#1 - A THOUGHT ON CONSISTENCY
Meal planning, exercising, getting to bed at a decent hour, waking up on time, taking a sunrise walk, strolling after dinner, emptying the dishwasher, keeping up on your supplements, reading, journal writing, praying, meditating…. The behavior doesn’t matter, consistency does and….
Consistency can be elusive. We all want to get our habits dialed in and repeated often enough that they rise to “second nature” status. Habits like that are effortless, easy, and comfortable. So how do we make it happen? What’s the trick? I don’t have any tricks up my sleeve, but I do have 3 questions I recommend asking yourself if you’re trying to get consistent with anything:
How can I make this more CONVENIENT?
How can I make this more PLEASANT?
How can I make this more SPECIFIC?
#1 – Make it more CONVENIENT. If you’re struggling to get into groove, it’s possible, your brain is perceiving “the thing” as highly inconvenient. Our brains don’t like to be inconvenienced. They crave ease. Here is a SELF-REFLECTION TOOL you can use to dig deeper into making “the thing” more convenient.
#2 – Make it more PLEASANT. Let’s take meal prepping for example. To be honest the very mention of “meal prepping” conjures up feelings of drudgery and boredom to me. One option I’ve been exploring lately to make it more pleasant, is to recruit a loved one and double up our efforts. This will accomplish two things. 1) I’ll be accountable to that person and 2) I’ll get to have the pleasant company of someone I cherish. It’s a WIN-WIN. Meal Prepping just went from miserable to highly pleasant. Maybe your “thing” is effortlessly getting out of bed to view the sunrise. (You know that’s an important health habit, right?? #sunriseclub) How can you make this more pleasant? Some ideas might include getting to bed early, creating a comfy spot outside to view the sunrise, grabbing some crisp lemon water each morning, saving a favorite podcast or music for #sunriseclub only. That should get you started...Now come up with your own “How can I make this more pleasant list” for your consistency project.
#3 – Make it more SPECIFIC – I can’t emphasize enough how much clarity propels our brain into action. If you want to recruit your brains’ help getting consistent, please tell it specifically what you’re going to do. Remove all the guesswork. Be clear and direct. No more saying “I’m going to work out”. What does that even mean? Are you walking, running, rowing, or lifting? Are you using bands, dumbbells, barbells, or bodyweight? Are you going to a class? What time are you going? What days are you going? What are you going to wear? Are you going to wear mascara to the gym? (You think I’m kidding about the mascara but I’m not…it’s a fair question!) The more specific the better. DIAL IT IN. Get clear. Get Specific. Write it in your phone or in your planner. Your
clarity-craving brain will thank you.