How To Stay Consistent With Your Goals (with Journal Prompts)

How many times have you heard someone say, “consistency is key?” I literally just commented on someone’s Instagram post saying that! This phrase is used so much but it’s because it’s true! Being consistent is what will set you apart from others and will help you achieve your goals. 

Now, the real struggle is actually being consistent. I’m sure you realize the benefits already but you still can’t seem to *do it* and I totally get you. 

The reality is, if it was easy, everyone would do it. That’s why some people don’t ever achieve their goals and others do. 

The million-dollar question is: how do you stay consistent with your goals? 

Let’s talk about that! 

What does staying consistent look like?

Starting at the very beginning… when you are being consistent, what does that look like? 

It’s important to understand what consistency really is in order to practice it.

The definition of consistency is essentially “staying the same” or “behaving the same.” 

Therefore it’s safe to say that staying consistent with your goals looks like following a set plan or doing set behaviors over a period of time without stopping. 

Example: in order to stay consistent with working out you might exercise 5 days a week, every week.

Or in order to stay consistent with blogging you might publish 2 blog posts every week. 

If you stick with an activity (like working out or writing blog posts) for an extended period, you will start seeing results.

Staying consistent also looks like pushing through doubts, showing up when you don’t want to, and continuing on even if there is no “progress” right away! 

There are probably many things you are already super consistent with! Your morning coffee? Walking your dog? End of the night Netflix binge? There are so many things you do consistently already, however, it’s easy to be consistent with things you enjoy. It’s a lot harder to be consistent with things you don’t enjoy.

That’s where discipline comes in! For ways to improve your self-discipline, check out this post: How To Build Self-Discipline + 17 Journal Prompts

For the purposes of today’s post, let’s focus on consistency and how you can be more consistent with your goals.

Tips for staying consistent with your goals

I read something that described consistency as your “mental muscle” and I love that.

The whole idea of being consistent is that you are doing something over a long period of time, longer than you would do anything else. 

Maybe you’ve already been consistent with your workouts for the last 5 years and plan on staying consistent for years to come. That is a heck of a lot longer than most things you’ve ever done or ever will do.

Consistency is a muscle! With practice and effort, your muscle grows. It becomes easier. 

But how can you build up your consistency muscle? Let’s talk about tips! 

1 – make it easy

The easier something is, the more likely you will keep up with it. So, plan ahead (pack your gym bag the night before, meal prep, pre-book the Uber, etc.). 

2 – keep a schedule

Ensuring you have the time to work on your goals is important and sets you up for success. Schedule your workouts in your calendar or set aside an hour each day to work on your business idea. If the time is available and already planned out, you will be more likely to stick with it. 

3 – use habit stacking

Habit stacking is when you add a new habit to an existing habit. If you want to increase how much you read, you could read 10 pages each night right after you brush your teeth.

Related reads:

• How To Change Your Life With A Habit Audit
• Habits You Need To Start For A Great Year

4 – reward yourself 

No matter what anyone says, we are all motivated by rewards! There is nothing wrong with that. Decide how often you need or want a reward and then get to work! 

You might decide that after 2 weeks of consistent workouts, you’ll treat yourself to a new sports bra. Or maybe after 1 month of consistent blog posts, you’ll go for a nice dinner. 

5 – place reminders somewhere

Sometimes you need to be reminded to do something… I get it! Set reminders on your phone or write on sticky notes and leave them on your bathroom mirror. The more you are reminded to do something the more likely you’ll do it! 

6 – get an accountability partner 

Having someone check in with you on your goals is a great way to stay consistent. It’s so much harder to let someone else down haha. So grab a friend and get them to ask you about your goals every week! 

7 – have a backup plan 

Life is unpredictable! Having a backup plan is helpful for those days or weeks when things just don’t go as planned. What will you do if you can’t get to the gym for some reason? Workout at home that day. What if you got sick and didn’t make it to the grocery store for healthy foods? Order online that week. 

8 – check in with yourself often

Have you ever been disappointed because you’re working so hard and seeing no progress? Have you ever checked in with yourself only to realize you weren’t working as hard as you thought…

You actually only wrote 5 blog posts last month instead of 10. You only went to the gym once a week instead of 3 times. 

Checking in and reviewing your progress is so helpful and can be a reality check that you need.

9 – track your progress

Whether you want to habit track and tick a box each day you complete the task or you want to create small milestones that you work towards, tracking your progress can help you stay motivated. 

Related read: 7 Great Ways To Track Your Goals

10 – remember your long-term goals 

Finally, when it all gets to be a bit too much and you want to give up or “take a break,” remember the bigger picture. 

Remember what you are working towards and remind yourself that consistency is what will get you there. You’ve already started so don’t stop!

Journal prompts to help you stay consistent

When you are sitting down to set your goals or to review your progress, answer a couple of these journal prompts to help you stay consistent and improve your consistency muscle! 

• What helps you stay on track?

• When do you tend to give up?

• What tasks do you already do consistently?

• How could you track your progress?

• Write about one goal and go into detail about why you want to achieve it, how your life would improve, and how you’d feel if you didn’t achieve it. 

• What habits do you want to start?

• Who are 3 people you could tell your goals and plans to that could hold you accountable?

• What barriers do you suspect you’ll encounter? How can you plan for them?

• When are you most tired during the day? How could you work around that?

• When do you have the most energy? How could you use that time to your advantage?

• What gets you excited and motivated?

• Are you afraid of not achieving your goal? Why or why not?

• What distracts you?

• What does your life feel like once you’ve achieved your goal?

• Write down 3 things you’re proud of doing this week regarding your goals and your progress.

In conclusion 

Building up your consistency muscle takes time! There will be times you fail and that’s okay. Look at me, I’ve failed at several goals because I just didn’t keep at them, but with practice and some reality checks, staying consistent is possible!

One of the most important things to remember is that no one is perfect. There will be days you drop the ball. There will be times you don’t want to keep going so you just half-ass your efforts. 

Don’t let those times fool you! Focus on all the other days you’ve tried really hard. Focus on the times you showed up when you didn’t have the energy. Praise yourself for the work you’ve done! 

Even Olympic athletes miss a workout from time to time. You are not a robot. You are a human being with a life, responsibilities, and feelings. 

Consistency is what help you achieve your goals but practicing self-compassion will allow you to keep being consistent even when you have a bad day. 

Keep working hard and as usual, I believe in you! 🤍