The Art of Consistency

By: Rokhana Riaz

Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity

Over the time, scholars, philosophers and all the great people have tried to unveil the secrets of success. It is not, therefore, astounding to know that consistency is one of the fundamental ingredients of success. It is the ability to commit yourself completely to your goals, without any distractions and interruptions. Consistency has been seen as a success mantra since ages. There are so many people in this world who want to be triumphant in their respective endeavours but they fail just because they do not remain consistent when hurdles come in their way. After only some resistance and struggle, they would lose energy and hope. Hence, it is no less than incumbent on you to fully commit yourself to a certain objective of your life – in other words, be consistent until you accomplish it.

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come,” says Dwayne Johnson.

There are various ways to master the art of consistency.

1. Set SMART goals

While setting goals, you must ensure that they are:

a. Specific: The objectives you are aiming to achieve must be precise and unambiguous.
b. Measurable: There should be a fixed indicator to measure your success in a particular goal.
c. Attainable: It is important to ask yourself the question: ‘Is this the goal I really want to achieve?’ Are the resources, time and energy I am spending on that specific goal are acceptable to me? Take the procedures into account before deciding how you will achieve it.
d. Realistic: The goal you want to accomplish must be realistic; it needs to be accomplished in available resources, knowledge and time.
e. Time-bound: The goal must be achieved in a certain time period. Spending too little, or too much, time can affect the outcome of your efforts.
If you set SMART goals, it will be easy for you to be consistent and it will, surely, result in their successful accomplishment.

2. Create a schedule

The first step to achieve your goal is to create a schedule, that is, to divide activities in proper timeframe. This way, you will know what should be done on each day while not over-straining yourself. Properly following each activity scheduled will keep you consistent and will, at the same time, provide you some free time.

Read More: Rome was not built in a day

3. Place reminders

It is important to remind yourself the things you will be doing constantly to achieve your goals. This will ensure your consistency. Place reminders by making charts, or short notes, everywhere, to consistently remind yourself the important things, you need to do while not getting distracted.

4. Reward yourself

Rewarding yourself will positively impact your consistency. It is more like rewarding yourself for the hard work you do round the clock. Set a specific goal, e.g. if I finish my scheduled work within one hour, I will reward myself with my favourite chocolate or I will watch a movie tonight. It will make you more efficient and you will be able to finish your work in time.

5. Keep going

Sometimes it happens that we get sick or feel lazy, bored or exhausted, and are sapped of energy and vigour to attain the goal set for that specific day. If you aren’t able to accomplish your goal, no problem, it’s fine. You need to keep going. Do it the next day or some other time, but do not give up or leave it in the middle for the reason that you weren’t confident of finishing the day on the exact time. Give yourself some time, replenish your energy and keep going.

6. Motivate yourself

Motivation is crucial to consistency One should keep motivating oneself It is important to remind yourself consistently why you started this hard work, in the first place. Why you are here and what will you achieve at the end of this. It will give you the energy and zeal to be consistent in the pursuit of your objective.

7. Visualize

Research has increasingly established that visualization is a very powerful tool to transform your dreams into reality. If you visualize something and feel like it’s actually happening, you will get a positive energy that you need to accomplish your goals. Take a moment every few hours and visualize the excitement and emotions which you will feel when you achieve your goal. It will boost your stamina and will also prompt you to work even more.

8. Take some time out

All the above-mentioned techniques are tried and tested; nonetheless, we are humans, not robots. We need to take some time out to breathe, to relax and to have some quality time with friends and family. It keeps us fresh and we do not get bored. If we lock down ourselves for months, we will lose the determination and, hence, will not remain consistent. So, it is highly crucial that you sustain your energy for the work you have to do. After you take some time out and go back to study, you will have higher endurance to work harder and not feel like quitting.