5 reasons you are inconsistent

#3 is getting too focused on the outcome

What is one thing which is common in people who succeed and people who fail? What is one thing which is common in a published author and someone who never managed to finish the novel which he started? What is one thing which is common in a fit person and an out-of-shape person?

The answer is Consistency- People who succeed are the ones who consistently do the right things. And people who fail consistently do things that they shouldn't do or consistently give up doing the right things.

We all want to be consistent in various spheres of life. Yet we fail, and we become consistent in failing, to the extent that we develop a fear of starting something new.

According to research, consistency has everything to do with our brain. The brain loves consistency because it brings predictability and regularity. More predictability and regularity means the brain has to make fewer calculations to make decisions or do less work to overcome uncertainty. That’s why we get anxious when the milk doesn’t get delivered on time; traffic police catch us, etc.

The brain also likes novelty and easy things. Novelty is about doing something new, which will give the brain the rewards it craves. And the easier it is to get the rewards, the more it will repeat the same action. That’s why we crave a vacation, like movies so much, enjoy different genres of songs.

I have struggled with inconsistency for a very long period of time. But lately, when I witnessed two aspects of my life, it dawned on me that I can become consistent in anything I want. And the secret lies in training the brain to make it effortless for me to repeat things that I want to do.

Two areas where I have become consistent

I started journaling some 10–11 years ago. I always wanted to write every single day of the year. But I couldn’t achieve this feat until last year. I always managed to write for 200 days in a year but not more than that. This year, I'm so glad that I have been able to write for full 365 days. And this is the first sign of consistency. At least it's a sign that I can be consistent at something.

The second field of my consistency has been my workout. I started working out as a hobby; I wanted to get away from certain illnesses. But once I recovered, I realized fitness means a lot more than just weight loss and recuperating from an illness. It requires consistency to work out every day.

This is a snapshot from my Apple watch. Each ring represents three parameters which are Workout duration, Calories burned, and Active hours. I managed to close each ring every single day.

It’s significant because it requires more than discipline and willpower to close all the rings every day.

Why do we fail to be consistent?

1. Our goals are too vague: “I want to write every day.” — this has been my goal for the last 5–6 years. And I have not been able to succeed. “I want to complete my novel” — this is another goal which I have failed for the last 3 years.
   The issue with my goals has been that they are too vague. I question my self:
   a. What do I want to write?
   b. Why do I want to write?
   c. What am I getting when I sit and write every day?
   d. What topic I want to write about?
   There are numerous such questions. I suppress them, and I focus on writing. Only to realize that these questions pop up their heads repeatedly, and eventually, I fail.
   At the core, the issue is that my goals have been just too vague. When we are not clear, we leave our brains with too many decisions to make.
   By the time our brain figure out the answers, it’s already depleted, and suddenly I end up chatting with someone or browsing some non-sense websites.
2. We create obstacles in our way — The brain wants to help us survive. It does so by conserving energy. That’s why we are always inclined to do easy things, have easy discussions, and find a shortcut to doing something. Nothing wrong with pursuing easy things to conserve energy.
   But it becomes challenging to learn new things and remain consistent with them because of our brain’s constant quest of avoiding difficult tasks and conserving energy.
3. Getting too focussed on the outcome: Getting focused solely on the outcome blocks our brain from getting the rewards that it craves for. This is the reason losing 20 kg weight sounds incredibly difficult. Suppose your goal is to become a published author — two problems arise in this goals:
   a. It will take a long time for you to complete the novel, and your brain will have to wait for a long to get the reward.
   b. You are at the mercy of the publisher to get published. So brain’s craving for reward may or may not get fulfilled.
4. Relying too much on your willpower — “‘Disciplined’ people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control,” writes James Clear in his bestselling book, Atomic Habits. “In other words, they spend less time in tempting situations.” Some of the tempting situations in which we get trapped to become consistent in our workout are:
   a. Sleeping a little extra when you can go for a run
   b. Avoiding it so you can watch a web-series
   c. Simply getting lazy and avoiding the pain of putting in extra effort to do what’s essential for a momentary pleasure
   There is always a tempting reward that we succeed in avoiding due to our willpower. But guess, we can't do it always and ultimately become inconsistent.
5. Giving too much value to emotions: When you’re consistent, feeling bored is inevitable. You have a brain wired for novelty, remember? Doing the same thing repeatedly — though crucial to success — is antithetical to your brain’s reward-seeking tendencies.
   So drill this into your mind: Feelings like boredom, frustration, even despair do not necessarily mean something is wrong with your goal. They don’t mean you don’t have what it takes. They indicate that you might need a break, or it may be time to give your brain the dopamine hit it craves.

I have faced all these obstacles and couldn't witness the desired consistency for long without being conscious of the above reasons. But I am glad that my consistency in journaling and workout have paved the way for me to become consistent in other aspects of my life. In my next post, we will see how this happened to me and how you can overcome the 5 reasons for being inconsistent.