Human beings seem to have a predisposition to binging. We binge all of our projects, refusing to be consistent in our actions even when we know it's wrong.

We prefer to cram for that important test instead of study a bit each day. We start a blog or Instagram and post a bunch of stuff right away, slowly tapering off into nothing before coming back with a vengeance and starting the process all over again. We clean in binges, too. We do our major spring cleaning and then the house is dusty and cramped again in short order, at least in my case.

I think of all the projects or even businesses I've tried to start over the years that went nowhere or had to be restarted multiple times due to my own lack of consistency and it makes me feel kind of ill. The blog I hoped would amass thousands, or at least hundreds, of readers; the Facebook page I created to share fun stuff while simultaneously promoting my Merch By Amazon shirts; the various novels and nonfiction books I've started and stopped – it all goes back to a lack of consistency. And that's just the professional stuff! I won't even go into my personal life and how a lack of consistency can bring havoc pouring onto it!

For a while, I tried to be very consistent, believing that if I was consistent it would form a habit after about 29 days.

That number is a lie!

Either that or I'm a terrible, terrible habit former. I can't seem to form any habits, and habits are a central part of consistency. Without them, we go back to binging and the troubles start all over again.

The Amount of Time Needed to Form a Habit Depends on the Habit!

Some habits are easily formed in short order, and those are the ones that are usually the hardest to break if we realize they're bad habits. These habits usually bodily habits.

• Getting used to eating a meal at a new time.

• Drinking a smoothie after your morning workout.

• Starting a morning workout.

• Smoking.

• Drinking alcohol.

These are all habits that involve your body and are easy to develop and difficult to let go of. Some are addictions, others don’t disrupt your day in a dramatic way. It's very easy to be consistent with these habits, but what about habits that involve your mind?

• Writing a new blog post X times a week.

• Writing a new Medium or read.cash article X times a week.

• Writing 1,000 words each night for your new book.

• Updating your Facebook page once a day.

• Making contact with one new potential customer each day.

These are habits that can't be formed quickly, provided you form them at all. These are the kinds of habits that will not be formed in a 29 day period and will take a lot of effort and forced consistency. They eat into your time and you’ll have that nagging, “Is doing this worth it?” doubt careening between your ears.

So, How Do I Form These Habits?

This is the tricky part, as everyone will be a little different.

The first thing to do would be to try and make the activity as pleasant as possible. If you’re writing a book, make sure every scene or bit of information is exciting for you. Author Holly Lisle has some great ideas about how to do that.

If you’re looking for new customers, get to really know them. Extroverts won’t have a hard time with this, and as an introvert, it’s why I decided to conduct my business 100% online. Interactions drain me, especially if I’m speaking to someone face-to-face, so I have to find a way to at least make sure I don’t dread them.

Trying to write for Medium or read.cash? If you’re not following a theme, like myself, you can write about whatever strikes your fancy. An anime you fell in love with, a book whose pages you found yourself hopelessly lost in, or a video game that sucked up the hours of your day – anything and everything goes. Find a topic you love and write about it!

When an activity is pleasant or at least stops feeling like a chore, you start forming the habit. In my case, it also helps beat my procrastination problem, and I’m fairly certain no one procrastinates quite as I do! This doesn’t mean the activity will be pleasant 100% of the time, but it will be pleasant often enough that you won’t mind repeating it.

Remember, Binges Aren’t Excuses!

Some of us (points at myself) will go on binges, pounding out pages of work, getting that landing page tweaked, reading up on the latest crypto news, etc. only to find that we take long breaks in-between. This is what we aren’t supposed to be doing. You must be consistent, which means remembering that if you binge one day, don’t use it as an excuse to take the next day off.

Where Do You Lack Consistency?

I’m still working out my habits, but I’m getting much better at consistent efforts instead of binge efforts. Let me know where you are or what pitfalls you’ve gotten into!