When working towards the things we want- it’s important to be consistent. Like you can’t expect your business to blow up when you post about it once a month. Or you can’t expect to wake up early every day when you go to bed at 2 am some nights and 8 pm the others..
There’s the quote, “If something is important to you, you make time for it.” And that’s true. The question though, is how much time can you make for it?
I learned that like many things in life, consistency looks different for different people. There cannot be a generalization for consistency.
You have to do this. This is the only way. This gets you results.
Yes, there are ways proven to be more effective, but there is more than one way. You will drive yourself crazy trying to make things work for you that just don’t work. The best advice I could give is to simply just make things work for you. You can find what works for you by creating a routine. If you have trouble staying consistent, this may be the key. I’m sure you’ve started several and soon fell out of them because it seemed hard to keep up with- and it absolutely can be. This isn’t because you can’t follow a routine or because it’s too hard for you, it’s because following a routine is a habit. It’s something you’re “training” yourself to do consistently.
Habits are funky because they’re hard to learn, but once you’ve learned them, it’s hard to break them.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. -Aristotle
Whether you’re starting a routine to create some normalcy, or feel more in control of your life, a routine is great for everyone, for several reasons. Lots of people get upset with themselves for not being able to break habits and make room for new ones, but that’s like getting upset at yourself for crying when you break your leg. It’s a default, sometimes you can’t help it.
When creating a routine, it’s crucial to make small changes first, because small changes are easier to accept than big ones. Starting out with major changes can feel overwhelming and that may be a reason you fall out of routines so quickly. You have to give yourself space to adapt. And it’s easier to adapt when you’re taking it slow.
Your ideal routine should revolve around your priorities. It needs balance; not too much of one thing and not too little of another. Just enough time to ensure all your needs are being fulfilled. When creating a routine, it’s important to know there’s no right or wrong.
Some routines are more complex, specific, and thorough.
Wake up at 9. Breakfast 9:30. Read at 10.
It can be relieving to know exactly how your day will pan out. It creates the sense that you’re in control, which many of us (me), love. But it can also apply more pressure, because if you miss one task by a few minutes, or maybe even oversleep, your whole day feels disoriented.
Adapting to this sort of routine is harder in a sense because small slip ups can cause us to give up easier. However, if you adjust your mindset to believe that one small setback doesn’t warrant the end of the world- this is an extremely effective way to build consistency.
A general routine, or the un-routinely routine, one without the time stamps, is a bit more manageable and easy to attain.
Wake up early opposed to waking up at a specific time, allowing more room for setbacks and unexpected changes throughout the day.
A sample routine may look like:
Set aside 30 minutes to read daily. 1-2 hours spent on school work. 15 minute yoga practice. 20 minute journaling.
If you ever feel like there’s not enough time to do what you need to get done, try writing your routine down on paper.
Visualizing can help you realize that the voice in the back of your head claiming there’s not enough time is exaggerating. Because there is time, but without structure, things can seem messy and all over the place. When you look at this routine, it’s only a few hours. Completely do-able.
Routines are constantly affirming the decisions you make. If you want to get straight A’s and you’re setting aside time to focus on school work every day, you’re re-affirming the decision to work hard, which drives your motivation to do it.
Consistency, routines, and habit changes all serve the purpose of making life easier- making productivity feel like it’s something you can do in your sleep. It’s not about what your routine consists of, but about how steady your actions are made through repetition.
Once you get into the swing of things, you’ll see effective changes and that overwhelming feeling you get when it comes to productivity will wash away.
