Are You Consistently Consistent?

consistentAre You Consistently Consistent?

Hey everyone,

Yes, I’ve decided to talk again about consistency. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve kept coming across this word, almost as though someone’s trying to tell me something! I know one person who is doing this for sure is Dean Holland, who has emphasised this on the last 2 weeks’ webinars. And rightly so!

Although I’ve talked before about consistency on more than one occasion, I’ve realised that perhaps I haven’t been consistent enough myself. Indeed, I haven’t been consistently consistent.

What Do I Mean?

Surely you’re either consistent or you’re not? Yes, this is true. But perhaps you’re consistent for a time and then you let things slip a little, maybe doing what’s needed for a month and then losing momentum. Maybe you go into a kind of ‘funk’ for a few days and then pick up your consistency, but then slip back again.

So really, it’s absolutely essential to keep up that momentum wherever and whenever possible, yes to be consistently consistent!

consistentHow To Do It

I think that the most important thing is to focus on, well, the most important things!

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big advocate of writing stuff down. However, even this is something that I’ve let slip a bit recently.

Write down a plan of action for the following day, starting with the essential tasks and then following with the not so essential ones.

For example, today I was reviewing a course that I bought a while back from Tom Ness. In it he talks about some of the traffic methods that I’ve been using myself, but what I think is especially useful is that he talks about actually having a predetermined set of tasks and sticking to them. So, for example, in the traffic section he mentions leaving a comment on at least 10 blogs daily. It’s having the set number written down and planned beforehand that I think is a great tip as this gives you a specific aim to work towards.

Now I must emphasise again here, as I often do (because it is so very important), that if you’re going to leave comments on blogs or forums, then only do so if they are going to be relevant and provide value rather than just because you want to reach your quota.

Spammy, “Great post!” or “Me too!” types of comments don’t benefit anyone. So if you really can’t leave a comment of value then it’s better not to post at all rather than to just post rubbish.

Again, this relates to focusing on the most important things. If you focus on things such as making money, getting your post count up, getting attention, etc then you’re likely heading for frustration. Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with these things in themselves, but here’s the kicker: if you focus primarily on delivering value and helping others then you’ll find that all those other things will fall into place behind the scenes!

So don’t think about, “How can this make me money?”, “How can I use this to drive traffic?”, “How will this get me some attention?” and so on. Rather, get into the habit of thinking this way: “How can I contribute to this thread?”, “What can I offer to this discussion?”, “How best can I help this person?” and so forth. You’ll find that all the other things that you’re ultimately aiming for will happily work in the background.

So with that said, I’m off now to put this stuff into practice. Thanks for visiting and for reading and, as always, don’t forget to comment, rate and also to subscribe if you haven’t done so already. There’s an awesome, free training video waiting for you if you subscribe!

Talk soon!

Glenn 🙂

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35 thoughts on “Are You Consistently Consistent?”

  1. Ana Conroy

    Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is
    a really well written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll certainly
    return.

    1. Hi Christopher,

      Yes, consistent inconsistency is a problem that many people have. But the key is acknowledging it and making the necessary changes, which is what you have done. Well, it’s clear that you have acknowledged it, but are you making the necessary changes? Only you can answer that, but if you do change gears, get some momentum and never allow yourself to become distracted, overwhelmed or to give up then you’re sure to be successful.

      I wish you all the best with your restart and hope that you get to where you want to be. Many thanks for stopping by and commenting.

      Kind regards,
      Glenn
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…What is Your “Because”? Eliminate Your ObstaclesMy Profile

  2. Anne Lim

    Hello Glenn,

    This is such a very informative article. Thank you very much for sharing. Yes its true that if you’re going to leave comments on blogs or forums, make sure that they are going to be relevant and provide value. It is much better to read comments that are relevant to the topic.

    Regards,
    Anne

    1. Hi Anne,

      Thanks for commenting. Relevance is essential and, although it can be tempting to stray into bad habits at times, it’s something that will help you gain a good foundation and reputation for the long-haul.

      Thanks,
      Glenn

  3. Haha, you’ve pretty much summed up how to give value, Glenn. I think it’s an often missed point in the community. The funny thing about words is how they will lose meaning when they’re abused, and “value” is often an abused word.

    It was certainly confusing for me. Before my journey into Internet Marketing, I used to comment on just certain blogs that I’d follow with the sole purpose of responding to the topic at hand. It became a little confusing when I got into the community, like it was some sort of “tactic.”

    This kind of killed my consistency, but honestly, the prospect of trading ideas and value with others is one of the reasons why I WILL succeed at this. I love hearing what other people think and then sharing my ideas.

    Loved this post.

    – Danny

    1. Whoops, I almost missed your comment here, Danny! I saw that you’d left two comments but for some reason I hadn’t realised where there other one was! lol!

      You’re right, giving value is an often missed point, however there are more and more people now who are ‘getting it’. The key is whether they will carry on that way or if they will slip into the ‘profits first’ mindset.

      I’m all about giving value, but I like your point about trading value and ideas with others, that’s a great way to look at it. After all, we’re all learning constantly and one of the best ways we can do this is from other like-minded people who are on the same journey.

      You will succeed, my friend. Stick with it, never give up and always give value! 😉

      Regards,
      Glenn
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket!My Profile

  4. Kerry Russell

    Guilty as charged Glenn 🙂

    I blame it on my star sign, lol.

    Glad I stopped by here today because this is an area I’ve struggled with in the past.

    I know which tasks I should be doing on a daily basis, even a weekly basis but it doesn’t take much to distract me and I lose momentum.

    I’ve been doing a few things to help with this problem and the results are looking good.

    First up, I’ve returned back to old school and started writing in a daily journal. So wish I’d started sooner because now I have 15 mins or so at the end of the day to reflect on my behavior and that really helps keeps me on track!

    I plan today tomorrow as my good mentor AJ has always taught me. PLUS I took a whole week out to put systems and processes in place to help with time management and productivity 🙂 That way i can work to schedule and I know for sure that I’m being consistent then.

    As a result of this I get to work less and my days are twice as productive than ever before.

    Like your site btw 🙂

    Kerry Russell

    1. Hey Kerry,

      I’m glad you stopped by too! It’s nice to have a visit from a local 😉

      I remember when I first signed up for Alex’s coaching and came across the concept of “Foward to Basics” – it hit me like a sledgehammer! It wasn’t just the teaching itself, but the fact that it is so obvious and yet so few marketers teach it!

      Although I am a person who writes stuff down and likes to plan, I must admit that I need to discipline myself in being strict with the ‘to do’ and ‘daily did’ sheets that Alex talks about. I was actually thinking of this very point just a couple of hours ago. I think that it will increase my productivity when I do it.

      I’m glad you like my site and you found the post useful. Yesterday I mentioned to Terry a couple a comments up that I had an idea for my next blog post. I was intending to do it yesterday but some other stuff came up, unfortunately. I have a few technical things that I absolutely must do on my site right now but hopefully I’ll have that post up later after I’ve done them 🙂

      Thanks,
      Glenn
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Consistency is Key & the Golden RuleMy Profile

  5. Hi Glenn,

    My biggest traffic source is safelists, and when I was consistantly spending an hour a day managing my accounts my results were great, but then things like my blog and fiverr gigs got in the way.

    I have now outsourced my consistency to someone else, and now I’m over the initial hurdle of training them up I’m in a much better position. If the tasks you find yourself doing aren’t creating enough in sales to be outsourced, then perhaps you need to think about why you’re doing them?

    Andrew
    Andrew Stark recently posted…My List Viral BonusMy Profile

    1. Hi Andrew,

      Thanks for visiting and commenting 🙂

      It’s an interesting point you make about outsourcing. I think that a lot can depend on the stage you’re at, the niche you’re in and the extent of your abilities. Someone who’s just starting out, for example, wouldn’t really be in a position to outsource. Then, there are the people who are established, are making a tidy sum full-time and they do everything themselves, simply because they can and/or want to.

      I think that question of why you’re doing things is an important one in every aspect of your business. Everyone should ask themselves if the tasks they’re doing are going to ultimately result in making sales. If you’re focusing on doing a lot of unnecessary tasks then you’re really not focusing on the right things and need to reevaluate your priorities.

      Above all, it’s essential to be consistent in whatever you do. You can’t be half-hearted and limp along picking at your business when you decided you’ve got nothing better to do, it has to be all or nothing. Difficulties arise, frustration and boredom can set in, but you need to keep going and giving it your all.

      Thanks for sharing, buddy. All the best 🙂

      Glenn

  6. Glenn my friend as usual, you’re bringin the ‘heat’…To be “Consistently Consistent” is a very interesting concept. I personally struggle with being consistent(blame it on my adult ADD)for some reason. However I find that when I am I get better results, regardless of whatever it is I am doing at the time. I guess it really is a key factor in being successful in business and in life in general. Thanks for putting me on point 🙂

    Terry
    Terry Henry recently posted…The 3 Core Principles of Internet Marketing SuccessMy Profile

    1. Hey Terry,

      Welcome back, bro, good to see you 🙂

      Yes, consistency will always yield the results, we just have to do it!

      Actually, I’ve just had an idea for another blog post, literally just now! It’s also going to be about consistency, but looking at things from a complete ‘u-turn’. I’ll get right on that shortly!

      I’m glad you enjoyed the post, I hope you check out the next one and find that useful too. Thanks for dropping by 🙂

      Glenn
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Challenge Updates and When Things Go Wrong…My Profile

  7. Amy Hagerup

    This is a great reminder about the power of consistency. Power is one of my favorite words right now, LOL. I am currently working on my productivity and I can say that consistency is the need of the hour. I find that I have to be diligent to block distractions so I can be consistent in delivering value. One of the comments that always were unwelcomed were ones that said “I just wrote a long comment about this article but it suddenly disappeared so I don’t want to write it out again.” Ever get one of those? Thanks again, Amy

    1. Hi Amy,

      Thanks for your comment. Power is a good word 🙂 You mention a few key words in your comment: power, consistency (of course! lol), productivity, diligent and value. All of these are essential to our online businesses.

      I don’t think I’ve ever received a comment like the one you mentioned but I have definitely been in that situation myself where I’ve spent ages writing a blog post, a comment on someone else’s blog or a forum post and then something’s gone wrong so I’ve lost it. I feel quite deflated when that happens and although I usually try again it never feels quite as good as the original!

      Thanks so much for visiting, you’re welcome back any time 🙂

      Regards,
      Glenn 🙂
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket!My Profile

  8. Great post on consistency. Well consistency plays an important role in your success. Every person pretends that they are consistent but fails to be consistent. Being consistent to your goals and motives leads you towards success. Thanks for sharing this post and reminding all of us about our consistency level.

    Cheers

    1. Hi Daniel,

      Thanks for dropping by and leaving your comment, it’s much appreciated 🙂

      I’m glad that you understand the importance of consistency, it really is an essential component for success in everything.

      All the best,
      Glenn 🙂
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Consistency is Key & the Golden RuleMy Profile

  9. Hi Glenn,

    Oh yes, I can relate to being consistent for a time, then letting things slip, and losing momentum. It’s no fun at all when it happens!

    I’m a big advocate of writing things down too. A written document helps with focus and staying on track.

    Having specific numbers as you indicated is very helpful. The more clear you can be of your outcome the better. This is something I’ve realized recently with my own tasks. I’m good about listing a simple activity like ‘work on my blog’. But this isn’t really clear enough and I’ve found it more helpful to state things like ‘adding a banner’, or ‘writing and posting a post’. It seems to engage my thought process in a different way, and helps determine the timing of the activity better.

    Your advice to add value and be relevant when commenting on other blogs is sound. I think that separates the serious business owners from those just trying to get links and recognition for their site.

    Thanks for the great tips Glenn! 🙂

    Donna

    P.S. BTW, great quote by Robert Collier!
    Donna Ragland recently posted…Do You Ever Lose Focus?My Profile

    1. Hi Donna,

      Thanks for stopping by. Yes, being as clear as possible about your tasks is essential. I agree, planning specific tasks to work on is much more beneficial than just having a more general task. It definitely helps the timing of things as when you’re working specifically on smaller tasks you , can fully focus on the task at hand , whereas if you’re thinking in a more broad capacity you can end up just flitting from one thing to another and getting distracted by non-essentials. I think that approaching your work with smaller tasks in mind helps you to keep more methodical mindset.

      Thanks for the great comment. I’m glad you liked the quote too 🙂

      Glenn
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Consistency is Key & the Golden RuleMy Profile

    1. At times it can certainly be a challenge to post something that help people, that’s why I won’t comment unless I can leave something of value. But if it’s a subject that is helpful to us or that we have an interest in, with a little thought we can still contribute, even if it’s just to say “Thank you”. But in those instances, rather than simply saying “Thank you”, it’s good to explain what it is about the post that we enjoyed and why we found it helpful, perhaps saying how we intend to use the information for the growth of our business.
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…(Blog) Hopping Mad! Blog Hopping TipsMy Profile

  10. Steven Stuart

    Hi Glenn,

    Man this is some great advice if I’ve ever heard it. I have to admit this is something that I do tend to have a problem with.

    I’m totally with you on writing things down. I do this constantly, although I could do better at following up on applying myself to the notes I keep.

    I particularly like your suggestions about asking yourself “What can I contribute?” and “How can I help?”. I think most people that visit our blogs are there because they’re looking for answers.

    Thanks, Glenn. – Steve

    1. Hey Steve,

      Great to see you, buddy, thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

      Thanks for your great comments, I appreciate it. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and found it useful.

      I’m all about helping people and it’s an important part of my ethos, not only in business but in life generally. Even so, I’ve found myself often thinking first and foremost about how many blogs I should visit and try to comment on or how many forum posts I should make, etc. Of course these things are important parts of our traffic strategy and, as I’ve said many times previously, I will only ever comment at all if I can genuinely offer a comment of value. But I’ve found that if I put the, shall we say, ‘mechanical’ thoughts in second place and think firstly of how I can offer something of value, then I find that I end up posting more than I would if I had been focusing on the necessity aspect first. So if I put others first and think of how I can give value before anything else, then the more mechanical, necessity-driven things such as numbers of comments, backlinks, etc seem to flow much more naturally.

      Thanks again for your comment, come back any time 🙂

      Glenn
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Don’t Stop Buying WSOs!My Profile

  11. Hi Glen,

    Consistency is the key. I see it with my results. If I am not consistent in commenting, for example, it definitely shows on my Analytics results.

    This is so important, especially at the beginning when we are building recognition even from the point of view of the search engines. For example Google wants to see that our sites are active. When we leave a comment chances are that the blog owners will visit our site and that way we at least get one visitor.

    As well, we get recognized when we are consistent. Other blog owners will begin to form relationships with us and it can really pay off. It happened to me and I talked about in my last post.

    Thanks for sharing,

    Dita
    Dita from BloggingSpree recently posted…Blogging Challenge To Make Money Online – Week 6 and 7 ReportMy Profile

    1. Hi Dita,

      I, too, have noticed a direct correlation between my taking action and the results on Analytics. Sure, when we become more established and have people actively searching us out then it may not be so critical, but at this stage it’s vital to keep at it no matter what.

      As you know, if we seek to provide value first and look for ways that we can genuine contribute and help then the results we’re after will happen. Furthermore, the quality of the visits, the reciprocal comments, the relationships we build, etc will be higher and this is what forms the important foundations for us.

      Thanks for your support as always, Dita 🙂

      Glenn
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…What is your “Why”?My Profile

  12. Neamat Tawadrous

    Hi Glenn,

    Great Post about Consistency.

    Indeed, consistency is the name of the game here. Consistency is a leadership quality! Consistency always wins.

    If you choose to commit yourself and your resources to developing your online business, you should learn to stay consistent, and to take your business seriously and Do Not Treat Your Business Like A Hobby. The end result will be both professionally and personally rewarding.

    Thanks Glenn for sharing such a great reminder with all of us.

    Be Blessed,

    Neamat

    1. Hi Neamat,

      Thanks for your great comment!

      It’s very true, you have to treat your business like a business and not a hobby. Otherwise you’re not going to get very far. The end result is sure to be worth all the hard work, we just need to stick at it.

      Thanks again for visiting & all the best,
      Glenn 🙂
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…You Have the Knowledge!My Profile

  13. Hey Glenn,

    Excellent points. And, I’m not just saying that! Stephen Pressfield penned The War of Art and it describes our battle with our self. We stray from this to do that. Usually, because of what is easy. He calls it resistance. You have inspired the idea to fight resistance with consistence.

    Thanks, and keep pushing.

    ~Dakota
    Dakota recently posted…The Perfect Mother’s Day GiftMy Profile

  14. Charles

    The ‘great post!’ comments are annoying I agree. All you’re doing by posting those is making people think you’re a jerk.

    Chris Coyier has a feature on his blog that enables him to ‘collapse’ those kinds of comments and hide them from view.

  15. Glenn, you’re absolutely on point my man. This is something that we all face from day to day. I know I do as well. I’ve got to be better disciplined in my efforts and make better use of my time. I recently installed a free version of rescue time and it has been showing me where I spend the majority of my time. It also shows me, based on my online activity whether I am being productive or distracted.

    I can say that it has made me more aware of where my time is being spent and helping me get it together for sure when I pay attention. Thanks for the post.

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