Taking “Consistent, Daily, Action” to Boost Efficiency

A few years ago, I came across the phrase “consistent, daily, action.” This phrase stuck to me, so I wrote it down on a post-it and put it on my cork board in my room, and on my computer at work. I saw those words everyday for a year and they helped boost my efficiency and reduce overwhelm. In this blog post I will show you how taking “consistent, daily, action” can help lead you to making significant progress toward your goals and overcome overwhelm.

When I first discovered the phrase, I was extremely busy at work and had a lot of deadlines constantly. I was easily overwhelmed daily. But when I started putting those three words into play, I was able to complete my projects without being in a constant state of overwhelm.

I also had a couple personal projects that were important for me, but they felt too daunting to start. One was starting to write my novel and the other was to start my blog. Amongst other tools, seeing this phrase every day, helped change my mindset and instill in me the habit of doing something consistently toward these two projects. Those words helped me break through the procrastination.

To stress the importance these three words have on my life, is that even the days when I feel tired, lazy, or extremely overwhelmed, at least I know that from even the smallest “consistent, daily, action” – I am making some sort of progress.

Of course, this is not a new concept, but once you come across these three words and then start to apply them into your life on a daily basis – you will start to see and notice amazing results.

The habits developed from these words: “consistent, daily, action” apply to any area of your life where you want to see progress and change.

Why it works

Here, I will explain why taking “daily, consistent, action” to boost efficiency works and how to start.

Let’s take an example. Imagine you have a strong desire to write a novel. Let’s say you also work or go to school full-time (or both), have a family, and have multiple other personal things going on. Your life is busy. Yet, this novel writing thing keeps nudging at you. You know you must do something. So, you develop the ambitious goal to have a first draft – approximately 80,000 words written within twelve months. That goal alone is a daunting one for anyone – even for those who have the time to do it!

There are a couple of options here:

1) Procrastinate because the task is just too much for you right now; or

2) Take some sort of action toward it every day even if it is only 15 minutes out of your day.

With option one, twelve months will pass by and it hasn’t been started. The novel is still a fantasy in your mind that you will get to someday. With option two, you will have something concrete and written in your hands. Maybe it’s not the 80,000 words you were expecting but by that point you will have gained momentum to keep going toward completion. You will also have developed a sense of empowerment and increased confidence.

Which option sounds more pleasing? My guess is option two. Spending a few minutes each day on specific actions to reach a goal, is a constructive way to get things done. You can always spend longer periods of time when you are able to. Lots of times it happens organically, however, at least you are making some progress if a few minutes is the only time you have.

Now, how do you carve out this time, beat procrastination, and do it every day?

“If I have the belief I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Beating procrastination and developing the habit of taking “consistent, daily, action”

Procrastination is a hard habit to break. I know because I am the queen of procrastination.

That’s why making the decision to take action every day – no matter how small – is pivotal to beat procrastination.

By taking “consistent, daily, action,” over time, new habits will begin to form – such as determination and diligence. These new habits will bring about a new momentum and confidence, especially when you begin to notice your own progression in whatever it is you are pursuing – from small projects and goals to bigger ones.

As an example, I’ve been putting ‘consistent, daily, action’ to practice every day for about 1-2 years now. It has become a habit at work and in life no matter how big or small. I noticed my efficiency in my work has improved, my lifestyle has improved, and the progress I have made in my own personal projects and goals have significantly improved.

At work, if a project seems too daunting, I utilize the Pomodoro Technique. I just set my timer for about 20-30 minutes and begin to start at the task at hand. No matter how small the action is that I take during this time, it always leads me to making significant progress. The feelings of overwhelm about the project also begin to dissipate. Read here for more information on how to use the Pomodoro Technique.

Another example is when I start writing a new blog post for Bloom Brilliance. I do not do it all in one sitting. There is not enough time or energy for me to do that. I work 10-hour days in my day job. By the end of the work week I’m mentally exhausted. So, my current strategy is to devote 15 minutes every morning, before I do anything else, to make some progress on writing the blog post I am working on at the time. I set the timer to ensure I utilize that whole time to writing and so I can also get an alert that it is time to get moving and go to work. Getting my blog posts up may take longer than I want, but at least I am ensuring it is getting done and I am posting content onto the website.

Overcoming the resistance of starting

Is the project so daunting that you feel resistance toward even starting? I get you. That happens to me a lot. Giving in to resistance leads to more procrastination and more anxiety. It could really affect one’s internal quality of life. By paying attention to “consistent, daily, action” and abiding by this rule, I have learned that when I feel resistance starting to take over, I must do some sort of action NOW! It’s hard. And sometimes it’s difficult to even know where to start. The point is, just do something, no matter how small and you will see progress.

How to start

1. Have an end goal

What is the main goal you want to accomplish? Could it be to complete that daunting project at work before the deadline? Is it having 80,000 words written toward your novel in one year? Or could it be setting up a new blog and having ten posts written and posted in two months?

Whatever it is, you must know what your end goal is in order to start constructively in the right direction of achieving it. You might’ve heard of SMART goals. SMART goals are goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.

Let’s use the novel writing example of writing 80,000 words in 12 months. It is specific because it says exactly what is to be accomplished. Also, it is measurable because you will be able to measure how many words are written at any point of time and toward the ultimate goal. It is achievable because 12 months allows space for the busy person, versus, say, doing it in three months, which would be unrealistic for some. It is relevant for the person who is an aspiring author. Also, it is time bound because well, It just wouldn’t be doable in three months – unless there were no other demands or responsibilities.

2. Break down the bigger goal

Now that we determined the end goal and that it is a SMART goal, where do we go from there? That bigger goal may seem so broad that it is difficult to know where to start. The key here is to break it down into a series of mini goals.

For someone who wants to write their first novel, the idea of writing 80,000 might seem unattainable, but by breaking it down into smaller mini goals or achievements, it becomes more accessible. An example would be to break down the completed word count goal by quarters so that in 3 months 20,000 words will be written; 6 months – 40,000 words; 9 months – 60,000 words; and 12 months – 80,000 words. Make sure to list specific dates for more accountability. 

Another way could be to set a weekly goal of about 1,500 words per week, and then break it down further into daily goals, which would be only about 220 words a day. Does not seem so overwhelming from that perspective and may feel more doable.

3. Break it down to even smaller action steps

By breaking down those mini goals into smaller action steps, it will be easier to know what you will be doing on that consistent and daily basis. For a first-time aspiring novelist, it may look something like this:

• Research online how to start writing a novel
• Brainstorm concept and theme
• Develop a one paragraph description
• Create a one-page outline

So, based on this, the first and most sensible action would be to learn from experts, novel writing tools and techniques and then to work on these initial pieces before moving on to more complex steps of the writing process.

4. Be consistent

By taking small action steps daily, before you know it you will have completed your project or reached your goal. Schedule it in and set that time aside. Having a set time each day is helpful in knowing that that is the time you will work on that project or goal. If you have multiple goals or projects, then choose the most important one to do first and more consistently. But ensure that you still devote time to work on the other projects, so you don’t get behind on those.

Sometimes you will need to spend longer amounts of time on a project, say, if you have an upcoming deadline. But by planning ahead and starting to take specific and consistent actions steps early on, as you approach the deadline, it won’t seem so overwhelming.

5. Choose constructive actions

Each step you take, every task, every action, should be purposeful and take you a step further toward reaching that goal. By clearly identifying the steps you need to take to reach the bigger goal (as identified in steps 1-3) it will ensure you are not wasting time on the wrong tasks and each thing you do brings you closer to that bigger goal.

An example of taking constructive action in writing a novel when you are just starting out would be to focus on building themes, plots, character, and writing every day, versus spending a lot of time looking into publishing and marketing your book when that is not relevant yet. It is still important, however the action steps related to publishing and marketing are not the most important tasks at the time and will come later. 

Taking “Consistent, Daily, Action”

Remember that when you are working toward completing a project or goal, “consistent, daily, action” will help. Start with taking small actions, in short bursts of time, but do it daily. Even by just taking 10-15 minutes daily and devoting consistent action with a project, soon you will see it to its completion, and you will be amazed at what you accomplished.

To remind yourself, on a piece of paper or post-it, write down these three words:

“Consistent, Daily, Action!”

Now post it somewhere where you will see it EVERYDAY. Such as at your desk or on your computer. When you see that every morning, it will remind you to do something – even just one thing – to get you closer to your goal.

Resources:

Here are some resources in reference to some of the topics discussed in this blog post:

• To learn more about the Pomodoro Technique, check out this article from Lifehacker that explains it in more detail.

• This article from Mindtools breaks down and explains SMART goals in detail. Check it out here.

• Tony Robbins gives you a step by step guide on setting your own SMART Goals here.

Self-Reflection Series

If you want to delve deeper in your own self-reflection, check out Bloom Brilliance’s self-reflection series.

Sage