Consistency:
The achievement of a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time.
(New Oxford American Dictionary)
When I was younger, I didn’t always make my bed in the mornings. It seemed like a waste of time. Why do all that work when I would just mess it up again in a few hours? Though my mother usually reminded me to do it, the bed often sat without being made for days at a time.
As I got older, I finally started to make this task a part of my morning routine. It took a while to put into effect. Sometimes I didn’t feel like it. Sometimes I forgot about it. But after a while, I started to enjoy having it made at night. I liked being able to pull the covers down. The bed seemed fresher.
It may not have always been done well, of course, but I did it every day.
Then, after a while, I started paying attention to how it was made. I made sure the quilt was straight, the sheets hidden underneath it, and neither hung down too low. These days, as I finish my last year of high school, it finally looks nice all the time, and I wouldn’t be embarrassed for anyone to see it at any time.
My whole point of telling you this story? To ask you this: When did my consistency in making my bed begin?
Though some would say it began when I started making my bed every morning, that’s not true. That was when my diligence began. As defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary, diligence is “careful and persistent work or effort.” In other words, I was persevering by starting a habit. My consistency, on the other hand, started when I began paying attention to how my bed was made: whether it was done sloppily, neatly, or somewhere in between.
If you pay attention, though, everyone seems to confuse these two traits. You can find plenty of content that tells you how to get things done on time or without having any motivation, but nothing that tells you how to complete your tasks with unfailing regularity. However, I finally devised three key ways to keep our work consistent and reliable.
1: Focus On Your Work
Don’t get distracted by music, books, videos, or anything else. This way, you will be focusing on how well you do your work, instead of getting sidetracked by the music you’re listening to. Then you’ll probably end up forgetting or ignoring something you’re supposed to do, and your job will not be completed in a good or consistent way.
2: Don’t Multitask
Often, when we multitask, we can’t complete everything exactly how we should. For example, I’ve read a book while putting the laundry in the dryer a few times. Not only does the task take me much longer than it should, but often, it doesn’t all end up in the dryer, forcing me to pick it all up afterwards! However, when I focus only on the task ahead of me, I often realize I haven’t been finishing it or doing it well before.
3: Check Yourself
It may often get annoying and frustrating, but checking your work after completing your task is the best way to make sure you did it right. It usually only takes a few minutes, but can save you a lot of trouble in the end. Glancing again at the bed to make sure the covers are pulled onto it correctly, holding up a dish to make sure it’s fully cleaned, and peeking under the china cabinet to ensure you swept under it are all good examples of checking ourselves to make sure we are completing our tasks consistently.
As I know from experience, being consistent can be very difficult. We must remember to pay attention, taking the time to make sure our task was done correctly and exactly how we did it the last time. We need to focus, and check ourselves afterwards to ensure it was done according to the way it should be done. No matter how complicated our task is, it’s important to make sure we’re completing everything with unchanging regularity.
Post a Comment