Learning how to become more consistent is like building muscle. It takes time & effort.
If you want to become consistent in a particular task, change the narrative from this is another task that I need to complete to this is a promise to myself that is worth keeping.
When you become more consistent in different areas of your life you are essentially building your self trust.
Self trust and consistency go hand in hand which increases your self confidence.
Here are ways you can learn how to become more consistent.
Define what consistency means to you.
It is easy to get caught up with others and their ways of doing things and how often they do it. The reality is you need to be very clear about what you can realistically commit to.
You need to create a commitment plan that can fit into your lifestyle. Start small and build your way up. For example don’t try to commit to going to the gym for 5 days per week if you struggle to go one day.
Define your bare minimum amount of days that you can commit to and stick with it. When you’ve become confident and consistent doing that, then you can increase your frequency.
You need to see your commitment as a promise to yourself rather than another item on your to do list.
Change the narrative from this is another task you have to do, to a promise worth keeping to yourself. There is a different appreciation to complete something when it’s meaning changes from another item to check off to this is a promise that is important. Take a moment and reflect. How often do you keep promises to others? Journal about why you find it easier to commit to others yet you struggle with committing to the behaviors that you want to implement for yourself.
By doing this work it will shed some light on what may be keeping you in your loop of starting and stopping.
Get support.
The very thing you’re struggling with is the very thing that you need support in. You’re not expected to do it alone. Find an accountability partner who you respect and who respects your goals. This way you have support when you feel demotivated or discouraged. Be around other persons who are already successful at the thing you are trying to become consistent in. They are called expanders. Expanders help show you what is possible for you as well. You can also find expanders through books, podcasts, YouTube & social media. Simply find someone who you resonate with and see their success in that specific area as proof that you can be or do it as well.
Set up your environment for success.
Habit stack your activities. This means pair your new habit with an action that you already do automatically. Essentially you are creating a cue that will trigger your new behavior. Over time you will notice that you automatically do the activity without fail because it has become an automated response.
Celebrate yourself when you notice you’ve been following through.
When you notice you have been consistent over a short period of time, be sure to celebrate that win. What causes people to go back to old habits is a lack of integration at an identity level. This means that it is very easy for old behaviors to come back because of how automated they are.
In order to combat this you need to acknowledge and continue to embody this new consistent version of yourself. Over time it will override the beliefs and behaviors of the previous version of yourself.
This is absolutely necessary to ensure sustainability.
Remember your desire to change must outweigh your desire to remain the same. Nobody can do the work for you,
If you desire to learn how to become more consistent listen to this podcast episode – How Consistent is Consistent or Why You’ve Not Achieved Your Goals Just Yet.