According to Google, consistency is the “conformity in the application of something, typically that which is necessary for the sake of logic, accuracy, or fairness.” It is the “steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc. for example, There is consistency in his pattern of behavior agreement, harmony, or compatibility, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing: consistency of colors throughout the house.
So, how do we stay consistent amidst all the factors affecting our day to day activities, especially now that we have a pandemic? Let me share the secrets that help me stay the course and be consistent in everything that I put my heart on despite all the challenges.
My Secrets in Staying Consistent list
- First on my list, and I figured, it’s also in the list of most successful stay-at-home-mom entrepreneurs, is to have a morning ritual. You simply create a routine in the morning that you do as soon as you wake up.
This works so well because what you do early in the day often sets the context for your day. As for me, part of my morning ritual is to say a gratitude prayer for the good night’s rest, making my bed, brushing my teeth, preparing breakfast for the family. And then tending to my pets (1 dog and 3 cats), plus my beloved plants (gazillion). All of these happen in the first 2 hours of my day.
It’s not super optimized, but it’s effective in getting me started reading my emails, setting the schedule for the rest of the day, and staying in a state of immense focus to finish off strong towards the evening.
When I’m ready to work, I write everything that I need to accomplish for the day, the week, the month, even the year and devote all my energy, effort, and resources to complete it. Build a system around it – routines, tasks, people, rewards, consequences, events, tools, etc. Seems overwhelming; however, once you get the hang of it, it will all be worth it.
I am a stay-at-home-mom that works from home, and in order to survive and keep myself sane, I need to involve my kids in my to-do list. My eldest does a little cooking here and there, and the youngest feeds the pets or water the plants.
Consistent soldier on
When you have set up your routines, it will not be all roses and sunshine. There will be days when you feel lethargic and just want to lay in bed for the rest of the day.
However, remember that staying consistent will bring you closer to success, so when times like these come, do things even if you don’t feel like it. Say that morning prayer, make your bed, brush your teeth, and prepare breakfast as what your morning ritual says you do. Stick to it, and you’ll be glad later in the day that you did because you were not stalled, and at the end of the day, you are one step closer to your goal of being successful.
Between all my secrets, this is the most important.
- Find and do what you love or like to do. It is always easier to stick with your routine or a program you love or at least like what you are doing. So go and do more of what you love, and you’ll never feel like working again.
- Lastly, to stay consistent, I put several reminders around me. From my mirror in the bathroom, my pc monitor, my closet, and even the fridge door! What you do is just to write down what you really want to be a habit or a natural part of your life and use post-its, cell phone reminders or alarms, whiteboard on your wall, or anything you frequently see to be reminded of your goals.
At the moment, I have post-its on just about anywhere! Reminders of my goals and reminders to take care of my mental health as much as I take care of my physical and spiritual health.
I have found these secrets (no secrets) to be very useful to keep myself on track, to keep my focus on the important stuff, and not get so distracted by everything around me.
These are my secrets for staying consistent, and although I must admit that I couldn’t stick to it 100% of the time, at least I am at 90%. I am still a work in progress, and these actions have been bringing me closer to my goals one step at a time.
I hope my list of secrets in staying consistent inspires you to create your successful routine secrets list. And when you have that done, be persistent, stick to it for a while, and you’ll collect the fruits of it.