You had big plans this morning. Four hours of focused work on that project that could change everything. You set your alarm. You prepared your workspace. You even told people you’d be unavailable.
And yet, here you are, ninety minutes into a social media rabbit hole, wondering what happened.
Again.
Welcome to the consistency problem – the silent killer of potential that lurks in the gap between what you know you should do and what you actually end up doing.
I’ve spent fifteen years studying productivity systems while simultaneously failing to implement half of them. What I’ve discovered is that consistency isn’t a character trait – it’s a design challenge. And most of us are unwittingly designing for failure.
Let’s fix that.
The Consistency Myth
First, let’s debunk the biggest lie in productivity culture:
Consistently productive people have more willpower than you do.
Not true.
The people you admire for their consistent output aren’t exercising heroic willpower every day. They’ve simply built environments and systems that make consistency the path of least resistance.
As Naval Ravikant says: “The price of productivity is structure.”
Your problem isn’t weakness. Your problem is that you’re trying to win a game that’s rigged against you. Let’s unrig it.
The Three Domains of Consistency Failure
When you fail to be consistent, the breakdown happens in one of three domains:
- Clarity failure – You don’t actually know what “being consistent” means in concrete terms
- Context failure – Your environment actively fights against your intentions
- Continuity failure – You lack effective bridges between stopped and started states
Let’s tackle each one with both philosophy and practicality.
Clarity Failure: Getting Specific About What Consistency Means
Most consistency problems begin with vague intentions. “I want to write more” is a wish, not a plan.
When I was failing as a writer, I had grand ambitions but hazy execution. Then I read this quote from Bukowski: “Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed.”
The truth hit me: I wasn’t actually willing to bleed every day. I wanted the outcome without the process.
Here’s how to get painfully specific:
Consistency Clarity Protocol:
- Define the exact action (not the outcome)
- Specify the minimum viable frequency
- Establish clear success/failure criteria
- Set the exact starting trigger
For example:
- Weak: “Write more consistently”
- Strong: “Write 500 words before checking email, Monday through Thursday, starting at 7:30 AM when my coffee is poured.”
Apple Ecosystem Implementation:
- Create a dedicated Calendar event with all details in the notes section
- Set up a Shortcut that automatically activates Do Not Disturb, opens your writing app, and starts a timer when triggered
Clarity isn’t just knowing what to do – it’s eliminating all ambiguity about when and how you’ll do it.
Context Failure: Designing Environments That Default to Progress
Your willpower isn’t the problem. Your environment is.
When I worked from home, I kept failing at deep work. Then I realized: I had placed my desk facing the kitchen, TV, and hallway – essentially pointing at everything that could distract me.
The solution wasn’t more focus techniques. The solution was moving my desk.
Environment design beats willpower every time. Here’s how to audit yours:
Environment Audit Questions:
- What do I see first when I enter my workspace?
- What’s within arm’s reach while I work?
- What notifications or interruptions are allowed by default?
- What frictions exist between me and starting my most important work?
- What frictions exist between me and potential distractions?
The goal: Make your important work physically easier to start than your distractions are.
Practical Environment Redesign:
- Position your workspace facing a wall or window (not open areas)
- Place only task-relevant tools on your desk
- Store your phone in another room during focus blocks
- Set up dedicated physical spaces for different types of work
Apple Ecosystem Implementation:
- Create Focus Modes for different types of work that automatically filter notifications
- Use Screen Time limits that activate during your designated deep work hours
- Set up separate user accounts for creative vs. administrative work
Your environment isn’t neutral – it’s either conspiring for you or against you.
Continuity Failure: Building Better Restart Ramps
Even with perfect clarity and context, life happens. You’ll get sick. Travel. Have emergencies.
The difference between people who maintain consistency and those who don’t isn’t that the first group never stops – it’s that they’ve mastered the art of restarting.
When I was training for a marathon, I missed two weeks due to illness. Before, this would have ended my training completely. This time, I had a restart protocol ready.
The 72-Hour Restart Protocol:
- Keep all materials needed to restart accessible in one place
- Maintain a “restart document” that outlines the minimal first steps
- Schedule a restart date within 72 hours of stopping
- Begin with 50% of your normal expectations for the first session
- Increase back to 100% over three sessions
Apple Ecosystem Implementation:
- Create a “Restart Kit” folder in Notes with all relevant documents/links
- Set a calendar reminder 72 hours after missing your routine
- Use Shortcuts to create a one-touch “Relaunch” button that sets up everything you need
Your ability to restart quickly matters more than your ability to maintain perfect streaks.
When Nothing Works: The Emergency Consistency Protocol
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, consistency becomes impossible. During these periods, implement this emergency protocol:
- Reduce to the ridiculous – What’s the smallest version of your practice you could maintain? (5 minutes? 1 paragraph?)
- Change the trigger – Attach your practice to something you already do consistently (After brushing teeth? Before bed?)
- Externalize accountability – Who could you promise daily evidence to?
I once had a client who couldn’t maintain her writing practice during a family crisis. We reduced it to typing three sentences on her phone while in the bathroom each morning. It wasn’t ideal, but it maintained the neural pathway of her practice until life normalized.
The goal during emergencies isn’t excellence – it’s continuity.
The Consistency Stack: Putting It All Together
Here’s your complete system for addressing consistency problems:
- Clarity Level
- Define the exact action with time, place, and quantity
- Create calendar entries with detailed parameters
- Set up digital environments that activate automatically
- Context Level
- Redesign physical workspace to default to focus
- Create digital barriers between you and distractions
- Establish different spaces/modes for different types of work
- Continuity Level
- Create restart protocols for inevitable interruptions
- Maintain a “restart kit” readily accessible
- Implement increasingly stronger accountability as needed
The key insight: Consistency isn’t one challenge – it’s three nested challenges that must be addressed in sequence.
The Hard Truth About Consistency
Let me finish with some straight talk:
Most consistency problems aren’t technical problems. They’re honesty problems.
You say you want to write a book, but you haven’t designed a life that could actually produce one.
You claim to value creative work, but your environment is optimized for distraction.
You beat yourself up for lacking discipline, but you’ve never built a single system to make discipline unnecessary.
Your consistency will match your design choices, not your intentions.
The good news? Starting today, you can redesign everything. Not with heroic willpower or self-criticism, but with honest assessment and intelligent design.
What would your life look like if it were actually built to produce the work you claim to value?
Build that.