How to Build Habits You'll Actually Stay Consistent With.

Read Time: 4 Minutes

It’s 3 am.

Jim is having those ‘deep thoughts’ about life. You know, the “I’m going to save the world” type.

As he sits in the darkness of his room, his mind forces him to reflect on all of the opportunities and progress he’s blown.

He says to himself, “Why can’t I stay consistent with anything?”.

All of a sudden, he has a legendary epiphany. “I’m going to change”, he says out loud to himself.

For the next week, he becomes dedicated to this change: He gets up at 5 am, starts going to the gym, and finally starts that online business.

Then, everything crumbles. 

He gets up late two days straight, then skips the gym for a week, and before he realizes it he’s been dropped right back where he started.

This is a common story. Why is it so hard to stay consistent with new habits?

The answer: The Death Trap of Inconsistency

The Death Trap of Inconsistency

Ah yes…the killer of all habits, growth, and self-improvement.

It holds us back from achieving everything we’ve ever wanted. 

Like a Kraken protecting a golden chest from pirates.

In this case, we are the pirates and we’ve got to Kill the Kraken.

I’ve been able to overcome this death trap for myself and break through the ‘average’ barriers.

These are the 4 Rules that I’ve been using for the past 2 years to build habits that allow me to thrive in life and as an entrepreneur.

4 Rules To Building Habits (The Sustainable Way)

Rule #1: Build One At A Time

A common mistake is trying to change your life in one foul swoop. (and trust me, I’ve tried it)

The smarter, easier, and less overwhelming approach is to add habits slowly and stay consistent with them.

Action: 

  • Focus on one.

  • Become comfortable.

  • Add.

Rule #2: Do Small > None At All.

Let’s say you want to start building that online business.

You tell yourself, “I want to build the habit of one hour of work per day.”

The next day, you get up and just feel like sh*t. 

Instead of working the hour, just spend 15 minutes, hell even 10 minutes on it.

Give yourself permission to check it off your list even if you did a small amount.

Action: 

  • When you don’t feel like it, just do a little. 

Rule #3: Keep It Top Priority.

To make building a habit easy as pie, do it first.

I used to try to work on my business when I got home from school.

The problem: by the time I got home, my energy would be legally dead.

So, I decided to try getting up early before school instead. This changed the game for me.

I had all the energy in the world to dedicate to building habits, and consistency for the first time became easy.

Action:

  • Make a new habit easier to stay consistent with by doing it first.

Rule #4: Stack Habits To Create Momentum (Systems > Habits)

Habits alone are powerful, but systems are next level.

Building a “system of habits” will turn your standalone habit into a string of them that allows you to become ultra-productive on autopilot.

Here’s an example:

You’ve spent the last 3 months mastering the habit of working 1 hour per day on your dream business.

Now you feel ready to turn it up a notch. You want to take control of your health.

Right after you work, go to the gym.

Over time these two habits will become connected.

Two months down the line, you don’t think about it, you simply do because of the power of routine. 

Ask yourself, why do you brush your teeth first thing every morning? (At least I hope haha)

It’s because the habit of walking to the bathroom and brushing your teeth are tied together through routine. 

Action:

If you want to make a habit easier to do, attach it to something that is already a part of your daily routine.

Here are two examples:

To build the habit of reading, wrap it around going to bed.

Leave a book by your nightstand and watch yourself begin to pick it up night after night.

If you want to build a habit of journaling in the morning, place your journal at your desk.

You will see it and get the trigger to start. You will begin to pick it up morning after morning.

Systems are where the real progress is made.

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this week’s Modern Productivity Newsletter, check out my substack website (top of email click ‘open in browser’) to see all my past letters.

See you next week,

Matt

PS:

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help:

  1. Apply for my program where I help ambitious entrepreneurs become ultra-productive to smash through their revenue goals & outwork their competition, all while saving 10+ hours per week.

  2. Book a 1-1 Strategy Session to gain clarity on your routine, habits, and systems.