TFF #3: Make Consistency Your Superpower
Hi friend,
Did you know that you have a superpower?
(No, I’m not talking about your ability to sing the alphabet backwards....or whatever your weird secret talent is.)
I’m talking about a superpower that we all share.
It’s not easy to use.
It can take a lifetime to master.
But once you do, it makes you unstoppable.
As we kick off another week, here are 5 tips to help you cultivate the power of...consistency.
1. Consistency: the variable within your control.
Have you heard of the marketing agency Criterion.B?
A couple of years ago, they talked to Forbes.com about how deploying consistency resulted in positive results for one of their clients.
For six months, they committed to posting weekly blogs and daily social media posts.
As a result, at the end of the six-month period, they saw:
90% increase in blog traffic
30% increase in Facebook followers
9% increase in Twitter followers
8% increase in LinkedIn followers
So what can we learn from this story?
Criterion.B isn’t a massive marketing agency.
Did they have the most talented and experienced marketers in the world? Probably not.
Did they have crazy industry connections that could move and shake things? Again, I doubt it.
But they had one thing -- consistency -- that empowered them to deliver results.
The same goes for you.
You probably aren’t the most talented person in your field.
You probably don’t have the connections that a lot of people are just born into.
But the variable within your control: consistency.
By putting in effort every day toward achieving your goals and dreams, you can actually make them a reality.
2. How to write 500 books.
As a writer and a science fiction fan, I’m obsessed with Isaac Asimov.
Not just his work (which I love), but also his process.
Did you know that over the course of his life, he wrote over 500 books?
Most of these were science fiction novels, but others included works on biochemistry and a commentary on the Bible.
So how the heck did he pull this off?
According to a 1969 New York Times profile, Asimov started his workday between 9:30 and 10 am, writing over 90 words per minute.
He worked until 10 or 11 pm, went to bed, then got up and started anew.
With that kind of schedule, was everything that he churned out a brilliant piece of work?
Probably not.
But he kept writing, even when it was tough.
What’s more, he scoffed at the idea of “writer's block.”
His father was a candy store owner in Brooklyn who opened his doors at 6 am every day, whether or not he felt like it.
Since his father never got to complain about “shop keeper’s block,” the idea that Asimov would complain about “writer’s block” seemed preposterous to him.
Rather than letting analysis paralysis take him over, Asimov showed up to the typewriter every day.
Thanks to that consistency, he became the father of modern science fiction.
And fans like me are eternally grateful for that.
3. Consistency vs. creativity.
There’s this idea out there that consistency and creativity are at odds with each other.
That there’s some magic element to creativity that you can’t control.
That you have to sit back and let it happen to you.
It’s a good thought for an amateur.
But professionals show up and create even when they don’t feel like it.
I stumbled across this blog from the productivity experts over at Wrike.
Here’s a summary of their tips for how to be consistently creative.
Create a schedule. Set a specific time to work, and show up regardless of whether you feel like it.
Shake up your routine. Add changes of environment, rests, and time for mind-wandering, while still committing to getting your work done.
Let go of perfection. 10,000 hours comes one minute at a time. Don’t worry about how good your work is. Quality will come with time.
Take breaks. Be sure to take regular breaks to stave off burnout, but don’t let them turn into procrastination!
4. Daily challenge: Commit to consistency.
This week’s daily challenge is all about committing to consistency.
Every day this week, do the following:
Spend at least 10 minutes reading (books, blogs, articles -- it doesn’t matter)
Spend at least 10 minutes on your enrichment practice from last week
And here’s the hardest one…
Spend at least 10 minutes on something you’ve been putting off for a while
This may seem like a tall order. But at the same time, it’s only 30 minutes per day.
Worst case scenario, you can stay up an extra half hour and do these before turning in.
Then, and maybe this is the most important part:
Ask yourself how you feel at the end of the week.
You’ll probably find that once you start this daily practice, you won’t want to give it up.
5. Weekly resource: Habit-building apps.
Technology can be a major distraction and time-waster.
But at the same time, it’s a tool that can empower us to build positive habits.
This week’s resource is meant to do the latter.
There are a number of apps out there that are designed to help you build new habits.
However, everyone’s brain works differently. So different apps will work for different people.
So instead of recommending one app, check out this curated list and pick one that works for you.
If this newsletter has helped you at all…
....why not share it with a friend?
Or you could post it on your LinkedIn so your network can benefit as well.
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Until next time,
Timothy