disclaimer for more info.
Consistency is key, but how do you actually learn how to be consistent? We’ll talk all about it in this post.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “consistency is key,” but how do you get to that point?
Whether you’re trying to save money for a house or trying to step out your comfort zone more often, it can be hard to stay consistent. Usually our little friend named procrastination finds its way to be the star of the show. But we can’t let that happen — not every time, at least.
If you want to learn how to be consistent in your life, you’re in the right place. I’m going to give you all my secrets and tips to be more consistent and reach your goals.
This post is all about how to be consistent.
What is consistency, and why is it important?
Let’s lay down some groundwork. What the heck is consistency, and why is it the key to success?
Well, being consistent means doing the same things over and over again with little to no change.
It’s like having a good routine set in stone and sticking to it. You know the saying: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
It’s definitely hard sometimes — especially with things like physical and financial health — but consistency really is key to being successful, reaching your goals, and growing over time.
So now that you know the basics, let’s get into the good stuff and unlock the key to consistency!
How to Be Consistent:
1. Change your mindset
If you think consistency means showing up everyday and trying to blow it out the water, you’re wrong. See, that idea or vision of consistency is toxic and unhealthy.
You’ll wear yourself out trying to constantly go over the top.
The point of maintaining consistency is to show up every day — even if you don’t want to. Not only that but also:
- Celebrating wins of all sizes
- Being kind to yourself
- Being happy about the progress you make
2. Remind yourself of your “Why”
Look, we all have our off days. Our days where we just don’t feel it. These are the times where we really need to remind ourselves of our “Why.”
Your “Why” is your reason or intention behind doing something.
For me and this blog, my “Why” is sharing my self-growth journey with my peers and giving them advice to start or progress through theirs.
When I’m feeling unmotivated or hopeless, I have to remind myself of why I started my blog.
This always keeps me grounded and helps me continue to persevere through doubts and challenges.
3. Keep future you in mind
This post isn’t exclusively about self-growth, but I’m talking quite a bit about it since it’s relevant to the topic.
On your discovery of personal growth — especially at the beginning — you should think a lot about the person you want to become.
I mean, that’s the purpose of this journey anyway, right?
I think it’s so powerful to do this. You get to look at your higher self and see what kinds of changes you want to make in your life.
It’s almost like you’re using that version of yourself as a role model. Yes: you can (and totally should) be your own role model.
Doing this gives you that burst of motivation to keep moving forward.
4. Stay laser-focused
Look, you’re going to have a hard time staying consistent if you’re juggling too many projects, goals, or tasks at once.
Multitasking might seem effective, but it’s actually harming your success.
You need to stay laser-focused on one goal at a time. This way, you can give it all of your attention, time, and energy.
Once you start to make some progress, then you can think about working toward another one.
Remember: slow and steady always wins the race!
RELATED POST: How to Avoid Burnout: 9 Must-Know Tips to Stay Productive
5. Have a routine/schedule
Remember when I said being consistent is like having a routine?
Yeah, you have to be consistent to have a routine!
Say you’re aiming to work out to have a healthier body.
You’ll be more consistent if you schedule specific days to go to the gym instead of going on random days of the week.
This way, you know exactly which days to go and which days to rest.
Oh, and make room for change in case that needs to happen. You don’t want to stress if you realize that you need to shake things up but your schedule/routine is crammed.
Keep things flexible!
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6. Track your progress
With any goal or project, you should always track your progress.
Whether you do it mentally or physically, you should have some type of way to log how you’ve been doing.
This allows you to look back and be proud of your progress. Plus, it’s a way to hold yourself accountable and keep moving in the right direction.
Speaking of the right direction, sometimes it may not feel like you’re moving that way. Do weekly check-ins to see what’s working for you and what isn’t.
This will help you make sure that you are, in fact, making good progress. Know that this looks different for everyone!
7. Enjoy the process
It’s going to make it even harder to be consistent if you aren’t enjoying what you’re doing.
To be successful with your goals, you have to enjoy them in some way. That will give you the motivation to keep going — even during times of hardship.
I would’ve quit this blog months ago if I wasn’t so dedicated to and passionate about it. But, I have a vision and I truly enjoy every aspect of this job, so I continue to walk in faith.
8. Celebrate your wins
Let me tell you about a psychological concept called positive reinforcement.
You know your brain LOVES rewards, right? The more you reward a behavior, the more likely that behavior will repeat.
So how about you use this to your advantage to help you maintain consistency in your life?
When you accomplish something — big or small — reward yourself to celebrate that accomplishment. You deserve to be rewarded!
Just make sure you don’t do it too often — because in that case, what’s the point?
THINK: When was the last time you rewarded yourself? What was it? Tell me in the comments!
9. Limit distractions
When you’re working toward a goal, you’ve got to set some boundaries. You can’t just continue to live the way you’ve lived in the past.
Something has to change in order for something to change. You get what I’m saying?
For me, that’d definitely be my phone. I’m on it ALL the time. And I’m sure you can relate! Heck, we all can.
Sure, I do some productive stuff on it, but it also harms my productivity at the same time.
The time I spend on my phone could go toward working out, working on this blog, or even hanging out with my friends and family.
I have to find a way to make my phone less of a distraction so I can work on my goals and become a better version of myself.
RELATED POST:20 Essential Tips on How to Be Productive (The Right Way)
10. Get an accountability partner
An accountability partner is someone who goes along a journey with you and motivates you to keep moving forward.
They should be working toward the same goal as you. If not, they frankly won’t care as much as you do.
Why not have one? It’s fun to do new things with other people and support each other along the way.
11. Keep persevering
As cliché as this sounds, you can’t let hardship or naysayers break you down.
If you truly want something, you’ve got to be able to block the noise and negative energy. If this means cutting off a friend or family member, so be it.
I recently heard that most successful people are selfish. Although selfish behavior isn’t the best, it really does take you far.
So, start prioritizing yourself a bit more and see what happens!
Let’s recap!
We made it to the end of the post!
Today, we talked about how to be consistent.
I hope this post gave you a tips on being more consistent in your life. Remember: consistency is key!
Please remember to take time to take care of yourself!
I know, in this economy, it can be hard to find free things to do that are fun. That’s why I put together a list of 7 free self care activities to enjoy today!
In the midst of chaos, don’t forget to smile,
DeMarcus – your self care buddy
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This post was all about how to be consistent.
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