A new understanding of consistency

I had an epiphany about consistency a few weeks ago. I had just finished working out with my wonderful personal trainer Kate Saynor in my one non-negotiable exercise session of the week. I had just achieved another personal best, and as I stretched we chatted about the ups and downs of the last 12 months, and how with consistency, you can still make progress towards your goals.

Back story

I’ve been working out with Kate for a few years now, during which time my ability (willingness?!) to commit to regular exercise has fluctuated wildly. I managed to get up around the 4-5 sessions a week at one point, but early last year when business really started taking off, that slipped right back to just one session per week, with Kate. I spent the majority of 2023 feeling pretty miserable about that, and though I didn’t realise it at the time, it was impacting how I felt about my Friday sessions with Kate. Week in, week out, I’d trudge into her studio and haul myself through each workout. I didn’t want to be there, and I was very honest with Kate about this - I felt guilty that I was taking up a slot of someone who would “make the most” of her skills and expertise (she has a waitlist for personal training clients, and a wonderful online group fitness membership option), I was embarrassed that I simply couldn’t prioritise my strength and fitness goals, and I was worried that I was frustrating to work with, with my consistently low moods and energy.

Needless to say, Kate was wonderful throughout this period of time. I’d show up, share how I was feeling, then we’d get to work and have a kick-ass personal training session. Whilst I didn’t want to show up most weeks, I never once regretted one of those Friday sessions. Kate would ensure that no matter how I was feeling, I was able to get a solid workout in, modifying planned workouts based on how I showed up on any given Friday and making sure I could workout safely. Eventually I realised that no matter what legitimate excuse I had (extremely tired, sore leg, dicky shoulder - I had them all!), Kate would have an exercise modification, and therefore resistance was futile. But in all seriousness, Kate kept me moving, and gave me the gift of consistency.

Consistency is …

My understanding up until this point was that to be consistent, you needed to work at something with a reasonable level of frequency, for a reasonable period of time. I was aiming for a minimum of three workouts a week, but this goal was unrealistic (for me) for a number of reasons. Every week I’d set that unrealistic goal, and when I couldn’t achieve it, I’d beat myself up for the two sessions I didn’t do, rather than celebrating - and enjoying! - the one session I had nailed.

The epiphany

The epiphany came sometime in March this year. I was reflecting with Kate about how different this year felt, and how I hadn’t once woken up on a Friday and not wanted to work out. I was no longer setting the 2-3 workouts per week goal, and instead just really enjoying my Friday sessions. Kate observed that I was still getting personal bests, and that consistently working out once a week, almost every week for years, was still moving me towards my strength goals. Let me assure you, when she called my workout regime “consistent”, it blew my mind. Surely once a week wasn’t consistent, was it? Actually it was, even by my own understanding of consistency; I was working at something with reasonable frequency (once a week) for a reasonable period of time (a few years).

Cool story, but um, decluttering…?

I’ve shared this story and epiphany because perhaps like me with my exercise, you’ve felt a lack of motivation (maybe even a sense of dread) when it comes to decluttering. And I wanted to share with you that getting your home under control doesn’t have to be a big bang, an all-or-nothing, a whole weekend of you slogging away in misery to achieve your goal. (I mean, we can help with that! Without the slogging and misery - if you’re going to “big bang” your decluttering, make it fun, dammit!) But if you want to go it alone, then consistency is your best friend - and once a week is all you need. Make a date with yourself for the same time each week - or better yet, schedule a call with your friendly local decluttering coach! - put it in your diary, and then show up for yourself. Can you commit to something for 45 minutes, once a week? If so, you’ve got consistency my friend. Go get those gains!