5 Tips On Consistency

We know that consistency is key to achieving anything we set ourselves to accomplish. However, relying on willpower alone will not do much to help us assert ourselves and hit the marks. In my opinion, using only your willpower will merely keep you afloat and exhaust you before you expect it. It's not the best strategy. Don't get me wrong, you might be able to get to the finish line. Though, it will likely be much more challenging doing it this way.

This article intends to give you advice to make things more manageable for you. So you can focus on meaningful tasks and avoid the exhaustion that comes with tiresome hassles. Who wants more grind than necessary? You want your energy allocated on what's relevant.

For years, I've scoured the web to find the best and most practical tips you can start applying today and make it more effortless for you to go after those precious goals.

In this case, becoming a fluent English Speaker is the example I'll employ to illustrate particular ways to follow the suggestions. Yet, I believe you can apply them in many other pursuits you are working on and with which you are struggling to stay consistent. I can attest to each of these tips since I've been using them for a long time, and they have given me outstanding results. Here are they are.

1. Set systems.

Identifying the steps we need to take and then systemizing them is crucial to achieving your objectives. I would even dare to say that if you fail to create a system that works for you, you will end up getting overwhelmed by the amount of effort it takes you to even start.

Setting up a Google calendar and color-coding it to break down your schedule by activities could be a savvy way to make sure you never miss English class, and homework due dates, for instance.

We can't rely solely on our memory to remember every single responsibility of each area of our lives. We constantly juggle appointments, work events, personal commitments, and many more things. It's almost impossible to retain all of that information in our head and recall it when we need it. On top of that, we encounter everyday challenges that demand our immediate attention. If we don't anticipate that, we will be easily distracted, which might throw us into downhill chaos and low effectiveness. However, if we follow a calendar and then later face an issue that requires our immediate attention, we can seamlessly reschedule our duties and fit them into another day and not lose track of them.

Make your calendar your boss. It can be a flexible boss, yet it must take over every part of your life to work, don't leave anything out, and let yourself be led by it. There should be no reason for you to keep toiling with this in this day and age.

2. Make it part of your identity.

Whether you're telling yourself you are not an organized person, or you are one, either statement will become true. So, change your mindset and stop negative self-talk. If you want to become an orderly person, start using phrases like; "I love when I tidy up my room," "My google calendar works wonders," "planning my week is amazing." to align yourself to these ideas. Then move on to more empowering affirmations such as; "I'm great at organizing and managing my chores and time."

Envision yourself as the type of person you want to become and start showing up as that person every day. So, if you'd like to, for instance, study more, don't focus so much on the fact that you should sit and start studying every night. Instead, attach an identity to yourself and see yourself as an intellectual person, for example. You will notice that your actions will soon follow your mindset naturally.

3. Embed it.

#Technology is your friend. Ask yourself, what are some tasks that I could let technology help me with or do for me?

Talking about Google calendar, for instance, you can make your calendar send you an email every night with the summary of activities you have scheduled for the next day.

Use the Google reminders. You don't even need to type them. Use Google assistant from your phone or Google devices, and dictate what you need to be reminded of and when. It'll be automatically added to your calendar.

Pin your google calendar on your tab bar. So, every time you open Google you can see what's penciled in for the day and the rest of the week.

Schedule emails. Gmail has an option that allows you to schedule emails for another day and time. Instead of thinking that you have to send your homework later because it will most likely slip your mind, schedule that email and check that off your to-do list.

Look for things you can embed in your routine, like these. It will become second nature to follow the workflow of your day and goals.

4. Focus on the process, not the result.

There are times when you have to make yourself uncomfortable to reach your goals. However, if you pay attention to how you are doing things, you can identify why are some of them harder than others for you. You might be making it harder for yourself to do these tasks. I recommend you see what chores you are putting off all the time and ask yourself why. Is it because you lack the tools to do the task.

For example, are you procrastinating on editing a writing piece because your laptop isn't working. Give attention to fixing that first. Are you postponing studying English because you don't know where to start? Ask your teacher to give you a study guide. Take care of those things first, then enjoy the process.

Make those uncomfortable moments enjoyable. Light up a candle if you know you love beautiful scents, organize your desk first if you know mess distracts you, bring water and snacks with you if you know you might get hungry, curate a cool playlist specifically for that dreaded task.

5. Apply the law of least effort.

Whenever I catch myself not feeling it and a bit down, I tell myself, "I'll do this task, but I'll do it in the laziest way possible." I proceed then to start the task, and when I least expect it, motivation kicks in, and I end up giving it my all. That's how I trick myself into doing things when I least feel like it. Trick yourself, tell yourself you'll just do the bare minimum and start, you'll see that motivation shows up. This tip works because motivation comes with action, not just thinking about it.

In summary, don't leave it all to your willpower. Anticipate your needs, and try to make it as easy as possible to yourself to get through tough tasks. Trick yourself, fix your mindset and keep pushing. You got this!