Consistency

Summary

Not so long ago I was to be able to consistently solve a Rubik’s Cube in 90-120 seconds. When I first mastered the solve, it took me a very long time (I think my first full solve was 60-minutes or so). I then persevered with my daily practice, enjoying the rapidly reducing completion times until I got to my consistent solving times. I loved that and used to show off my skills whenever I could. Then I stopped solving it. First, it was the odd day I skipped, then a week would pass, and I’m sure you know the rest. I can’t solve it now, so I’m basically back to where I started, and that’s a downer. This was all down to my lack of consistency – by stopping doing the very thing that made me successful in the first place.

Have you ever stopped to think how consistent you are? Whether in the home or the workplace, being consistent in positive and progressive actions is a major contributing factor to your overall success. We all have people in our lives that are more consistent than others. Consider who those people are for you. Why do you think they achieve more consistency and others don’t?

Few meaningful changes or successes are achieved overnight. Charting a path and consistently working towards that path will help reap your desired rewards over time. Conversely, not charting a path and inconsistently attempting to make meaningful progress will likely get you to a half-baked semi-satisfactory place. Which one of these outcomes would you prefer?

For clarity, the content included below speaks to consistency being applied in a positive setting. Yes, we can be consistent in areas that don’t serve us or others, however the purpose of this blog is to provide a deeper level of understanding of benefits of positive consistency.

In this blog, we’ll delve into what consistency is, how we get it, maintain it, and how that can be of great benefit. We’ll also look at what can happen if we lose consistency, including both the practical and reputational impacts.

What is Consistency

Consistency can be defined as your commitment to doing something regularly to achieve a desired longer-term goal or outcome. It is primarily rooted in the understanding that immediate rewards are not expected, and the gains will be achieved over a longer period. Consistency is about 3 major factors:

• Commitment
• Regularity
• Progress

A key factor in consistency is the investment of commitment, time, and energy to make steady progress, even if / when it feels like what you are doing is slow or not working. This is where patience comes in. Do you consider yourself a patient person? Are you willing to wait for what you want in the knowledge that you’ll eventually get what you deserve? I know I’m not, so that means that I must invest time and energy in creating a revised reality that acknowledges that not everything will lead to instant reward, and with a longer-term view on consistent practices, I will get to where I need to at the time I’m supposed to.

Think about learning a new language; would you be able to cram into your cognitive understanding all the vocabulary and grammar in one day, or would a commitment to consistent practice every day over a longer period of time get you more predictably towards fluency? The same principle applies to learning any new skill.

What Consistency Is Not

There are common misconceptions about consistency. For example, consistency is not about perfection, doing the same thing unconsciously, or about being rigid or inflexible. Working towards consistency includes conscious awareness, applying reality, aligning with your intent, and the ability to be adaptable to changes and course corrections along the way.

A statement I hear regularly lately is a version of, “It’s about progress, not perfection”. Applying this sentiment when building into consistency should help with setting achievable (and appropriate) habits on a path to your desired end state; not shooting for the moon each and every time.

The Path to Consistency

It is important to be methodical and deliberate in your approach to building consistency into your routine. The following key steps will help you chart your path to consistency:

• Set intentions. Align your intentions with your core values
• Identify goals that align with your intentions
• Create actions. Once you know what you are striving for, you are in a stronger position to identify what steps are required to get you there
• Establish your timeline. Make it realistic and appropriate to your desired outcome
• Determine your motivation. Maintain clarity and motivation for your journey
• Create a routine. Starting small can help build successful momentum that you can gradually increase in intensity and complexity, should the circumstance warrant it
• Prioritization and self-discipline. How will you prioritize your new habit and stay focused? Know what this means for you and please be realistic
• Measure. Establish key measurement criteria to be able to quantify your progress

Think about a health or fitness goal. If someone wants to lose weight, they will need to follow the above steps in establishing a diet and exercise routine. Expecting demonstrable results while employing a less-than-healthy diet and a sporadic workout regime is simply unrealistic. So, let’s work through this example:

• Intention(s): To be a role model for my kids by getting back in shape and living a healthier and more active lifestyle
• Goal(s): Lose 25lbs by June 30th
• Action(s): Join a gym. Hire a personal trainer. Purchase appropriate workout clothes and footwear
• Timeline: To align to the June 30th timelines, I will research and join a gym by March 31st. I will hire a personal trainer by April 15th. I will research and purchase my workout clothing and footwear on Easter weekend
• Motivation. More quality time with my kids, and for them to observe my commitment to health. I also want to be around to see them grow to adulthood and be there for my potential future grandkids
• Routine. Starting routine (once all logistics are in place) will be to visit the gym twice per week for at least 60-minutes per visit
• Prioritization / self-discipline. I will go to the gym first thing in the morning instead of sitting at the breakfast table scrolling through my phone
• Measurement(s). I will measure my visits on a per-visit basis. Once with my personal trainer, we will set realistic targets at that point

I would recommend you have this criteria in a list or a table in a place that you can readily revisit periodically.

Maintaining Consistency

In my experience, building is more exciting than maintenance. If you’ve ever been involved in building your own house, getting to experience the major progress milestones throughout the construction lifecycle, and experiencing each part of the journey to its fullest, you likely had an experience to remember. Then comes the next 60+ years of maintaining the property involving tasks such as servicing the heating and cooling equipment, preparing and painting interior and exterior surfaces, general cleaning, window washing, cutting grass, or pruning trees, etc. While some of these tasks might provide in-moment satisfaction, it just isn’t of the same magnitude as was experienced during the build cycle.

It is important to acknowledge this dynamic when planning to incorporate realistic strategies that will give you the best chance to succeed in establishing and maintaining consistent practices. Below are some major considerations

• Stay focused on your why. Why this is important to you, why this goal, why this preferred end state, etc.
• Manage distractions. We all know they’re not difficult to introduce into almost anything we do. Identify and manage the predictable distractions effectively
• Embrace change. Progress is rarely achieved in a straight line. Prepare for squiggles, address them when they arrive, and course correct
• Be resilient. This isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes determination, grit, and willpower to establish life-enhancing consistent practices. Stick with it because you deserve it!
• Demonstrate patience. Remember, consistency is a long-term game

Building your process of consistency is important. Maintaining it is essential. When creating your practice, write down what each of the items above mean for you and the outcomes you’re striving for. Look at your list often. Prepare yourself for your journey and go all-in.

The Benefits of Consistency

The main benefits attained by consistently performing in a particular area of your life will be determined by what that area is and what your desired goals are. What you can expect in terms of benefits include:

• Improved skills
• Greater predictability
• Increased confidence
• Satisfaction of achieving long-term goals

It is simply easier to deal with people who are consistent. Think about the 3 people closest to you in your life. How much do you admire or enjoy them? How consistent are they in their actions? There will be a correlation on how much you enjoy spending time with, in, and around a person, and their consistency, whether it be in their presence, moods, energy, timekeeping, generosity, availability, etc.

The Consequences of Inconsistency

Following on from above, it can be difficult dealing with inconsistent people. Whether they were consistent and lost it, were never consistent in the first place, or are consistently inconsistent, it becomes more difficult to be able to manage and navigate the relationship without you personally absorbing some form of hardship or inconvenience. If you struggle with an inconsistent state of being, you can expect to experience or endure:

• Decreased productivity / delays in achieving goals
• Communication challenges, leading to strained relationships
• Reputational damage
• Reduced opportunities
• Negative self-talk
• Loss of motivation

None of these are very desirable and will lead to tough times and situations.

If you didn’t appreciate the power of consistency until you read this blog, I’m glad you’re now more consciously aware! This is an important part of life, and the great thing is that if you have found yourself being inconsistent with any facet of your life, it’s never too late to get back on track. You can regain consistency via the following:

• Seek feedback. Asking for honest, open, and regular feedback on how consistent you are
• Accountability partner(s). Request support from your network to help you continue to be consistent
• Record your journey. Journal in a way that’s meaningful for you to help keep yourself on track
• Review. Regularly revisiting and adjusting your goals
• Take action. When presented with information, use it to serve you and others

Appreciating the benefits and pitfalls of your consistency provides you with more awareness and opportunity to choose your next best steps. Choose wisely and see where it takes you.

Coach Gaz Challenge: Rate yourself on a scale of 1-5 (1 being ‘Rubbish’, 5 being ‘World Champ’) of how consistent you are. You can break the items down into areas of your life, such as ‘home’, ‘work’, ‘community’, etc. What patterns do you see? Pop me a note and let me know what you found out about yourself.

Thanks for reading. I’m off to pick the Rubik’s Cube back up.

I’m always open to a conversation on your thoughts, opinions, and experiences on this or any topic in the library. Get in touch by subscribing below, or by using the form on the Book Gary of the site.