You probably misunderstand consistency. Especially if you believe consistency is about gritting your teeth and grinding yourself down. And then you do it all again tomorrow.
This is perhaps a result of the “hustle culture” we have come to idealize in our part of the world. It completely misses the mark about what consistency entails.
Consistency is more nuanced. I think of it being made out of two base parts:
- Show up
- Keep it sustainable
The montage version of consistency does not have room for this part. Which is a shame, because it is a secret that everyone who pursues anything with any sort of consistency eventually must learn.
On showing up
You have to be there, and you have to push in the right direction. Whether that is in the gym, out on the road, in front of the keyboard or behind a guitar. If you are not there and you are not pushing in the right direction, consistency will elude you.
Avoid overthinking
In the beginning the details of “what” matter very little. You are a hundred miles away from where you are going. Anything that moves you in the general direction of where you want to go will do. So do that.
Yet, I know you want to overthink it. To obsess about picking the best tool, or creating the perfect process. None of that matters. Do not suffer analysis paralysis. Just show up and push in the right direction.
As you get better, you will quickly start to understand which details matter and which do not. It is a byproduct of dedication.
On keeping it sustainable
You probably get this very wrong. Many do.
We live in a society that celebrates monumental efforts. Heroic feats of overcoming all adversity and yourself to boot. There is nothing wrong with monumental efforts, they just do not have anything to do with consistency.
Consistency, instead, comes from *not* exerting yourself to the point of exhaustion. It is absolutely pivotal. Because consistency hinges on you being in shape to show up again tomorrow.
Do less
The way to ensure that you can show up again tomorrow is by doing less. If you think that you should be doing 50 pushups, commit to 25 instead. If you believe that you need to write two crappy pages a day, cap yourself to one as you are starting out.
I know you want to get there quickly. But consistency is not about speed, it is about consistency.
Like with the “what” you will develop an understanding of proper dosage along the way. Also, and this is important, nobody else can tell you how much you should be doing. Because nobody else has much experience in being you.
Two more things
It is simple, but not easy to do. But I know you can do it. Here are two more tips.
One
The battle for consistency takes place on the days you do not feel like it. But the more consistent you become, the fewer there will be of these days. Every time you show up, you make the rest of your journey towards consistency easier by comparison.
Two
You are human. You will stumble. Fucking up is in our nature. Do not be discouraged and abandon the pursuit because of one broken day. We always have tomorrow.