Consistency is a key to success. Intellectually we know this, but putting it into practice seems to be a constant battle. And why is that?
Because consistency has a plodding, dreadfully dull quality to it, doesn’t it? And we freedom-loving entrepreneurs tend resist anything that resembles the regular schedule of employment. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Consistency – done right – frees up your time, energizes you, and gives you results. Here are three tips to give you a new perspective on consistency:
- Structure your consistency on a larger scale. Entrepreneurs start businesses for the freedom from a regular schedule – is it any surprise that you’re bored and resistant to a day-in, day-out rote version of consistency? Instead of having daily tasks, consider tackling them on a weekly or monthly basis. I consistently do the majority of my marketing each month in just one or two days – often in just a few hours on the last few days of the month. If I had to do my tasks a few at a time each day, I’d go crazy.
- Build variety into your consistency. Most entrepreneurs I know crave new experiences, so variety is a key value to honor in business. Some example of variety paired with consistency: be consistent about networking, with the variety of attending various events; be consistent about touching base with past customers, with the variety of how you contact them (email, mail, social media, phone); be consistent about email marketing, with the variety of sending out tips, videos and photos. Variety keeps you engaged, and helps you avoid falling victim to distraction.
- Evaluate your consistency… consistently. Even if you’ve scheduled your consistency to give you freedom and structured it to give you variety, if you aren’t seeing results, you’ll just be consistently busy with nothing to show for your efforts. To counteract this, simply track your actions and evaluate your results, then be quick to adjust them when needed.
Bonus tip: Get an outside perspective. Whether from a coach, mentor, or peer, do not struggle to figure this all out on your own! If you want to be consistent and get results faster, learn from others. It’s one of the top three mistakes freedom-seeking entrepreneurs make: avoiding asking for help.
Change your perspective on consistency, then implement your new perspective and instead of being bored, distracted, and unmotivated, you will be engaged, focused, energized – and seeing results!
“Even if you’ve scheduled your consistency to give you freedom and structured it to give you variety, if you aren’t seeing results, you’ll just be consistently busy with nothing to show for your efforts”
Must be the reason for those stress-headaches I get on a daily basis….*sigh*
I plan to change the way I organize my time…given my ability to get easily distracted, I am going to restructuring my schedule so similar tasks get done on the same day!
Thank you so much, Mary #HUGS
Kitto
Great solution! Let me know if you need resources around time and priority management. I’ve got a good program that may help.
Great article Mary. I especially like your tip about building variety into consistency. I am the first to admit I have a major case of wanderlust so I have several tricks I use to keep focused. One thing that has been a lifesaver is my content spreadsheet. I have all of my posts mapped out by day, date and category. This helps me to keep a good flow, not get hung up on any one category and to keep things interesting. Thanks for the inspiration!
You’re welcome! And thanks for sharing what works for you. That’s the trick: find what works for YOU!
I love this message!
Thanks! Come back often and visit!
Mary, really good points. I am one who does a little each day especially marketing . My plan this year is to bring more structure and consistency into my calendar. For the first time I’m creating a blog planner and a book marketing plan. Now that I’ve published one book I feel better prepared for the next and documenting a plan from what I learned.
Good for you! Again, the key is finding consistency YOUR way. We waste so much time trying to cram ourselves into other peoples’ systems, rather than letting them be a framework where we can discover OUR way.
Great post, Mary!