My friend laughs at me whenever we walk into a restaurant because the waiter will walk over, smile, and ask, ?Same same??
I tend to go to the same restaurants and order the same thing.
As I tell my friend, ?Why fix what?s not broke??
My productivity is predicated on consistency. If I break out of my routine then I?m much more likely to go completely off the rails and fly into a McDonalds.
Here are some tips to help us be consistently consistent?
If I was able to hire a bunch of consultants to generate a pie chart of my most successful days then they would almost certainty start with upholding my morning routine.
My current morning routine: wake up, meditate 5 minutes, read, get out of bed, step out onto balcony where I brush my teeth, splash water on my face, stretch, 25 pushups, 50 jumping jacks, get ready and go!
It?s not super optimized, but it?s effective in getting me started in a state of controlled focus.
2. Write it Down to F.O.C.U.S.
Follow One Course Until Success.
?When I did make the decision to focus on acting, I think my mother was just relieved for me that I had finally started to focus.? ? Daniel Day Lewis
What do you want? Build a system around it: routines, tasks, people, rewards, consequences, events, tools.
What?s the best thing you can do right now? Write it down and then focus on completing it ? one todo at a time.
It?s easier to be consistent when our behavior isn?t erratic and distracted.
3. Consistent Thinking
To have consistent behavior, strive for consistent thinking.
?In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.? ? Thomas Jefferson
This can be difficult for someone like me who fancies himself an essayist because I need to constantly come up with new topics to philosophize about.
One month I?m in an existential spiral as I ponder the meaning of life and the next I?m ready to live in a barrel by the river.
In the end though, rereading empowering thoughts helps set the mental foundation for my day so that wherever my mind wanders it?ll be grounded in principle.
4. Don?t Let Self-Doubt Creep in Until After You?ve Accomplished Your Process Goals
While you?re walking toward your destination you may experience self-doubt.
Self-doubt is the ultimate consistency destroyer. Imagine self-doubt as a monster?
The self-doubt monster dwells in the shadows.
?Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.? ? Suzy Kassem
Knowledge eliminates the shadows, but there isn?t enough time, or even capability, to eliminate all the shadows in our mind.
?You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.? ? Winston Churchill
We must trek on toward our outcome goal (i.e. 1K YouTube Subscribers) and only after we?ve completed a sufficient number of process goals (i.e. Publish a Video 5 Weeks in a Row) should we confront the self-doubt monster.
Write down: I will not dwell on self-doubt until after I?ve completed all my process goals (write down your process goals).
If after you?ve completed your process goals you still haven?t progressed toward your outcome goal then it might be wise to explore the shadows to see what new path might be worth taking.
5. Do it even if you don?t feel like it (short-term)
This is a philosophical point I?ve struggled with.
The obvious answer is ?Of course you should do things even when you don?t feel like it?, but I think this mentality is only useful for short-term behavior.
Ultimately, we shouldn?t be forcing ourselves out of bed to do the things we feel we?ve ?got? to do.
I think Steve Jobs offers a useful strategy to balance consistency with happiness?
?I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ?If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?? And whenever the answer has been ?No? for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.?
Be consistent even when you don?t feel like it because you?ll often be grateful and happy that you pushed through the momentary discomfort.
?Wake up determined. Go to bed satisfied.? ? Dwayne Johnson
But if you find you?re still unsatisfied despite being consistent day-after-day then try being consistent at something else.
6. Identity: You Are What You Do Daily
We aren?t what we do from time-to-time. We are what we do day-in-and-day-out.
If you don?t feel like running, remind yourself, ?I am a runner and runners run!?
?We are what we repeatedly do.? ? Aristotle
If you don?t feel like pimping, remind yourself, ?Pimping ain?t easy, but Daddy ain?t playing no games.?
7. Improve Your Consistency to Consistently Improve
Consistency is built on hope.
In other words, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Albert Einstein defines this as insanity.
?The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.? ? Albert Einstein
I define this as success.
But if I was to be more accurate, I?d say we should do the same thing over and over again while improving upon it.
My most recent video How to Have Mother Teresa Compassion didn?t perform as well as I?d like.
?Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.? ? Mother Teresa
I could then throw in the camera or I could convince myself ?It?s always greener on the other side? by making my next video that much better.
I tell myself, ?Okay, that didn?t do as well as I?d like, but here is XYZ reasons why my next video will perform better.?
XYZ in this case was that I bought a new microphone and backdrop. Improvements don?t have to be as costly as that because part of the beauty of consistency is that it permits you to be incremental in your progress.
When you have those days that feel like ?same, same? reflect on how far you?ve come and how far you?ll go because you?ll then see how different your life is indeed.
Thanks for reading! Depending on the response, I?ll probably do a few more articles around the topic of consistency by going deeper on specific tips, hurdles, and role models.
Since I wasn?t being consistent enough in my work [BONUS TIP] I?m making a public commitment to you? I recently started a newsletter so you can expect to get that EVERY MON @ 8AM EST {includes essay + video + personal update}.
