See if this sounds like you. At first, you’re really motivated, and it seems as if everything is going according to your plan, but then gradually with time you start to skip a session here and there. You start sneaking in more cheat meals than you should.

You make excuses to satisfy yourself for the time being, but one day you realize that it has been 3 months since your last workout.

Why people struggle with consistency?

Introduction:

You decide that you want to train and work towards getting your dream body shape, muscles and all that, the whole shebang kind of thing. You know, as you do!

So, you start going to the gym, banging out weights, doing cardio, maintaining a proper diet, for the first 10ish days. At first, you’re really motivated, and it seems as if everything is going according to your plan, but then gradually with time you start to skip a session here and there. You start sneaking in more cheat meals than you should.

You make excuses to satisfy yourself for the time being, but one day you realize that it has been 3 months since your last workout.

And this cycle continues, you might start hitting the gym again and then quit again, over and over and over…..

You know, it does become very frustrating at times, because you’ve heard phrases such as, “Practice makes perfect” or “Consistency is key”.

But somehow you just can’t be consistent at anything, other than being consistent at being inconsistent. I know it sounds funny, but if you think about it, it’s true!

Effects:

Now, being inconsistent can have dire consequences. It can completely shatter your self-esteem and self-confidence. When you make a commitment with yourself and break it over and over again, you lose confidence in yourself. You view yourself as unreliable, unworthy and your perception of your own worth drops. Every time you skip a task or don’t stay true to your commitment, your self-confidence drops, and it becomes increasingly hard to escape this trap.

So, one thing is clear. We cannot let this frustrating cycle continue and stop us from personal growth, so let me help you put an end to it in this episode of Self-Care and Hustle.

But first, to better understand this concept of inconsistency, let’s discuss the reasons why people struggle with being consistent so much.

(Esse Why you struggle with consistency and how to improve)

(George The reason why you're struggling to be consistent (and how to fix it))

Causes:

Well, the biggest cause which breeds inconsistency is a lack of discipline. When you don’t follow a set work ethic and choose short time comfort over long time sufferings, that is when you should realize that you’re headed the wrong way!

A very common by product of no discipline is our trusty old friend, procrastination.

You procrastinate, you fall for instant pleasure.

Instead of getting back to work, you’ll say to yourself, “Let’s open YouTube for 5 minutes” and you end up spending more than an hour on it. You waste your time, and you lack that snap about you to get a hold of yourself and get to work. You find it hard to be your own boss, and command yourself to commit to something. When you are lenient with your work ethic and let your emotions dictate your actions, inconsistency builds up and prevents any sort of progress towards your goals. (Esse Why you struggle with consistency and how to improve)

Another reason which propagates inconsistency is being impatient.

Let’s be honest, we all want a six pack, we all want a luxurious car, a big mansion, but we overlook the efforts involved to actually reach the stage to be able to do such things. We usually underestimate the dedication required and the amount of hard work required to achieve something, and when it takes time to start seeing progress, well most of us don’t even reach a stage where we start seeing progress. We just quit as soon as our fantasies are shattered (when we realize we are in for a long journey).

(Josemaria Reasons for inconsistency and how to combat it.)

Also, another reason for your shortcomings might be that you are insistent to take on challenges on your own. It can be pretty overwhelming for a person to embark on a journey all by themselves, especially because of the tough challenges and long road that might lie ahead.

You might find it the hard way, that sometimes you need support of other people to stay on track and keep working consistently, but more on this later.

(Josemaria Reasons for inconsistency and how to combat it.)

Solutions:

So now guys, let’s move on and talk about how we can work towards being more consistent in life!

Jim Tressez said ‘The hallmark of excellence, the test of greatness, is consistency’.

(About the Author: Tony Lynch Tony Lynch is a business consultant and Tony Lynch is a business consultant Overcoming the obstacle of inconsistency)

Consistency is not an inborn trait, but you can always learn and overcome this habit. So, let’s discuss some steps which you can take to overcome procrastination and inconsistency. (About the Author: Tony Lynch Tony Lynch is a business consultant and Tony Lynch is a business consultant Overcoming the obstacle of inconsistency)

To become consistent, target your discipline. Bring discipline into your work ethic, so that you can eliminate procrastination. But how can I do that? You might ask. Well, let me give you some tips.

Whenever you sit down to work or complete a task, promise yourself a time until which you won’t leave your work desk (for e.g. An hour).

Make sure to power off all your electronics, which may get you distracted.

Try focusing on smaller tasks at hand, so that you don’t get overwhelmed, also try to set some goals every day and plan your day (make a timetable, it will do wonders, trust me!).

Plan breaks too, they’re important to keep you fresh through long work sessions.

And after a long hard day of work, reward yourself (Eat your favorite snack, watch your favorite movie, just treat yourself). You deserve it, and plus it will also fuel your motivation to carry on the next day.

If you start implementing these tips in your workflow, there will be a guaranteed boost in your productivity, and you’ll be more consistent.

Another advice I would like to give you guys is to try and become a part of a community which shares the same mentality as yours. It can be very beneficial to link up with people who share the same interests as you and who are trying to achieve similar goals. It can be useful to take advice from them. (After all they’re all in the same boat as you!)

Such communities can also breed a bit of a healthy competition, which will make sure you’re not slacking off and that you’re always on your toes.

Also remember friends, it’s okay if you’re not getting results. Keep at it. Don’t quit because you’re not getting results, remember this quote “I Didn't Come This Far To Only Come This Far”.

Try and develop a habit of working towards your goals. It’s easier said than done, but you need to keep forcing yourself to do it even when you’re not feeling like it, even if you’re not getting results.

It takes approximately 60 days for a habit to be formed. But once, a habit is formed what seemed like difficult tasks will become easier and you will start to become more consistent.

When you’ll find yourself to be completing small goals which you set for yourself, those goals will eventually turn in to habits. (About the Author: Tony Lynch Tony Lynch is a business consultant and Tony Lynch is a business consultant Overcoming the obstacle of inconsistency)

And always remember guys consistency breeds results!

Outro:

So that brings us to the end of this episode! Thank you, guys, for tuning in to this week’s episode! As always, I hope this discussion on overcoming inconsistency was beneficial to you. For me it was certainly something that I was looking forward to because it’s easily one of the most common issues everyone faces, including me. I also learnt a lot while making this podcast, and I’m looking forward to implementing some of the tips I discussed in this podcast!

Anyways, please let me know your thoughts on this episode in the comments down below and share your feedback on the tips I mentioned! Did they work for you? Also, if you have any interesting topics, you want me to discuss in the future episodes, please please please let me know! I’ll be happy to work it out for you

If you enjoy my show, please rate, and review us this Apple Podcasts/Google Podcasts/Spotify—and be sure to come back next week for a discussion of [next episode’s topic]. Until then, take care and See you later!

Works Cited:

Esse, Ilham. “Why You Struggle with Consistency and How to Improve.” Medium, ILLUMINATION, 9 Apr. 2021, https://medium.com/illumination/why-you-struggle-with-consistency-and-how-to-improve-9469113aa24f.

George, Cylon. “The Reason Why You're Struggling to Be Consistent (and How to Fix It).” Spiritual Living For Busy People, 26 Feb. 2022, https://www.spirituallivingforbusypeople.com/consistent.

Josemaria, Shaba. “Reasons for Inconsistency and How to Combat It.” Medium, Medium, 31 Jan. 2021, https://medium.com/@josemariashaba/reasons-for-inconsistency-and-how-to-combat-it-1126e083b972.

About the Author: Tony Lynch Tony Lynch is a business consultant, and Tony Lynch is a business consultant. “Overcoming the Obstacle of Inconsistency.” Keep Thinking Big, 29 Nov. 2016, https://keepthinkingbig.com/overcoming-obstacle-inconsistency/.