The Power of Consistency

So today Steve and I are going to be talking about the power of consistency. So there's no magic tricks here, there's no forced discipline, it's just what to do every day to make sure you get up and do it even if you don't want to, even if you're unwell or whatever, even if you can't be arsed. I have these days every single day. I would rather be on a beach every day sipping piña coladas, but I show up every day even if I haven't got a lot to do. And I've done all my to-do list, I still do it. My work ethic really annoys me because I just want to sit down sometimes, which I do every day still. So today we're going to talk about the power of consistency. So I thought it would be worthwhile going through my little bespoke plan— hi, Kristen— um, my little bespoke plan of what I've created as a model template and then what I do on a daily basis. So Steve, feel free to jump in, tell me to shut up. You know what I'm like, I go off on a tangent and start getting excited about this sort of thing. So years ago, this is where it originated from, I wrote myself a letter on, I think, New Year's Eve, and I read it the following New Year's Eve. It was very motivational, it was fantastic. I realised I'd done nothing on that list. So I was pissed off. So then what I did was like, how am I going to achieve all my goals when I can't— this magic letter hasn't worked? So I wrote down everything I wanted to do in my life. There's financial stuff on there, there's development stuff, there's family stuff, there's health stuff, there's stuff for family and friends. I've got some goals written down. Then what I've done is I've worked backwards to go from January, February, March, April, May to the year, and I've wrote down roughly where I need to be. Then what I've done is I've worked backwards and I've done it in half terms. So my kids are really young still and I want to be able to have half terms off with them. That was one of my goals. So I work in half term increments, 6 to 8 weeks or whatever the bloody kids are at school nowadays. Then what I've done is I've done a weekly model week. Now I won't get into this today because it takes about 90 minutes to, to go through properly, but I've basically put all of my week together, stuff I have to do on a daily basis— getting up, taking the kids to school— and then I start habit stacking around that. So today I've walked the kids to school, I've listened to a podcast on the way back, I've done a lot of stuff before that, etc. Then what I've done, based on where I want to be in a year, I've created 18 daily habits. Now this sounds mental, but this is the, this is the cookie cutter approach you need to do on a daily basis to get your ass up in the morning, to get motivated. If you're slightly competitive, you want to tick it off. So I've created 18 daily habits. Now I'm going to read them out to you. And you'll think some of them are ridiculous. And then I'm going to say why I've done it and how this keeps me motivated when I'm tired, I can't be bothered. It helps you show up. And also, this is an app and I've paid for it, but you can do it for free on a spreadsheet, or you can write it down in a notebook. However, I've color coordinated them because I'm a bit of a nerd. I tick them off on a daily basis, and then monthly weekly and annually, it gives you a percentage of how much you've achieved those targets. So this helps me get up and get shit done even if I don't want to. And some of them are really basic things, so I'll read some of them out to you. I can say, people who are watching, you can see them colors.

At least you haven't got brush your teeth on there and wash your hair.

I've washed my face on there in blue, to be fair. So yeah, so I just gotta keep your face washed. So I've got stretching on there for 10 minutes, and again, you can, you can do it in time increments as well. So I've got stretching on there because I've got a terrible back, which everyone knows about. I've got read goals on there, so that is an affirmation that I've written based upon— I can't remember which book it was. I don't know if it was Think and Grow Rich or something, but they said to write to 5 or 6 paragraphs on your goals of what you want to achieve and by when. What are you going to give back into the world? What you need to do. So I read those every day because it goes, why am I doing this? I don't want to do this today, I'm tired. So I don't get up at 5 o'clock and jump in an ice bath and drink some electrolytes and then run a fucking marathon. I read my goals and go, this is why I'm up this morning when I don't want to be, and I'd rather sit on my ass reading my book this is what I'm going to do and why.

It gives you the motivation.

Yeah, I, I've got a real bad thing with cake. Like, I'd eat cake all day every day. I bloody love cake. And I actually don't buy cake because I'm a bastard for it, but I've now learned how to make a cake in 3 minutes in the microwave. But me reading those goals every day, one of them is to be— I know, terrible— one of them is to be um, the best health I can be so that it reaffirms to me. Um, then I've got, I want to diversify my income into stocks and stuff. I am not great with maths or IT. Steve, you know this very well. So I've had to put a shitload of energy into reading articles, emails, listening to podcasts, reading. I think I've got about 8 stock books that I've been reading. So I've got on there to listen to an Audible book for 15 minutes a day and read, um, something relevant to stocks 15 minutes a day. It's not a lot. It doesn't take up the day. It doesn't take me hours. Even if the book's boring, I can do 15 minutes, and I put a little timer on and I just get it done. And then I figured out that I'm better at reading in the mornings If I don't stretch in the morning, I know it don't get done. So then I've started linking the times in with what's best for me. I do 15,000 steps a day, which is absolutely insane. If I don't walk the kids to school, come rain or shine or snow, I know I'm going to be set up for a really bad day. That's the habits I've created. I know if I don't listen to the Audible book on the way back, I'll find it difficult to fit in later. So I'm linking these things into my daily life to make it a pattern, to make it a habit. So again, when I'm tired or I can't be bothered, I've done 2 to 3 habits at once and it's done. And then when you're ticking them off your to-do list and you've done them, so like I've done 2 completed ones at the bottom already, it's not discipline or willpower where you have to force yourself out of bed and go, ugh, I've really ingrained these habits into tangible things that I want to achieve. So me doing that every day, I know I will get to them goals. It's going to happen. I'm walking that way every day. So the power of consistency is basically interlinked in your daily habits. Hmm.

Yeah. Consistency beats talent.

Oh God, yeah, yeah, absolutely. I'm not— I've got skills, but some of them are not great. There's loads of more talented, better, intelligent, hardworking people out there than me. Again, I watch Netflix every night, I read a fun book every day, I've got a hot tub now, I go in that every day. Do you know, that's me bones though, in case anyone judges me. I've got bad bones. I've got a load of fun stuff that I do every day. I make the kids fresh food every day. Sometimes I have chicken nuggets. Don't judge me. I do the things you should do on a daily basis as a parent and it gets done. So the hustle culture and the people working 16, 17, 18-hour days actually doesn't need to happen if you just do little consistent habits every day. And this is what I said on the other sort of live last week. I've had some terrible times, but I've shown up every single day regardless. And these little habits is why.

Yeah, and I suppose your end goal, you've then broken it down into chunks and then broken it down again into achievable, like, sort of steps.

Yeah, exactly. It's like one of the steps.

Then you kind of build up and you achieve your goal.

Yeah, and it's the little things. I like one of my affirmation things, and I'm not very woo-woo or spiritual, but one of mine is, um, me and my husband want to build up a certain amount of portfolio with a certain amount of cash flow in a certain time frame. I'll just put it like that. And in one of the paragraphs I've put, the first goal is to find X property deal in this time frame And to do this, I need to build relationships up with the following: solicitor, mortgage broker, investors, people who have already done it, network. Do you know what I mean? So the first step is, have I gone to a networking event? Have I reached out to people? Have I got a mortgage broker in that space? And I put every day I will do a tangible action that links me to achieving that. And then if it goes tits up, I carry on. Now I've got the people around me that I need. It's just now I've got— and I've got a deal accepted and I've got the investment there and we're getting it all together. Like yesterday I needed to raise some finance and I did because I fucking needed to. I know, I was like, I fucking need to do that. So for me now it's, um, the next step is to get the valuation done. The next step is to do— do you know what I mean? So you've got Whatever the goal is, losing weight, quitting smoking, holiday home in Dubai, I know I want to go there now, etc. You've got to keep going every single day. So yeah, that's my little 10 minutes on habit tracking and showing up when you don't want to, and that's how you do it.

Yeah, this, and obviously just sort of routine Once it gets into routine, yeah, it then becomes achievable.

Exactly. And like today, I've, I've only got 2 things on my to-do list I really, really, really wanted to do. They'll take about 20 minutes now, and then I've got to decide whether I'm gonna have the day off or I'm gonna do something productive to do the next thing I want to do, and then have a bit of it. Do you see what I mean? So it's like power play, isn't it? So yeah. That's my little nugget. So if anyone's got any questions or they want to need help with anything, or you're really struggling to have something stuck, I'm more than willing to have a little chat with anyone to sort of iron out a process. I love a process and a spreadsheet, um, iron out a process and stuff. So yeah, if anyone's got any questions, let us know, and then Steve and I will do some more.

Yeah, well, thank you very much, Heidi. It certainly giving me food for thought in how I sort of approach my daily tasks, if you like. Cool.

Well, if you fancy it one time, we'll go through a couple on a different live. Have a think. But yeah, thank you everybody for watching and yeah, we'll see you on the next one.

See you on the next one.

Bye.

Thanks, Heidi. Thanks, Christian. Bye.