{"id":93953,"date":"2023-02-28T15:17:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T19:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=93953"},"modified":"2023-03-01T15:18:49","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T19:18:49","slug":"importance-of-consistency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/importance-of-consistency\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Consistency and How to Harness Its Power"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why is consistency important? How can you keep showing up for your goals when the going gets tough?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key to success<\/a> in anything in life is harnessing the power of consistency. However, doing what needs to be done on a consistent basis remains a stumbling block for many people trying to achieve their goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn about the importance of consistency in achieving your goals<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Consistency Overrides Hard Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance<\/em><\/a>, Angela Duckworth argues that hard work by itself won\u2019t produce success unless it\u2019s coupled with consistency. <\/strong>If you repeatedly choose new goals that have nothing to do with one another, you won\u2019t reach a significant level of achievement even if you\u2019re working very hard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you can devote 80 hours a week toward writing a novel, but if you abandon it after six months before it\u2019s finished and instead start devoting 80 hours a week toward learning the trumpet, but then again abandon that goal six months later, you\u2019ll never be accomplished even though you\u2019ve worked very hard along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Duckworth claims that it is consistency that differentiates grit from mere effort. <\/strong>Grit is about returning to your project each day, consistently, over a long period. She therefore argues that high-level performance is surprisingly unremarkable\u2014it\u2019s a combination of small activities that have been drilled into habit after repeated, consistent effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of consistency cannot be underestimated, but when taken to an extreme, it can hinder success<\/a> rather than help it. If you operate under the unwavering mindset of \u201cI can accomplish anything I set out to,\u201d you might end up pursuing a goal that would be better abandoned. For example, you might spend years developing a product that has fatal flaws that will prevent it from becoming a runaway success. You would be better off honestly assessing your situation and picking a new goal, rather than continuing to try to make your flawed product work.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\r\nTITLE: Grit
\r\nAUTHOR: Angela Duckworth
\r\nTIME: 21
\r\nREADS: 63.8
\r\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/grit_cover.jpg
\r\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: grit-summary-angela-duckworth
\r\nAMZN_ID: 1501111116
\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The High Price of Inconsistency<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In The Compound Effect<\/em><\/a>, Darren Hardy likens consistency to a hand-pumped well. Bringing the water up to the surface requires pumping the lever, which causes a suction effect to bring the water up through the spout. When we start a new program, it\u2019s tempting to grab the \u201clever\u201d and pump hard. But when no water (progress) immediately appears, we often give up. If we keep going, when a little water appears (small, visible changes), we might think, \u201cIs that all there is?\u201d If we are able to persist through this, soon a steady stream of water appears (tangible results); we no longer have to pump (maintain our habits, routines and rhythms) with so much effort, just with consistency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But slacking off kills momentum. If we stop pumping the water lever, we\u2019re back to square one and have to start the arduous process all over again. When you miss a few weeks at the gym, or stop sticking to your date-night routine with your spouse, you end up right where you started, with no momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\r\nTITLE: The Compound Effect
\r\nAUTHOR: Darren Hardy
\r\nTIME: 26
\r\nREADS: 30.4
\r\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/compound-effect-cover.jpg
\r\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: the-compound-effect-summary-darren-hardy
\r\nAMZN_ID: B005P1YCNK
\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Body\u2019s Physical Response to a Lack of Consistency<\/strong>

In The Talent Code<\/em><\/a>, Daniel Coyle explores some of the physiological reasons behind the importance of consistency. He explains that the development of skills depends on the growth of myelin, the insulation around our neural circuits. When we repeatedly perform an action, myelin increases, strengthening the neural connection. But when we let our practice lapse, the myelin decreases, worsening the connection.

Therefore, a lack of consistent effort doesn\u2019t just pause our progress, but it also effectively pushes us backward\u2014making us lose skills we\u2019ve already mastered. This is true for anything from learning piano to making sales calls<\/a>.

Thus, Coyle argues that mental skills respond to practice in the same way physical skills do. If an athlete stops practicing, she\u2019ll lose muscle mass in her legs and arms, making it more physically difficult for her to master her skill. Coyle says that her brain is also physically responding to a lack of practice, as myelin atrophies and makes it more difficult for her to succeed.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Commit to Showing Up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Jeff Olson, the author of The Slight Edge<\/em><\/a>, consistency is a matter of commitment: You must commit to showing up for your goals day in and day out. The more consistent you are with your efforts to achieve something, the more likely you are to achieve it. For instance, if you want strong arm muscles, you can\u2019t just do one push-up. You have to commit to doing push-ups consistently<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you build consistency in your efforts to grow? Olson doesn\u2019t elaborate; so, let\u2019s explore the strategy of Jerry Seinfeld, one of the most consistently successful comedians of all time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seinfeld has always produced his work at a steady, productive rate. (He may not always produce his best<\/em> work, but he is at least consistent in his output.) According to young comedians who\u2019ve discussed consistency with Seinfeld, his strategy is simple:<\/a> He writes every single day, and every day that he writes, he marks an \u201cx\u201d on the corresponding day on a calendar. Overall, he follows one rule: Don\u2019t break the chain of productive days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can follow this strategy with any<\/em> goal using the following steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n