Be real with yourself

Part of success in creative consistency is being real with yourself. You know that you’ve tried to be consistent in the past, but failed. Understanding why that happened, and what you might need to do to avoid failure in the future is what leads to success. Even if it means admitting a flaw in your own discipline or process. 

A study called Self-Control by Precommitment by Dan Ariely out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found some interesting results in this space. “People sometimes impose deadlines on themselves, even when missing these deadlines leads to penalties. In a world without self-control problems, such behavior would seem non-normative” Ariely writes. Indeed, if perfectly rational robots or aliens saw us self-imposing deadlines, punishments, or rewards on our work, they would think it odd and inefficient. But it’s perfectly normal for us, because we know we’re not 100% consistent or rational. 

Dan Ariely also found that “self-imposed deadlines do not enhance performance as much as externally imposed, evenly spaced deadlines.” This is partly why classes, cohorts, and curriculum have proven to be effective throughout the years. Yes, you can learn everything for free on YouTube. But without social status or finances at stake, will you? 

Personal advancement and accomplishment isn’t just about learning. It’s about learning how to be real with yourself, too.