5 Things That Hinder Consistency

1. You think it's a priority but it isn't 

A major barrier to being consistent is not fully realising what your priorities are. Life can get really busy, and when you try to fit a lot of things in, something tends to suffer.

You might think something is important, but then you come to realise that week after week, you're not dedicating as much time to that task or activity as you originally planned to. So it's often a question of making a quick assessment, and writing down what your priorities in life are at the moment.

You have to be brutally honest in cutting out what's not a priority. If you realise that the area of life you're trying to be consistent in really is a priority, then this assessment will give yourself more freedom to pursue this target. Once the distractions are eliminated you will gain back more time to focus on what really matters. 

2. Procrastination 

You guessed this one. If you have the habit of procrastination, you will not be consistent. I'd say this is perhaps the most common issue of the 5 mentioned in this post.

It occurs within every sort of task. For example, to publish blog posts consistently on this website, I've had to train myself to cut out procrastination (as best as I can) and get writing at my earliest chance. 

The key problem with procrastination is that it eats up your time. Time that should have been devoted to a certain task is lost when you procrastinate. Then you have two options: Just cancel doing the task, or do it in a rushed manner and let something else suffer. 

More often that not, the option we usually take is cancellation. This is the enemy of consistency! You basically you know you're not likely going to do it, but you comfort yourself through the idea of "at a future time". 

Kermit the frog said that if you say you're going to wake up early tomorrow to do something you've already lost. Do it today and be happy with yourself.

3. Did you plan that?

Another thing that hinders consistency is failure to plan. Going back to the blogging example, if I know that I'm going to be unusually busy next week,  I might plan to write my content earlier than usual so I can still be consistent. 

Of course, you can't avoid every possible thing that could go wrong. But thinking ahead is what really separates those who are consistent from those who aren't.

4. Discouragement 

This one's pretty different from the other issues on the list, but it has a major effect on consistency. Discouragement can make you shy away from doing what you need to, even if you have the time. You might be discouraged as a result of comparing your work to others, or feeling like there is no point to your efforts. 

Don't allow what others seem to be doing to knock you down. At this point, you've decided to commit and aim for consistency because this task really is important to you. Remember why you started and what you've already achieved. Think of all the great things that could happen if you maintain consistency.

If negative thoughts and feelings come into your mind, block them out and replace them with more positive sentiments. Realise the power of what you choose to dwell on and don't forget to celebrate your work from time to time. Give yourself a pat on the back on each occasion when you're able to push past negative feelings and get the work done anyway. 

5. No ideas at all

The final culprit that we'll discuss is that miserable blank feeling. You've got time, and you're feeling positive, but something is missing - you have nothing to actually work with. 

To avoid this hindrance, I try to write as many notes as possible during the day. You can do quite a lot of preparation simply by giving a good amount of thought to upcoming projects as you go about your day. If you get into the habit of writing your ideas down as you think of them, you'll be able to improve the consistency of production. 

Also, as you browse websites that are relevant to your goal, be sure to bookmark helpful articles. I love leaving an electronic trail (in the form of bookmarks) that helps refresh my memory on what I was thinking about and where I can go next. I typically save this in a folder.

By choosing to mentally brainstorm rather than daydream you set yourself up for success. The more equipped you are, the more likely you are to be consistent.

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