I recently read James Clear’s “Transform Your Habits.” (Downloadable for free when you subscribe to his site. Totally worth it.)
He writes about the importance of establishing a schedule in order to develop and maintain habits.
“It took me a while to realize it, but it’s not about always doing your best work, it’s about doing the best you can on a consistent basis.”
This was the realization he came to when he created a blogging schedule for himself. This really hit home for me, because sometimes it’s a struggle to stick to my own Monday/Thursday blogging schedule.
I put the schedule in place for this very reason, because I realized it was the only way I would be consistent. So, I understood in January 2014 (when I established the schedule) the importance of consistency.
However, I was still very focused on perfection. And while this is very noble, it is also exhausting.
James Clear expressed the idea much more eloquently. Basically, he is trying to say it is better to be consistent than to give up because you aren’t “inspired” or ready to produce your “best.”
Of course, this doesn’t just apply to blogging. The same could be said for my novel writing. As long as I’m writing consistently, it doesn’t matter if my work is “publishable” or prize-worthy.
I hope you can take the same attitude, and realize that developing habits by being consistent will go a long way toward achieving your goals.