I’m a strong believer in the power of consistency. Doing something small consistently can make a big difference in the long term. Your goal might seem big like an elephant, but if you take your one step every day you will eventually achieve it.

The problem, of course, is it’s not easy to be consistent. It’s easier to just follow your mood and do things that you feel like doing. But consistency is essential to achieve big goals so you should learn to put it into practice.

Here’s how:

1. Set a goal you believe in

You need a powerful source of motivation to stay consistent in the long term. Because of that, your goal should be something you believe in, something you really care about. Otherwise you won’t be able to keep at it for months or even years.

2. Allocate time for it every day

Don’t just wait until you have time. Instead, make the time. I usually allocate a minimum amount of time to work on my goal daily. You may want to take time off on the weekend and some other occasions, but other than that thrive to meet your commitment.

3. Use the time for real work

What’s the use of allocating time if you use most of it to procrastinate? So make sure that you do real work during it. For this purpose, I use a timer. Whenever I stop working in the middle of a session, I stop the timer. Then I restart it when I get back to work. This way I know that I’ve spent the whole allocated time for real work.

4. Take the shortest path

Allocating time for your goal won’t help if it doesn’t take you closer to your goal. A common pitfall is using the time for things that aren’t really necessary.

To avoid this, always keep your goal in mind and build the desire to achieve it as soon as possible. Setting a tight deadline is a good way to help you stay focused.

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What do you think? How do you achieve big goals?