Summer is coming, restrictions are lifting, people are getting vaccinated, so you know what that means! WE OUTSIDE this summer! If you haven’t been working on getting that beach body together since last Summer, then the beach is going to have to get whatever body you give it. If that was not the plan, then you need to read this entire post so that you can get consistent with your goals.

If you have ever struggled with consistency like I have, then this post is for you. I have literally gone from not meeting any of my goals to crushing everything I set my mind to. The three things that I will tell you about in this post are the practices I have adopted to keep myself on track and moving full steam ahead to the finish line.

START putting more energy into developing your process and STOP focusing on the destination.

You have heard it said before that we should begin with the end in mind, and this is true. You do need to decide what exactly it is that you want, but once you have done that, you need to think about how you are going to get there. Now, this isn’t just good information for a fitness journey, but what I am telling you here are keys to becoming consistent with anything.

If you are going to reach any goal, your process is going to be the thing that gets you there. Let’s say your goal is to finally start losing weight. To really develop your process for getting there, you need to think about your plans for exercise and nutrition. Will you follow a program? Will you have a trainer? How much are you willing to invest to achieve your goals? Will you hire a nutritionist, buy books, or borrow books from the library? These are all details that are important in determining your process. Becoming hyper-focused on the end has the potential to make you feel like you aren’t making any progress, and subsequently, make you feel like giving up. Instead, stay focused on fine-tuning your process and keeping your word to yourself.

Think of your process like you would think of your Google Maps GPS. With your GPS, you would key in the address to your destination while it recognizes your current location. Your GPS will then populate with directions to your destination. Those directions are the process or the steps you will take to get to your destination. When you leave your current location, you will listen for further instructions as you drive. When you receive those instructions, you will act accordingly. On your way to your destination, you don’t worry about whether you will get there or not; you trust that the process (directions) will get you there. And if you have a reliable GPS, you will!

START single-tasking more and STOP multi-tasking everything.

Single-tasking allows you to give your complete attention to one task. I use my single-tasking goals chart to help with this and you can download that file by clicking on the link below.

When I single-task my day, I start by writing down things I would like to get done. These can be things related to my goals or things I just need to get done for my household. I then break these tasks down into different categories –blog, book, house, social, etc. After I have sorted them into different categories, I assign priority to each task. For me, I don’t like to take on more than three tasks in a single day. This is so I can really devote both the necessary time and attention needed to complete each task for that day.

Multi-tasking is fine in small doses, but multi-tasking isn’t always productive, and it could leave you with mediocre results. If you can devote your energy to starting and finishing one single task, your efforts would yield better results.

I don’t think there is much else to say about this. You get the point.

START scheduling your day and STOP just winging it.

I live and breathe scheduling. I don’t know if I can’t live without it or if I just choose not to, but scheduling is how I GET STUFF DONE. Scheduling allows you to look at your day and decide exactly how you will maximize each minute of your day. When you schedule, you leave less up to chance, are more likely to be prepared for opportunities when they present themselves, and feel more confident saying “no” to things that don’t align with your process.

You want to begin scheduling your day by first thinking about the routines you already have in place. Let’s say your routines are you wake up, eat breakfast, workout, shower, drop the kids off at day care, then go to work. You can easily schedule those things because they are already a part of your normal routine. The times and days you complete those tasks will likely be decided in advance. If you take your son to gymnastics on Tuesdays at 4, then that is something you can insert as well.

Scheduling the rest of your time is where it usually gets sticky. This is usually what we call our “free time”, and sometimes it can be that. My secret is that I schedule my free time. After I get done with my daily “must-dos”, I schedule other things I need to get done. I schedule time to work on my blog, time for exercise, time for social media stuff, time for dinner, time for reading, time for appointments, and a time for bed (just to name a few things). And like I mentioned before, I even schedule my free time. There are days that I have actually predetermined to spend it being absolutely and utterly useless. Those days consist of me either doing nothing or getting pretty close to it.

So, you may be wondering: How do I decide what goes on my schedule? The answer is, if it is important to you, schedule it. If it is something you really want to get done, schedule it. The only way we will absolutely, undoubtedly get stuff done is by making the time for it.

Getting consistent isn’t hard, you just have to be intentional about it. If you put these three things into practice today, you WILL see results. There is still time to work on your beach body. You may miss summer here in the states, but there is always somewhere in the world with a warm beach.

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