Consistency is the key to to success in any walk of life, but, achieving it is as difficult as cracking the UPSC CS Exam. Consistency is the ability to stay on track in pursuit of your goals. Building consistency can take years for a person, but it is achievable by practicing mindfulness in whatever one does.
To crack the UPSC exam or any other competitive exam, consistency has to be practiced consciously because it’s a long haul. But, how to build it? 2013-batch IAS officer and DM of Sant Kabir Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, Divya Mittal, tells us how.Recently, the officer, who frequently takes to Twitter to counsel young people, tweeted about the 10 steps she follows when she is feeling too low and is unable to work, in order to regain her form.
PASSIVE ACTIVITIES
In the first tweet of her long thread on building consistency, she suggests doing passive activities. “If you can’t work, listen to podcasts/videos. If you can’t write, read.”
“Any activity, related to your work which requires lesser effort, and can be done passively should be done to restart your wheel.”
NO WORK DAYS
In her second suggestion, she said ‘no work days’ should be avoided at all costs. “Avoid ‘No work days’. Ensure no day goes without at least some work. If you avoid 0 work days, it’ll be way easier for you to regain momentum. You can at least.
-Read 2 pages of a book.
-Write 5 lines of code.
-Write 1 paragraph of a report.”
SET GOALS
In her next tweet, she talked about setting goals. “Set small achievable goals. Set very small targets. And then ensure that you achieve them. Celebrate that small victory. Congratulate yourself for being able to get over the sadness.”
SITUATIONAL THINKING
Then she writes about situation thinking. “Think what someone you admire would have done. After you are in a better frame of mind, think what your role model would have done in the situation. Try to emulate,” her tweet reads.
PRIORITIZE
Her next tweet is all about knowing what to prioritize in life. She says this is really necessary for consistency. “Prioritize, once we feel we are getting back in the groove, prioritize the more important works and push the pedal. Once you start meeting targets in those, it’ll motivate you to go on.”
ABOUT PROCESS
In her next tweet, she suggests that we should write what we are going to do. She said that it has been scientifically proved that when you write about your goal and process, you will be more able to do it.
“Write down the process you are going to follow. Science shows that writing anything down increases your commitment to it significantly. Don’t just write your goal, but the process you are going to follow.”
PEOPLE WHO CARE FOR YOU
She also suggests talking to those who care for you. She tweeted, “Talk to people who care about you. Instead of just discussing the emotion, discuss the way forward. Empathy from them will help you stick to your plan.”
EMOTIONS
In her next tweet, she writes: “Label your emotions. Science shows that the moment we give a word to the negative emotion that we are feeling, it reduces. Acknowledge the problem.”
OPEN SPACE
Open space is also very necessary, she writes. “Be in open spaces. When we are in panoramic vision, our mind relaxes and we can restart our focus on the task at hand.”
MEDITATION
In her last suggestion, she takes the route of spiritualism. She talks about meditation and praying. “Meditate/ Pray. When everything feels difficult, do nothing and meditate. Everything becomes easier. Make it a daily habit.”
CONCLUSION
She concludes with these words: “Sometimes even these small things become impossible to do. Keep trying. Eventually you have to keep showing up and you will become unstoppable. Hope these small steps help you in achieving big things!”
