"The Power of Consistency: Learning to Do Things When You Don't Feel Like It"

"The Power of Consistency: Learning to Do Things When You Don't Feel Like It"

We all have those moments when we just don't feel like doing something. It could be a task at work, a household chore, or even pursuing our personal goals. It's easy to give in to the temptation of procrastination or to simply drop out when things get tough. However, the most practical skill in life is learning to do things even when we don't feel like doing them.

Consistency is key in achieving success. The person who is consistent outperforms the person who is intermittent every time. While inconsistent effort may work for some things, it is not enough for the things that truly matter. If we want to reach our goals and make a real impact, we need to be consistent in our efforts.

But how do we stay consistent when things get hard? How do we push through those moments when we lack motivation or energy? The key lies in our mindset. We need to tell ourselves that we can quit tomorrow, but not today. We need to remind ourselves of the importance of the task at hand and the long-term benefits it will bring.

In the article "The Man Who Reads 1,000 Articles a Day," the author shares his strategy for finding pieces of writing with lasting value. He looks for articles that share interesting ideas, deploy strong arguments, and have particularly fine writing. This insight can be applied to our own lives when searching for quality content. Instead of consuming mindless information, we should seek out material that will enrich our knowledge and provide lasting value.

The author also highlights the importance of headlines. He puts quite a lot of trust in headlines because he believes they are written by loyal allies of the writers who are paid to find and express what is best in the piece. If a headline fails to grab his attention, it's a strong indicator that the article may not be worth his time. We can apply this approach to our own reading habits by being selective with the articles we choose to invest our time in.

Moreover, the author emphasizes the significance of a strong start. If an article fails to captivate him from the beginning, the chances of it improving are vanishingly small. This principle can be applied to our own work as well. Whether it's writing an essay, creating a presentation, or starting a new project, we should strive to make a strong first impression. By doing so, we increase the likelihood of continued engagement and success.

In terms of his process, the author uses Substack to compose and publish his newsletter. He narrows down his selection to five articles, adds the titles, links, and lengths, and then rereads the pieces to write the summaries and captions. This shows the importance of having a structured approach to our tasks. By organizing our workflow and breaking it down into manageable steps, we can streamline our productivity and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.

To summarize, learning to do things when we don't feel like doing them is the most practical skill in life. Consistency is key in achieving success, and we can stay consistent by reminding ourselves that we can quit tomorrow, but not today. Additionally, seeking out content with lasting value, being selective with our reading choices, and making a strong start in our own work are all strategies that can help us maintain consistency and achieve our goals.