What are you doing to become consistent (in anything)?

[Henrietta23]

I am consistently inconsistent except for four areas: Paying bills quickly, saving $1100 monthly, keeping a budget, and having high FICO scores.  I am going to try to change my longstanding pattern by  using my recumbent bicycle each day.  I had an injury  a month ago and I haven't been able to exercise for a month.  Now I'm starting up again.

Ideas?

Message Edited by Henrietta23 on 22-02-2009 07:55 AM

[Junejer]

They say that it takes 21 days of doing something good, in order to make it a habit. Hit that bicycle everyday for three weeks straight, even if it's only for 10-15 minutes. Conversely, if you were to do something bad for you, it would only take seven days to make that a habit.

[llecs]

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ByrdMan wrote:
They say that it takes 21 days of doing something good, in order to make it a habit. Hit that bicycle everyday for three weeks straight, even if it's only for 10-15 minutes. Conversely, if you were to do something bad for you, it would only take seven days to make that a habit.

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Byrdman stole my thunder. Ditto to the 21 days. I used to work in television for a NBC-affiliate and later for a large newspaper and we always told the advertising sales people to lock in the ads for any given advertiser for 3 weeks because the avg. consumer who watches TV takes 21 days to make up his or mind to buy a particular product. With the newspaper, we actually would hold focus groups with the advertisers and found that those who locked in a 21 day sprint saw more success than those who didn't. You read about this all the time in marketing books but its cool to see it happen.

[Anonymous]

As far as exercise goes, I think the magic number is closer to a week, at least for me. I worked out religiously for about a year, lost 55 pounds and felt great. Every other day workout is weights with the other days cardio on the elliptical. I fell off that regimen for a few months but have been back on it for a couple. 

When I started back, the first day wasn't too bad, the second day hurt like Hades and the third day I could hardly get out of bed. By the end of the first week I was producing endorphins again and the burn became a fun game once more. I was hooked again and it feels great.

With most other things I agree on the 3 weeks to a month. Habits, good or bad are really not that hard to break if your head is right. You have to WANT !

[Junejer]

You already had it in your blood, contractor. You worked out like a maniac for about a year. That falloff didn't extract it from your blood. I constantly have ebbs and flows in my workout regimen, but it's in my blood, so it takes a couple of days for me to bet back into it. From scratch, I would still say 21 days is the norm.

[Anonymous]

Could be. I did come back quickly, much easier than when I started the first time.

[Junejer]

Heck, when I come back now, I can blast the weights hard, and I don't even get sore anymore.

[demi]

I guess drinking coffee and eating chocolate isn't the consistency you are looking for?  I excel at that

[Anonymous]

I try to keep caffeine and alcohol in harmony. It's my yin and yang. The addition of tobacco would create a triumvirate and those tend not to work out very well.

[haulingthescoreup]

I'm trying desperately to start arriving at work on time, but it ain't happenin' yet. What I'm doing to try to make this happen is getting up earlier and earlier every day, but it just means that I'm spending that much more time on the forums in the a.m.

(fwiw, I stay over at the office --one way or another, my employer gets 8 hours out of me)