Consistency is harder than you think

Did you miss me last month? Well, if you did, I also do some story-telling on LinkedIn these days, you can find me there!

You've probably heard in movies or read somewhere that it takes 21 days to form a habit. It's true and totally doable. The tough part is waking up every day and sticking to it for those 21 days, and even longer to really get good at it.

So, why am I bringing up something that seems so obvious? Our generation is all about the hustle. Even if it's something we don't really want to do, we often feel like we have to. For instance, getting a tech job now requires way more effort than it did 3-5 years ago. And it's not just about landing the job; we also need to keep improving to stay relevant.

And that’s just the work part of your life. We also have other goals, like getting fitter, hitting that 10k step goal, learning a new hobby or skill, having a side gig, or even starting something of our own. We often think, “We have so much to do, but so little time,” during one of those late-night overthinking sessions. So, we decide to start fresh the next day. The excitement lasts for a day or two, but then other responsibilities or urgencies come up. We start making excuses, telling ourselves we'll start again on the 15th or after finishing some other task. More often than not, we end up not resuming that hobby or activity, or we think about it so much that we lose interest.

Then, in another episode of overthinking, you get the urge to do something new, and thus the cycle continues. Well, you are not alone in this; I face it too. A LOT.

But, since the beginning of this year, I started doing certain things, like building a project every two weekends, learning a new tech stack, and continuing to write this newsletter (I couldn’t write one last month because of some issues, which I hope I can talk about soon), and I have been able to achieve it.

I do not have a mantra to share with you, but here’s what worked for me:

• Not putting a lot of things on my plate. I am aware of my routine, and I know that I can focus on only `n` number of things at a time.

• Have a priority list. What is it that I want the most? More online/offline presence? More learning? More fun activities or hobbies? Make that list. It helps.

• Have a rough draft somewhere. It could be your notes app or even a diary. Write the things you did, and trust me, you will see how far you have come. (I do not write my future goals anywhere; I live in the present, but you can do it if that helps).

Maybe you have other things that helped you remain consistent. If you do, feel free to add comments or DM me @HaimantikaM.

With that, I sign off, and I will see you next month!

Oh, by the way, I started a new weekly newsletter, The Algorithm, where I will share purely tech content. The first issue is dropping this Monday. I would love to see your support there!