Four Tips for How to Become More Consistent

Being consistent is how we make progress in achieving our goals and having the life we want. Sometimes being consistent can be difficult because we know we want to make progress but have no clue how to set goals and hold ourselves accountable. These 4 tips will start you on your way to setting and achieving any goal you desire.

1. Set Expectations

Before you can be consistent and make progress you first have to know what you want. Setting expectations will help you stay on track and remind you why you started on your journey in the first place. Telling yourself you expect you will do it will help when those negative thoughts and opportunities to fall off the wagon appear. Counteract those negatives with five positive affirmations each time. Reminding yourself what you will do to stay on track will push you through those tough spots.

2. Make a Conscious Decision

You have made a conscious decision to work towards a goal, so you need to make the decision to be consistent. This doesn’t mean you have to do a ton of stuff every day just to reach your goal, but you need to work on it frequently. The key here is figuring out how that thing you want to be consistent about makes you feel. If you want to work out consistently how does that work out make you feel? Understanding your emotions towards it will help you stay focused and show up to that thing on a regular basis.

3. Accountability

Now that you know what you want to show up for and how it makes you feel, it’s time to make a plan. Most of the time we have goals we want to accomplish, and those goals require us being consistent and working on them more often than not. Writing down your goals and breaking down your goal into smaller attainable goals will help you form a plan to stay dedicated and consistent in your efforts. Short and fast goals will help you gain momentum to reach that desired end result, no matter what the long-term goal is.
Another way to stay accountable is to have a partner in crime. This is someone who will hold you to it when you aren’t feeling energized or into the goal. It could be a friend, significant other, or family member. You can help each other find motivation and by working on a goal with someone else it means you have to show up for more than just yourself.

4. Missing Days & Being Perfect

Consistency means working towards a goal more days than not, but it doesn’t mean perfection. It’s okay to miss a day. We are human and we are imperfect, so don’t expect your progress to be perfect. I set my workout goal for 7 days a week because I really want to get 5 days a week and I know I’m not perfect. I won’t work out 7 days a week every week or even any week, but I try to work out more days than I miss. Remember that consistency is key so if you have a bad day, just try again the next day. If you slip just get back on track when you can, don’t see it as a total failure. Progress is up and down, so remember that you won’t always have great days and make tons of progress.