Habits and schedules build consistency. And consistency yields results. Take that gym you signed up for in the New Year! How long did you go to it? 6 months? 3? Or just a couple of weeks? And why do you think it didn’t last? Read this article and I will explain just how easy it is to achieve your goals.

After repeatedly signing up to gyms and cancelling, I was fed up of paying out for memberships that weren’t doing anything. I blamed the institutions or the lack of time I had to dedicate to working out. But these were all just excuses. Excuses that were holding me back from my full potential.

In July last year I noticed a correlation between my successful aspects of my life and the time, effort and planning that I gave to them. Like a proverbial light switch flicking on, I realised that it wasn’t the task that wasn’t working; it was me!

I then decided that if I was going to change my life and become healthier that I would need to put this hypothesis to the test. So that is exactly what I did! Although I had low expectations, I signed up for the gym once again. I started finding apps and workout routines that suited me and I created a weekly schedule.

I started getting up earlier, sleeping better and I even improved my eating habits! Like dominos slowly falling into place one by one, I noticed that my life was improving significantly. I was more motivated, no longer feeling anxious or depressed. It was like I had been given a new lease on life.

I then realised that among other things, how I looked at a situation had a huge impact on my successfulness of dealing with it. Rather than looking at those weights and thinking ‘I can’t do that’, I was now telling myself ‘you will and you can, it will just take time’. That self-perseverance gave me the confidence to not only reach my goals, but exceed everything I expected of my body.

This gave me the consistency I needed to progress. And week after week I reflected on my progress and my schedules. And even though it was difficult in the beginning, I dragged myself out of bed and into those expensive gym sets. I ate until I felt sick making sure to reach my daily calorie goals. I even started working harder at the job that didn’t appreciate me, but I enjoyed regardless because I had all this extra energy! And as the days turned into weeks I found it easier and easier to incorporate these habits into my everyday routine.

So if you want to get to the gym more, hone and skill, or even improve your mental health, all you need are these simple steps!

1.Willingness to change

It is all good and well to say you want to change, but nothing is going to happen until you put the effort in. You can have huge ambitions and dreams but if that’s all they are, they’ll never become real. So you have to be willing to put in the hard work to reach your goals. Otherwise you’re wasting your time and energy and you’ll just feel worse when it all collapses around you. 

2.Planning and time management

Now that you have decided you’re going to make a change the next step will be to plan it all out. Buy a daily planner and write down all your daily to-dos that you want to accomplish in that day. Slowly tick them off. Not only does this help you to keep consistent, every tick gives you a sense of pride as you inch closer to victory. Dedicate that time that you’ve been wasting scrolling through Instagram to do something more productive!

During this stage I highly recommend the use of an app called Fabulous Daily Routine Planner! This is an easily accessible tool that give you timed reminders and prompts to keep you on your path to success all from the ease of your phone!

3. Perseverance

Now this is the part where many people start to fall. The point where you start making progress and it starts getting harder! This is a pivotal moment and if you can make it through this bit, you have already done better than most people who just quit or give up because it’s ‘too hard’ or ‘impossible’. But is it though? Or has it just got a little bit harder? Tell yourself you can push through and you will. It takes strength of mind and body to overcome this but if you do, this will be a proud moment to remember.

4. Consistency

The final step can also be a struggle as it requires you to stay consistent and repeat that work ethic that you’ve been putting into this project. Many people lose focus or motivation at this point because they associate consistency with repetition. Now to a degree they are correct, you need to keep that daily schedule and continue completing those tasks. But one key aspect to remember here is that if you keep reiterating the exact same things, you will complete your goals but you won’t exceed them. Your goals aren’t just a one-time thing. They should be constantly changing, getting more challenging as you complete them. This is how we learn and grow.

Now this is no scientific evidence and I’m no expert, but I am someone who used this method and changed my life for the better in every aspect. Not just physically but mentally and even my career has been positively impacted. I highly recommend trying this if you are struggling to achieve your goals or like I had you start something but struggle to finish.

Speaking of experts, Anahana, explain in an article, aptly named Healthy Habits, that there are several benefits of building positive habits. These include having more energy, building a stronger immune system, and an improvement of your general mood!

They are a useful platform of education and there are many resources available for you to improve your lifestyle through the act of building habits.

Now go on out into the world and put these words into practise! Do it for your friends, family, colleagues, but most importantly, do it for you! You deserve it so put that hard work in and show yourself some kindness. We are all a work in progress never perfection but that’s what makes it fun…

Article written and edited by Siobhan Lansdowne. Images acquired from Pixabay. No paid partnerships were involved in the production of this article.