Consistency is Critical

By Fran DeNunzio

This habit will change your life!

I always seem to find myself reading articles claiming that certain habits will transform my life, and every time, I find myself rolling my eyes at those claims and never trying out those habits to see if they are effective. I have trouble believing that just one habit can miraculously improve every aspect of your life. 

Well, here I am finding myself writing about a habit that really will change your life. That habit is consistency.

Consistency is all about clearly defining what you want to accomplish and making the commitment to yourself that you will continuously put effort into those goals. It requires you to be intentional with everything you plan to do and follow through on what you tell yourself you want to complete. It often means establishing a daily routine or structure to follow so that you have a constant schedule to follow. 

Making consistency a habit requires patience and focus, but once you establish it as a habit and are purposefully consistent with your daily routine, it will significantly impact your mindset and the way that you are able carry out your daily life. 

Consistency will improve your accountability.

Being consistent requires you to determine your goals and follow a planned schedule in order to complete them. You are more likely to prioritize your responsibilities and follow through on them if you have defined your daily objectives. Knowing exactly what you need to do encourages your personal discipline and makes it easier for you to hold yourself accountable for the things you are responsible for. Having a set plan and continuously following through on that plan prevents you from getting off track and allows you to experience more self-control in making progress towards your goals.

Consistency will improve your motivation.

Having a fixed routine for what you need to accomplish will encourage your willingness to carry out those actions. You will be more energized to cross your “to-do list” items off your list knowing that you are slowly making progress towards achieving your goals. Every time you complete items on your to-do list, you experience a release of dopamine, enhancing your sense of accomplishment, which in turn inspires you to accomplish more.

Consistency will improve your productivity.

Consistency necessitates organization. In order to be consistent, you must be organized in your daily routine and know exactly what your day will look like. Knowing what to expect and what you still need to do after you complete one task makes it much easier to continue working on your goals, as you will not find yourself contemplating what you should do next. This will help prevent procrastination as you know exactly what your next responsibility or action item is. 

Consistency will give you more time.

When you are intentionally being consistent with your day to day activities, you are more likely to accomplish your daily tasks in a timely manner, which provides you with extra time left in the day. You will allow yourself more time to do things that you’d rather do, such as hanging out with friends, or using that time for some self-care activities. Whatever you choose to do, establishing a consistent routine will help you find more time to have fun and enjoy yourself. 

You might be skeptical like I am about “life-changing habits,” but give consistency a shot. Make the investment in yourself and choose to be consistent in your everyday life. Establish a daily routine. Plan out what you want to accomplish. You are more likely to achieve what you want and feel more energized, motivated, and productive along the way.