A system for consistency

After reading this post, we’ll see:

• The “four quarters” method.

• Why it makes consistency easy.

• Tips to design your four quarters.

Motivation is overrated. Especially when you begin to slip on your habits.

For me, this is how it goes:

🔴 I miss a day.

🔴 Tomorrow I feel lazy.

🔴 Before I know it, weeks are gone.

Climbing the mountain of consistency after this point is HARD. Your mind plays tricks:

❌ This is easy

❌ This is comfortable

❌ I don't want to work on this habit.

Fortunately, I came across a simple method which makes consistency easy. When I learnt about it, I smiled. It's a simple but powerful mindset shift.

TL; DR;

Having a shitty day? Instead of wasting the whole day, divide it into 4 quarters. If you screw one quarter, you can get back for the next quarter.

This idea is from Gretchen Rubin. It seems too simple to work. But in the simplicity lies it's beauty.

Earlier, when I used to feel demotivated, I would give up:

" Today is a lost cause. Let me try again tomorrow "

e.g. feeling lazy and doom scrolling the whole day. Or missing a writing session, feeling unproductive the whole day.

Here's the mindset shift = what if you gamify the day? A game of basketball has 4 quarters. What if you divide your day into 4 quarters?

If you lose in one quarter, you can still win the game.

How to get started?

1. Split your day based on your chronotype.

Everyone is different. After you take the quiz you can decide how you want to split your day. e.g.

Q1: 6 am - 9 am

Q2: 10 am - 1 pm

Q3: 2 pm - 5 pm

Q4: 6 pm - 9 pm

For you it may look different. e.g. if you’re an evening person, you may wake up later and shift your quarters.

2. Define your ideal day based on your chronotype.

e.g. if you're a bear or a lion, it may look like this

Q1: Breakfast, Deep work.

Q2: Lunch, walk, email block

Q3: Meetings, email block

Q4: Exercise, family time, reading

3. Experiment. Refine.

Life happens. Start this experiment and see how this goes. You can tweak timings and activities based on how you feel.

Life is too fucking short to live one day at a time. Don't allow a minor bump to ruin the whole day. Experiment with this method. And you may regain days, months and even years for crushing your habits.

That’s it!!

I hope this concept helps you be consistent with your habits. And crush them . If you found this helpful, share with someone who will benefit.

Further reading:

• Reddit

• Since discovering the ‘four quarters method’ of daily organization, I've been happier, healthier and way more productive.

P.S: Did you like this idea? Let me know. I personally respond to each mail.