9 effective ways to build consistency

Alex started one weight loss program. He did not see any results even after a month. So, he took a break. After a few months, he read about a new weight loss program that is in trend. He picked it up and tried for another 30 days. He started seeing some results. But he gave up this program too because there is something else that is trending.

Bob started walking. He went one day and took a break for 1 week. Again, he went for another one day and took a break for 15 days.

The above examples demonstrate inconsistency in actions. Consistency is one of the key differentiating factors between successful and unsuccessful people. Both kinds of people have an equal amount of talent, and both are equally capable of achieving success. Then why are unsuccessful people unable to achieve success? Is it because of some luck factor or God factor? No. It’s because they lack consistency. One great quality successful people have in abundance is consistency. When they pick up a task, they do it regularly – for months and years – even when there are no results in sight because they understand that it takes time to see the results.

Most people fail because of a lack of consistency in life. They don’t stick to anything long enough to see the results. They keep going to and fro between different approaches. They keep changing plans, and they are irregular in their approach. They do one day and take a break for one week. Without consistency, no goals can be achieved because achieving goals takes time and consistent practice.

So, being consistent is important to achieve anything in life. How to be consistent in life? Below are some pointers.

9 ways to build consistency:
1. Do thorough research: Before picking up any new task or habit, do thorough research on it and make sure that it is something you want to commit for at least six months. Make sure that you understand it really gives you the result you are looking for. Understand why you want to do it. Don’t jump in right after listening to your friend or reading about it. Build your fundamentals strong before starting your journey.

2. Fall in love: Fall in love with the task you have chosen to practice. For example, if you want to walk every day for 30 minutes, understand the benefits of walking. When you understand the benefits, you appreciate it better and will love walking. Read about the testimonials of people who achieved good results through walking. These will inspire you and help you stick to it.

3. Make it enjoyable: Look for ways to make your task enjoyable. For the example of walking every day, you can listen to your favourite music while walking or practice gratitude or walk in nature. There are many ways to make walking an enjoyable process. Look for such ways and make it enjoyable. When you make a task enjoyable, it becomes very easy and effortless to be consistent about it. You feel like doing the task even when situations are not in your favour. This is the secret of the people who achieved something big in their lives. They enjoyed their pursuits so much that they went the extra mile and stuck to their task even in the face of the obstacles.

Walk in nature
4. Be committed for six months: Be committed to practice the task you chose for at least six months. While you are practicing this task, life might bring you new and better knowledge. Learn this knowledge but don’t discard what you have started in the middle and pick up something new. Remember, you have picked up your task after doing thorough research. So, new knowledge can wait. Once you completed your committed time of 6 months, then re-evaluate your approach with the new knowledge gained and discard it if needed.

5. Innovate: Keep innovating and enhancing your task. Our mind becomes bored with monotony, and when boredom sets in, we lose our interest, and we give up doing things. So, constantly innovate and find ways to enhance the task you chose. If it is walking, one day, you can walk on the treadmill. One day, in a nearby park. One day, outdoors. One day, walk with weights. When you add variety and innovation to your task, your consistency improves.

6. Keep tracking: Track your efforts and consistency. When we track something, we know how we are performing. It also motivates us to be regular. When we don’t track our task, we assume and imagine that we are consistent when, in reality, we are not consistent. When we track, we know how consistent we are and how much to improve. Tracking keeps us in touch with reality and acts as a feedback mechanism.

7. Celebrate milestones: Before you start your task, decide which milestone you are going to celebrate and how you are going to celebrate. This will motivate you to be consistent and gives you something to look forward to. Anticipation of celebration makes the journey exciting. And once you achieve your milestone, celebrate as you planned earlier. Celebration will give you the boost to continue your journey and to achieve more.

8. Have an accountability buddy: Accountability buddy is someone to whom you declare about your task and your goal and keeps this buddy updated about your progress. Research has shown that when we have an accountable buddy, we feel the accountability and become more consistent. Make your good friend or your family member as your accountability buddy.

9. Get back to the track soon: When we are working on some task, it’s quite common to have mood swings, bad days when we don’t feel like doing it, or some unavoidable circumstance which stops from doing it. Instead of feeling guilty and thinking of yourself as a failure, accept that such things happen and start your journey again. How soon you get back to the track determines your success.

These are some tips to build consistency in life. Consistent actions yield great results and help you achieve your goals. Consistency helps you gain mastery.

“In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” – Anthony Robbins

Be consistent and become successful!