Consistency can be so boring, isn’t it? And yet it bears great fruit if we would persist in it.
Consistency in Exercising
Take for instance being consistent with exercise. If you consistently walked just 30 minutes a day, your physical stamina would improve, your mood would also improve and you may even lose weight.
READ: 7 Health Benefits of Walking 30 Minutes a Day
Consistency in Bible Reading
And if we consistently read our bible daily, just a chapter a day, we’d finish the Bible in slightly over 3 years and 3 months. Imagine that. One chapter a day which takes you less than 10 minutes on average.
Note: This is NOT for bible study or meditation but to encourage those of us who are daunted by the thought of reading such a thick book like the Bible. A chapter a day is day doable!
Consistency in Homeschooling
With homeschooling, there is definitely a need to be consistent. As I have written before, the best homeschooling method and curriculum used is the one that we use consistently.
For your children’s sake, do not keep switching curriculum. Yes, we want to be flexible. Yes, if the curriculum is not working for the child or family, you should switch.
But did you honestly use it consistently and as laid out for at least a few months?
Don’t just switch after one to two months. And don’t start tweaking it after a few weeks. Give it a fair chance to work out in your homeschool.
Being Consistent is Hard
Yes, I know that being consistent is hard. There are many things we are able to force ourselves to do if it is a one-off project. But to consistently do something is where many of us fail.
The commitment to the project must be really high for us to keep doing what is needed until it becomes a habit. Until then it is just hard.
Until It Becomes a Habit
But I must say that with physical tasks, being consistent does become easier over time. Because if we consistently do something long enough, it becomes a habit. And then, we don’t have to think about it anymore. We just do. Take, for instance, making your bed or brushing your teeth. Most of us automatically do them without thinking, right?
But how do we get to that state?
Reminders.
When we were young, our parents acted as our reminders, nagging us to go brush our teeth, pack our bags, and so on. Now that we are adults, we can use Habit Trackers as reminders.
Habit Tracking
What is a Habit Tracker and what is Habit Tracking?
A Habit Tracker is just a piece of paper that lists out the habits you want to track with boxes for you to check off once the task is done.
Don’t Break the Chain
There IS something magical about Habit Trackers. First, there is a sense of achievement when you get to cross out a box upon completion of a task. Then, there is a visual picture of your progress. It serves to motivate you to keep going. You don’t want to break the chain.
So for instance, you want to read to your child daily for 10 minutes a day. Set that up in your Habit Tracker. Once it is done, check the box, or better still, get your child to check it off.
You can set up any habit you want to be consistent about in this tracker: read your Bible daily, walk 20 minutes daily, floss your teeth nightly, etc. Just check it off when it is done.
Keep It Out
But you need to see this tracker. It won’t work if you put the tracker in your planner or drawer that you do not open.
And what if you miss a day? James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits says, just “don’t miss twice”. That’s right. You may miss a day here and there but just don’t miss twice in a row. And don’t give up just because you miss a day.
You can set up your Habit Tracker to track things you wish to keep up with on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. It is up to you.
Consistency in Disciplining the Children
Now if only we can be as consistent when disciplining our children, eh?
We know that there is a great need to be consistent when disciplining our children, especially when they are young. They will test us by pushing boundaries so we need to be consistent.
No matter the method used – spanking, time out, etc – it is our consistency that teaches the child obedience and trust in us. We must say what we mean and mean what we say.
Maybe the Habit Tracker can work here too? We could check off the number of times we got up and disciplined them instead of just yelling at them across the room or pretend we didn’t see their infraction?
You know, if Mystie of Simply Convivial can write down “Smile at Children” in her Humble Habits Tracker, to make sure she does not forget to smile at her children, I am sure we can track our consistency in disciplining our children by tracking it in our Habit Tracker!
After all, with discipline, the need to be consistent is of great importance. It is worth a shot, in my opinion.
Your Turn
Is there something you are currently struggling to be consistent in? Comment below and maybe we can help each other brainstorm ideas to tackle it?
If you already have a Habit Tracker share what you are tracking with us! You can see in the image above the things I am keeping track of. I am keeping things simple and trying not to be overly ambitious. Once I master these, I will add “sleeping by 11pm” on the tracker!
Want Your Own Habit Tracker?
Click on the image to download a Basic, Black-and-White or the Floral Habit Tracker of your own. (Floral Artwork by @esthersletters. Go follow her.
Related Posts
The Importance of Teaching Obedience to Our Children
Discipline is Hard Work
8 Reasons Why I Still Do Read Alouds To My Children
Don’t Give Up Training Your Children
5 Comments on Use Habit Trackers for Consistency
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Hello Serene,
Hmm, That’s an interesting read about the habit tracker for our personal lives.
You are right about the sense of achievement when you finish the task and get to tick off the item on the list.
I’ve never thought of having such a list. Seeing yours with the simple tasks is insipring. I shall share it with my mother in law who is battling to be consistent on her daily 20-minute walk prescribed by the doctor.
Thank you for sharing your habit tracker with us.
Best regards,
Michele
Hey, thanks for sharing the Habit Tracker with your mother-in-law. Exercising when one is not used to it is really hard. The Habit Tracker is definitely helpful but more importantly, her WHY is most important to keep her exercising. WHY does she need to exercise? WHY does she WANT to exercise. So unless she has someone who will drag her (figuratively, of course!) to do it, she will always find some reason not. I *have* been there!
Hello Serene,
Hello Serene,
Thank you for replying. You are right about the habit of exercising. It’s needs to be maintained all the way through, preferably from a young age. But like you said, it one is not used to it, it is Indeed terribly difficult. We tend to fall off the wagon easily.
I’d like to take this Opportunity to wish you and your family a lovely Lunar New year.
Best regards,
Michele
Thanks Michele!