šø: Debby Hudson
As some of you may have noticed, I havenāt published any public journal articles over the past two months. I went from being pretty consistent to pretty inconsistent.
My inconsistent behaviour brought with it a feeling Iām sure most of us know well when we fall out of rhythm ā guilt. The longer I delayed, the heavier that feeling weighed. Eventually, it became easier to avoid writing altogether than face the discomfort of starting again.
But I got tired of carrying that feeling and decided to approach the situation differently. I shifted my mindset to that of a gamer. How could I treat my falling off the wagon like a game where even though I didnāt clear the level, I could restart.
Like a gamer, I focused on what I could improve. What happened in this period? What could I learn? And more importantly, how could I act on these lessons to ensure consistency moving forward?Ā
Putting on the mindset of a gamer and asking these questions helped me learn a few things that I hope will also help others who struggle with consistency.Ā
What happened in this period? šµš¾āāļø
When I considered why my productivity dropped, I realized I lacked a structured system for ensuring I published a weekly public reflection. In the words of Nigerian Gen Zs, I had been operating on āvibes and Insha Allahā when it came to publishing.
My āsystemā was pretty much held together by mental duct tape. I told myself Iād write at the end of every week, but keep it flexible enough to be Friday, Saturday or Sunday. That was as far as my system went.
I didnāt have it down as a task to check off in my tasks app.
I didnāt schedule a writing time in my calendar.
I didnāt set a time to review notes I had put down with plans to flesh out.
Unsurprisingly when things got hectic, guess what fell to the side? My writingā¦because I didnāt have a clear system for it.Ā
What Iāve learned š
Consistency matters. Just as a plant grows only with consistent watering, our efforts thrive only when given regular attention. Neglect leads to stagnation, which ultimately leads to decay.Ā
Systems build consistency. Consistency isnāt just about willpower or motivation. Our brains are wired to analyze and problem-solve, not to hold long-term routines in place. Without systems to reduce cognitive load, it becomes easy to fall out of habits. Now I remind myself that the way to show that I truly prioritize something is to create a system for it.Ā
Accountability matters: Building some form of accountability into my system improves my chances of being more consistent. This looks like assigning an accountability partner to check in when I havenāt published as usual. Shout out to my wifey Mo, and my mom who checked in when I had missed a few weeks.
Take action in increments: I tend to write more in spurts than in marathons. However, I kept waiting until the end of the week to write my journal for that week. Classic procrastination. Now, I plan on starting every week with clarity on what Iāll be sharing by the end of the week. That way I can write bit by bit until the end of the week.
Donāt miss two intervals in a row: The habit guru - James Clear - often talks about this. Missing two weeks in a row set me up to miss more weeks, āYouāve missed two. Whatās one more?ā Thatās the highway to missing a lot more weeks. Now I know to resist these whispers.
Communication matters: All this saidā¦ there are bound to be times when it will be incredibly difficult to put out something, so what should I do? I figured Iād just communicate and let my readers know. Itās pretty much the difference between ābrbā and āghostingā.Ā That little bit of communication makes a big difference.
What next? ā
The biggest lesson I learned from this period of inconsistency is that Iāve got to relearn how to be productive. What I do on a daily basis has largely changed in the past few years, but I havenāt updated my productivity system. And now it needs a revamp.
Lucky for me, my past self wrote a handbook in 2020 on Design Thinking Your Productivity. Now itās time for me to verify if the medicine I was offering to others works.
To verify how useful my handbook is, Iāll use it as the starting point for revamping my productivity system. Iāll take a section each week from the handbook, act on it, and reflect on how itās helped me become more productive. Then Iāll share my reflections publicly. That way, Iāll be able to review my handbook, become more productive, and become more consistent with my weekly writing. I get to free three birds with one key.
Iām looking forward to seeing how it goes. I suspect certain things will work and certain things wonāt, but like a gamer, Iām sure Iāll learn something from the journey.
Shoutout to my wifey Mo for her wonderful edits - as usual š
Profoundly insightful. Appreciate the honesty even more. Cheering you on to Consistency, Chuba! š¤©