All posts
Self-Improvement

Consistency Is Hard Dammit.

Ev Chapman
February 1, 2022
•
2 min read

This is going to be an uncomfortable essay about consistency.

I am going to put a caveat at the beginning to say I am NOT the queen of consistency. Most of the time I write about things I'm currently experiencing and thinking about. So take this as much as an essay I'm writing for myself as for anyone else.

Here is how the Cambridge Dictionary describes consistency:

"The quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way, or of always happening in a similar way."

Let that word 'ALWAYS' sink in for a while.

Not sometimes, not when we feel like it. Always.

Now, I know what you're going to say. No one is perfect, sometimes we miss a day. Sometimes we need to take care of ourself. And those are totally valid and you totally should look after yourself. I absolutely don't want to see anyone burn out.

But that doesn't mean we should change the definition of the word consistent.

  • Consistency is hard
  • Consistency is going to push you to your limits
  • Consistency is going to be uncomfortable
  • Consistency is probably going to make you mad

Consistency is going to make you want to give up and find any excuse or loophole to not have to show up or perform in the way you committed to.

And guess what? We are probably going to fail at it a few times. And that is OK. What matters is how we show up the day after a failure. Do we keep going? Do we learn from it? Or do we beat ourselves up? That is the true test of a consistent character.

So don't beat yourself up the next time you fail. Dust yourself off. Remember that this shit is hard and get back in the game.

Liked thIS? Then You Might Like My Newsletter...

Knowledge Work: RebootedJoin 1600+ ambitious professionals who get my FREE newsletter with systems, tools & workflows that help you build your digital workforce & thrive in Knowledge Work 2.0.

Or Keep Browsing More Posts Like This...

Forget Goals, Focus on Intentions: My Yearly Planning Rituals That Set The Direction For A Powerful Year.

I used to hate yearly planning. And I think it comes down to my relationship with goal setting. I’m not much of a goal setter. A year is a long time and I don’t like to be locked into heavy goals throughout the year.
Read post

Stop Cruising Through Life On Auto-Pilot & Open Up To New Possibilities

Most of us go through our lives literally just running on a hamster wheel.We wake up, we do the same things, we drive the same way to work, or eat the same meals, and we put things back in the same place.
Read post

Why You Probably Don't Need To Be More Consistent In 2023

Consistency. I bet it's on your list of 'want more of it' in 2023. After all, it's the holy grail of productivity & self-improvement. And yet most of us feel like we're failing at it most of the time. But what if locking yourself into a rigid view of consistency is actually hindering you rather than helping you?
Read post

3 Lessons Strength Training Taught Me About Consistency

Strength training has taught me more about consistency than any other thing I've done in life (including growing as a creator). The other day my trainer programmed inverted rows (under a low bar and pulling/rowing up). Every time I've attempted them before I have had to do them in batches. So when she said 15 reps I yelled an expletive in my head.
Read post

Want To Accelerate Your Results? Find Ways To Show Up Daily

When starting something new you should probably find a way to do it daily. For years I thought the way to become a creator was to write two blogs a week (or 2 podcasts or two vlogs). After all, that seemed like a reasonable amount of writing each week.
Read post

Three Ways To Finally Do The Thing You've Been Putting Off

I almost signed up for an 8 week summer book writing bootcamp this morning on Instagram. I don't need another Bootcamp or mastermind or course to actually write my book. I have an outline, I have half the content for it already! But I thought maybe this is what I need to get this thing finished.
Read post