The Secret to Consistency Isn’t a Better System

I’ve been publishing a daily blog for over seven years. One of the most common questions other solopreneurs ask me is how I sustain consistency.

Whether it’s a blog, social media, newsletter, or podcast, many are looking for the magic system that will help them create and publish consistently.

Before the HOW

If you are looking for the system, you are focused on the HOW. But the answer I have for you doesn’t start with the how.

My answer is not an answer at all. It’s a question. 2 questions, to be exact.

These two questions are focused on *WHY*:

• Why do you want to create or publish consistently?
• Why aren’t you?

Consider each of these questions specifically related to the medium or venue where you are seeking to publish consistently.

Systems can be a vital aid in maintaining consistency of output, but they are not the starting point.

A Case Study in Failed Consistency

I’m often known as the Queen of Consistency based on things like my blog, my daily workouts, and my meditation practice.

But I have my challenges as well.

For example, although I publish consistently to my blog, my newsletters and social media are hardly a model of consistency.

Logic and reason would dictate that if I can publish a daily blog, I can easily send a weekly newsletter and publish to my social channels every day — or at least 3–4 times per week.

I often fall into the trap of thinking that “I need a better system.” There are many systems that can help me streamline the process of repurposing my content to different channels, but here’s the truth:

What’s keeping me from consistency in a newsletter and social media is not the lack of a system.

The first barrier to consistency is the beliefs and stories I have about newsletter and social media.

• What a newsletter should be.
• How I should show up on social media.
• What’s appropriate to share on different channels.
• How I want to communicate on the different channels.

There are also fears of visibility.

In a weird way, publishing to a blog feels safer than publishing to a newsletter or social media.

No system is going to help me be more consistent unless I change my stories, beliefs, and mindset about these different channels.

“Should” is a Barrier to Consistency

When I discuss consistency with people, I find that the biggest obstacle in their path is their belief they “should” do whatever it is they are trying to do consistently.

For example, you believe that you should be on social media to grow your business, or you should have a podcast or a blog.

Let’s be clear: Trying to be consistent with a Should is a losing battle. It will deplete your limited decision and willpower bandwidth. It’s not sustainable.

3 Fundamentals of Consistency

Consistency is rooted in 3 fundamental factors:

• *Desire*: The internal, emotional force that pulls you toward something.
• *Motivation*: Why is it important — to you — to be consistent? Motivation is your reason. This is more logical than desire.
• *Commitment*: Desire and motivation mean little without commitment. Commitment takes something from a “want” to a “must.”

Reasons First. Answers Second.

In over 7 years of publishing my daily blog, I can count on one hand the number of times I have scheduled something in advance.

I don’t have a neat content plan mapped out months ahead.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have a system.

My system is rooted in daily rituals and practices of ideation and writing. I write every day, and I commit to publishing something — even if I think it’s crappy.

When it comes to establishing consistency in other channels, there’s no question that a few key systems can help me be more effective.

But no system will work sustainably unless I first get clear on my desire and motive, and commit to the process.

Foundations come first.

As Tony Robbins says, Reasons come first, answers come second.

Before you focus on the HOW of systems, you must resolve the *WHY*s:

• Why do you want to do it?
• Why aren’t you?