How do you stay consistent in what you do?
Without starting you will never know, without consistency you will never finish. Most people fail to reach their objectives due to lack of consistency. Many blame their inconsistency on their lack of knowledge and skills about certain topics, or the lack of resources available to get things done. Surprisingly, these are rarely the reasons. People seldom do what it takes to get things done, they give up too soon and too early, they even forget why they started in the first place. But why?
Staying consistent is a no easy task at all, it is a psychology that needs to be developed and not just a set of techniques and practices that needs to be followed. However, developing the psychology of consistency can also be done through firm implementation of technical and practical methodologies. These methodologies trains the brain on how to be well organized, and what to expect when following a certain pattern.
As I always say, there are plenty of strategies out there, it’s on you to choose the right one for you and your circumstances. My strategy consist of three steps (Set a SMART Objective, Design a Detailed and Accurate Strategy, Focus on work and Aim for the results).
1. Set a SMART Objective
If you do not have a SMART objective, you do not know where are you going and what your destination is. You need to set a very clear objective that is SMART in nature (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound). You cannot just say I decided to lose weight and I’m going to do it. Unclear objectives makes things even more complicated, you get confused about what to do and from where to start and when you should start. With unclear objectives you most probably going to end up quitting or failing real hard.
Your objective must be crystal clear for you to be able to pave a strong path to your desired destination. If you want to lose weight, your objective should be something like the following: I want to lose 20KG in 2 months time and I know for certain and according to researches that a person is capable of losing up to 10KG/month following a strategic diet and exercise schedule. Now you know what you want, you know it is doable, so it’s time to design a strategy that helps you accomplish your goal. It is that simple.
2. Design a Detailed and Accurate Strategy,
Strategy, strategy and again, strategy, I will deliberately repeat this word in almost every article and in every opportunity I get. If you do not have a strategy, you do not know what exactly you are doing and vice versa. If you have the SMARTest objective on earth, and the finest skills in town, without a strong strategy, sooner or later, you are most probably going to quit or fail. Strategy defines how and what do you do differently to fulfill your objectives. It defines the approaches, steps, stages, phases, details, techniques and methodologies to reaching your goals.
Let us go back to the same example of losing weight. If you start fulfilling your objective of losing weight by just signing up for a GYM membership while following random diets, nothing most probably is going to work. It is even worse, without knowing, you will most probably be on your couch eating fast food and gaining weight like an express train, while your GYM membership is eating off your money for nothing. You need to draw a detailed and accurate strategy. You must say for example; I’m going to exercise 4 times a week and 2 hours a day, these days are (Sun, Mon, Wed and Thu). I’m going to follow a strict VEGAN diet for the first two months that suggest 5 meals a day with each meal type explained etc… In brief, if your strategy is detailed, accurate and documented for instructions, you are most probably going to achieve what you once wanted to achieve.
3. Focus on work and Aim for the results.
While many may argue and disagree with this point. I advocate otherwise. I believe focusing a lot on the results is psychologically and tangibly destructive. People should focus on their strategies, work and processes, but aim for the results and objectives. Focusing on the objective means you want to reach fast, do whatever it takes and limit yourself within the set objectives where you may be able to achieve more. Focusing intensively on the objectives drifts you from what you really need to be doing and transform your strategy into a meaningless chaotic plan. It is true that sometimes we do not reach the desired results on time or progress as anticipated. However, if we focus on working really hard while keeping an eye on the objective, eventually we will reach our destination and achieve the desired results. Do not get frustrated or disappointed about the short-term fallbacks, remain optimistic and positive about the longterm rewards. Your job is to work hard on your strategies, and the results will come sooner or later. Finally, If if you delicately follow your strategy and still do not lose weight, you may need to revisit your objective or strategy once again to find out if there is something missing or if something needs to be improved.