Although January is usually a fantastic time for setting new goals, planning for the year and creating resolutions, it can all too quickly slip back into business as usual, and if you’re not careful you end up doing exactly what you did before.

To check this out – all you need to do is go to the gym on the first week of Jan, and then visit again in February / March to notice the difference. (I speak from experience here)

The thing is that slipping back into our old ways isn’t always because we don’t want to do anything different – for many of us it’s just because life happens and it’s quicker and easier if we go back to being on auto pilot. The problem here is that this can really stop us from progressing and seeing what we need to change and where we need to improve.

In fact, we might even go about our days getting frustrated or annoyed at things that happen or that we do, but instead of doing something about it, we just find a work around, get hacked off and keep going regardless. We might even ‘own’ this behaviour…”Oh this always happens to me!” or “I’m so sick of X”

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got” (Henry Ford)

Which is why, every so often it’s a great idea to do some self reflection and see  what you need to switch up, where you need to develop, and what you need to fix once and for all so you can keep moving forward.

This exercise is something I do on a regular basis – and I also do it with my clients too. It’s super simple (as all the best things are) takes nearly no time at all, and always throws up some powerful gems.

Have a think about your day and think about what you need to:

Stop doing – these are the things that are hacking you off. The habits that are no longer serving you. For example – checking your emails as soon as you wake up and before you get out of bed; working long hours, skipping lunch etc

Start doing – These are the things that you’re putting off. You know they would add value and really benefit you but for some reason you just haven’t got round to putting them into action. As it’s always trickier to start something and keep it going once you’ve made this part of your list, write down the value it’ll give you, and commit to doing one of them for 90 days. Then test and measure to see whether it worked for you. If so, add it to the continue list. If not, cross it out and move on to the next one.

Continue doing – these are the things that are really working for you and you need to keep them going. For example – going for a run; having a lunch break; spending time with the kids after school etc.

The beauty about this exercise is that not only can you do it on your own on a regular basis, it’s also a really easy format to use to collate some feedback from your team and the people around you.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about what you’re going to stop doing, start doing and continue doing and how this works for you. Let me know in the comments.

I’ve always had an on off relationship with getting fit…sure I understoood the benefits, but just getting up and doing it was always a struggle.

Then a while back I had the realisation that unless I’m working towards an event – like a sponsored event –  I have absolutely no motivation when it comes to exercise. So, that gave me the motivation – but delving a bit deeper I realised it wasn’t so much the event (having an end goal, and the purpose) that gave me the results I wanted, where the magic really happened was that I was exercising consistently.

Consistency is the key

It was by doing something consistently that I started to see and really notice, the change, the improvements, the value, and just how far I’d come, and this is the case for so many things. By doing something consistently you not only create a habit, but also an expectation with the people around you that this is the new normal – which creates an additional motivator.

By doing something consistently you build momentum.

The issue is that sometimes (and I speak from personal experience here) doing something consistently is much easier said than done. Our rational minds might know and understand the benefit and value of doing something on a regular basis, but secretly our subconscious brain has other ideas and we go off track. That’s why so many people quit the gym soon after joining in January (yep I’ve been that person!) and when that happens it’s so easy to: (a) come up with the thought process that ‘it just didn’t work for you’, (b) come up with a great excuse that you don’t have the time or (c) you now have to wait until….[New Year, when you’ve finished a project, recruited a new member of the team, come back from holiday – fill in the gap here] until you start again.

If this is sounding familiar, and you find yourself starting something with great intentions like: doing regular one to ones, team meetings, or working on a personal project but then go off track…join the club. Consistency, although sounds like a super easy thing to do, can actually be a really hard thing to maintain. After all it’s just doing something regularly right?

Like I said…I speak from experience here. As someone who used to be a chronic un-finisher of personal goals – I know this really well. To be honest, I’ve done a lot of work on myself to master doing things on a consistent basis. In fact, it was how I wrote my book. 1000 words a day without fail…every single day…and I have to say, although I had my dips where my whole being wanted to do something (anything) else, the fact that I’d committed to it every day was a real motivator.

So, what can we do? Here are my 7 steps to mastering the art of consistency…

1. Decide up front the actual value of doing the task consistently

This is a first step that you shouldn’t miss as it’ll really help you further down the line when you want to ditch and run.

Why are you doing it in the first place?

What value is it adding?

What results are you hoping to see?

In the case of me finishing my book I knew that there was no way I could write it all in one sitting, so doing something on a regular basis was the only option. If it’s having 1-1 meetings with your team is it that you know that this catch up is invaluable for you and them and you just don’t want to let them down? By really nailing down the value that this task has, you’ll be able to not only motivate yourself, but also look out for the results.

2. Decide whether you need to do the task, or whether the task just needs to be done.

Again, this is part of the pre-work. In some cases it’s just the task that needs to be done but it really doesn’t have to be done by you. If this is the case, delegate or outsource, as it’ll save you some space in your day and effort later down the line.

3. Look out for your sabotages

This is the biggie right here. We all have our own personal flavour of sabotages…where our brain will throw all sorts of things at us to make us stop – and they’ll come. I promise you.

Some of the flavours of sabotages I’ve seen (and experienced) are:

• A whole manner of excuses.…‘I don’t have time today’ ‘X needs me’ ‘I need to do something urgently’ ‘I’m too busy’ ‘I have to see to this customer’ ‘It’s raining’ ‘I have a deadline’ ‘kids need me’ ‘I don’t have enough money / budget is tight’
• Getting bored
• Delaying tactics….Convincing yourself that you’re not quitting or stopping you’re just rescheduling.
• Procrastination – anything is more important that what you’re meant to be doing. Look at any teenager around exam time and you’ll see this one in action….‘I have to create an exam time-table first’ (remember that one?)
• Taking too much on – This is a sneeky one as you can actually kid yourself that you’re adding value elsewhere.
• Looking for failure – If it didn’t go completely to plan the last time you did it, you might take this as a reason for stopping altogether.
• Multi-tasking….and not focusing completely on what you’re meant to be doing.

I like to call these ‘sabotages in disguise’. Any of these jump out at you? For me, procrastination is a personal favourite and an old friend of mine.

The trick here is that awareness is the first step. Once you can start to recognise when you’re sabotage is coming out to play, you can call yourself out on it and see it for what it really is so you can move on.

4. Plan in advance

How you do this depends on you. For some people sticking it in your diary and making time to do the task is key (especially when it involves other people). Personally, I like to make a deal with myself that goes something like this...’I won’t go to bed tonight until I’ve done X’ – this is good for the tasks that just involve you, like exercising, or writing etc.

5. Set reminders in your calendar

Again, this is a simple one but absolutely golden. Set reminders that pop up on your screen or phone, work wonders. Takes seconds to set up but works a treat.

6. Track your progress

I’m a big one for seeing how far I’ve come – so every so often write down the value and benefit you’ve seen so far. It’ll really spur you on.

7. Praise and reward

We all love a bit of recognition don’t we? Whenever you do the task give yourself a pat on the back or a treat. It doesn’t have to be anything flash. Sometimes all it takes is a secret ‘Yay, I’ve done it today / this month…woohoo’ under your breath to keep you going.

So, these are my steps for mastering the art of consistency. Give them a try.

I’d love to know: What’s your own flavour of self sabotage and what are you doing about it?

Join my mini challenge to get results by Christmas – here’s how:

Step 1 – let me know in the comments what you’d love to do consistently and why.

Step 2 – Connect with me on Linkedin or Facebook and keep me updated with your progress on the Friday post.

You might have read the same articles as I have, that super successful people have morning routines that go something like this…get up at 4am, meditate, do some yoga, drink a green juice and then when you’ve done all this, you can get started on your daily list.

Now, as nice as all that may be, and yes it may very well work for some people (and if this is you, carry on) looking back over my life where I worked full time, and had 4 kids and a dog to look after…this kind of routine was NEVER going to work – and this isn’t even counting the fact that as my nearest and dearest would tell you if any alarm went off before 7 when there wasn’t a plane to catch, there would be a severe killing spree about to happen. (I’m not a morning person!)

All that being said, I am a fan of a routine – but there are some rules around this.

–  It has to work for you, and your family. Don’t worry about following convention, instead think about how you and your family will be happiest and work with that. A story that I love is a family that could never all get together for evening meals so     instead made their main family meal breakfast. Perfect.

– It can’t become a chore or a noose to hang yourself with. The whole purpose of a routine is for it to make life easier. So, spend some time figuring this out so it does just that. The moment it becomes a chore, a frustration or something that stops you from doing other things it loses its value.

– You have to tell other people what your routine is. I’ll give you a personal example. My sister always used to call me when I was putting the kids to bed. Once I let her know – she called me at a different time. Simples!

Right, so now that we’ve got the rules down let’s look at why we should bother at all.

• A good routine is a great way of creating a habit that really works for you.

We all have habits…some are great…and some are past their sell by date – but used well, habits are our brains natural way of putting us on autopilot. A good routine will do just that. By giving some thought into what you need to do to be at your best you can create a routine that will really enhance your productivity. For example – if you’re an evening person (like me) there’s no point creating a routine where you go for a jog first thing…as you’ll just never ever do it. If for example you’re a morning person who feels great after going for a run…this might be how you choose to kick off your day.

“Do an audit of your daily habits and see what you do that no longer works for you” Barbara Nixon

• Other people know exactly what to expect

The other people that I’m referring to, can be anyone from your friends and family, your boss or your team. By letting them know how you like to work, they can work around that. For example – if you switch off your phone when you leave the office and don’t check your emails let them know that you’ll get back to them in the morning, or if you prefer to keep Friday afternoons free from meetings because your brain is fried by then- keep them in the loop so that don’t bother to book that time in.

• You’ll feel happier and less stressed

Trust me, I’ve been there. Juggling work and home can be a tricky juggle. When my oldest 2 were little I was a single mum, working full time and studying in the evenings. I know how that juggle goes. A routine back then was my saving grace. I worked out what really stressed me out during the day, whether it was rushing to pick up, not deciding ahead of time what we were having for dinner or not leaving enough time to get everyone ready in the morning ,  and I created a routine to fix everything. Life suddenly became a whole lot easier and a lot less stressful.

A routine doesn’t have to be a straight jacket, but it can really boost your productivity and how you feel about your day…providing you’ve created the right one for you.

I’d love to know: What one thing do you have in your routine that you couldn’t be without.

So, this week I did something that pushed me way way out of my comfort zone. Something that to be honest I never thought I’d ever do (but actually something I’d secretly wanted to have a go at) and definitely something that taught me so much about me as a person.

I performed my very first stand-up comedy gig!

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I’m a big fan of getting the confidence to say no more. I’ve talked about in my blog, on my podcast and even on a guest post…but this time I want to talk about the three times when you absolutely mustn’t say no…even if your whole being is tell you to do just that. (more…)