Follow This 1 Tip to Truly Stay Consistent With Any Skill

14 Dec 2024 #misc

Want to master any skill? Simple!

Show up. Consistency is king. Do something every day for one year.

That’s common Internet advice to master a skill and crush your goals.

Want to write? Show up. Want to get in shape? Consistency is king.

Easier said than done.

Show up is good advice. But it’s only part of the full piece of advice

If you want to stay consistent, commit to the smallest action you can sustain in the long term.

At the start of the year, I joined a monthly reading club with some friends. In the first sessions, everybody showed up with their reading done. We were so enthusiastic that we wanted to read more, have online discussions, and write essays with our reactions. We even wanted to meet up every weekend.

But after a couple of sessions, somebody showed up without the reading done. And then, somebody else stopped showing up. And then somebody else…and somebody else. Eventually, we stopped our reading club.

We bit off more than we could chew. And like any plan, it didn’t resist contact with reality.

To stay consistent, show up, but with small actions

Want to write? Commit to writing less than 200 words a day. Want to get in shape? Commit to doing 1 push-up a day. Want to read more? Commit to reading 1 page a day.

And make it easy to finish your small action of the day.

Leave your writing app open. Go to bed wearing your workout clothes. Keep a book on your desk.

Small and easy-to-finish actions in the long run. That’s how you keep showing up.