Three reasons why you are not staying consistent in your business as a faith-driven entrepreneur

This is what I know. . . God has PROVIDED everything you need for staying consistent in your business.

This is what you know. . .

• He has called you
• He has equipped you, and
• He has placed in front of you what you need to succeed.

You also know consistency is important for you to be successful, right?

So let me ask. . . What can consistency really look like for you based on. . .

1. Your stage of life right now
2. Other distractions getting in the way
3. Doing productive activities in your business

I want to talk about what it is you are doing that is keeping you from staying consistent in your business. AND give you a solution that may be easier than you think so you can be motivated to stay consistent.

How life stage affects consistency

You can stay consistent in your business if you first know how much you can really do right now.

When I had younger kids, there was less time to be consistent in my business, so I chose something that came very easy to me: teaching. I created a program to teach Spanish a few hours a week.

As they became more independent, I branched out to have more classes. I even dabbled in a Direct Selling company for a while and did well because I had the time to be more consistent, doing all the things required for having parties and selling my products.

As more and more of my time opened, because other responsibilities loosened, I was able to step into more and more of what God had for me. I turned my customers into clients by having a Networking Membership Group, and I went into coaching from there.

During all those years of growing my business, learning new things, taking pivots, and stepping into new opportunities, there was one thing that I could count on.

My routine, my consistency, in whatever I was doing.

Planning and tracking your progress

You see, consistency is not about obtaining quick results. It is about making incremental progress and improvements over time.

How long have you been working to create a following, write your content, or develop your products and services? Are you being patient & staying consistent to see these results?

This requires you to keep track of the progress you are making by logging it. Keep a gratitude journal and record one thing each day you can be grateful for, like. . .  

• new learning
• an opportunity that moved you forward or
• the just fact that you completed what you said you wanted to complete that day and checked it off.

Staying consistent in your business requires commitment on your part. You must commit to sustained effort of action over time.

What does that look like for you in your day to day? Do you have a plan? Whether you are writing out your next-day plan the night before or planning for a week at a time, You need to have a plan, and you need to write it out. Get yourself a planner that works for you and use it.

That sustained effort and action can only happen when you have actual actions to do. Your business can only move forward if you are committed to taking the action necessary to move it.

How good distractions affect staying consistent in your business

The second thing that affects consistency is distractions, even good ones. To have more consistency means taking away busy things from your life that are not productive for you so you have more focus.

This is what I have observed with my clients, and with many women trying to have a God-centered business, they are doing too much too soon. Thinking their business needs to look like ‘the other person’s’ right away.

God has provided something specific for you. He is using business to grow and shape your character. Sometimes that is slow (and painful). There is so much to learn, and we need to be patient.

Having a God-centered business is cause for joy

We know He is calling us to do something that allows us to take care of our families without sacrificing our connection to them. We need to make sure we aren’t doing things to sabotage that.

Think. . . What is required of me today? That is the number one priority. Do you have to feed your family, drive your kids around, take care of the household, and take care of yourself? Write it out. Block it out. How much time is left?

That is the time you have to spend on your business.

• What are you doing that is NOT required of you?
• What is taking your time and creativity that could be used in your business?
• Can you let something go?

When I started to work seriously in my business, I had to let go of many “volunteer” activities I was doing: tutoring, committee seats, and other church responsibilities.

I am not telling you to quit church. Just think through everything you may be doing there, at your children’s school, and in your community.

Just because you CAN DO IT does not mean you MUST DO IT.  

Focusing and recognizing your progress

Consistency means understanding that the greatest power lies in the present moment. What you decide to do right now. It means staying diligent and on top of the task at hand without losing focus.

Procrastination is the enemy of consistency. Staying present in the moment means you have planned for the moment, know what you want to do in the moment, and do the actions to complete it in the moment.

Consistency is also not about repeating actions for the sake of getting things done. That’s insanity.

Again, it is about progress. . . learning, growing, and adapting your actions so it leads to those incremental improvements.

I’ve said this before: as an entrepreneur and business owner, you must always be learning and adapting. There is no sure thing when it comes to business. No one thing, once you find it, will make everything in your business perfect.

It is in all those little things you do daily that you will see progress. It is in facing the day with courage that you will see success.

My best way to start the day is by sitting with God and with my journal. Everything goes into my journal: prayers, ideas, lists, verses, etc.

It is a great way to have the focus each day to take in new information and synthesize it into your business by asking God for wisdom. I love that my journal has a record of the progress I am making.

How productive activities affect consistency

The third thing that provides consistency is to do the things in your business that truly move you forward. This creates momentum and motivates you to be more consistent.

I’ve had some type of business for over the last 29 years. It started with wanting to stay home with my littles, followed me through homeschooling, and took off like crazy after the kids went to college. Every step of the way, consistency looked a little different.

It also created for me the urgency to do only those things that would help me make progress. I did not want to get stuck doing ‘busy’ things and not taking productive actions.

In this day with all that is available to us in the way of automation, social reach, and online positioning, it can be easy. . . BUT also very overwhelming to know what the most productive activities are to do.

Return on investment

Think. . . What would give me a great return on my investment of time and energy? These are activities important to success in your business. If God is calling you, then you need to be doing something that moves you forward.

Activities that. . .

• build relationships
• create content, and
• bring awareness and consideration to your solution.

Again, you only need to do what you can. What types of things are possible with your schedule? Break down bigger activities into tasks that can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time.

That takes planning. I call it my 15-minute activities.

I have a list of things I know I can get done in 15 minutes. . . things like answering & sending a few DMs, creating a post on Canva, and saying happy birthday to everyone on Facebook and LinkedIn. (This can even be done for housework by knowing how much I can vacuum in 15 minutes or what rooms I can straighten up in 15 minutes.)

Don’t forget those pockets of time when you are waiting. What can you do for your business in the ‘waiting times’ of your day?

The reward of this type of thinking and planning is that you begin to see the progress you are making. I always love being able to check off the things I have written down. It makes me happy.

Building habits and a routine for your progress

Consistency is about building small empowering habits and rituals that you perform every day that keep you focused on your highest priorities and goals.

Do you have a way to create habits in your life you know will make you successful?

Habits like. . .  

• blocking time each day for getting things done in your business?
• writing an appointment in your planner for bible study time and prayer for your soul?
• developing more personal health care with proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise?

These are things you need to build into your day. It gives you the stamina to stay consistent and do the things God is calling you to do.

Remember, it is YOUR routine. It can only be consistent if you approach it with intentionality.

I’ll be honest with you; I live for my routine. I am a person who is consistent because I have a very predictable day. You may not have that, but you can create a better routine that is right for you.

Give yourself time to figure it out so that you will be consistent in your daily routine and find the best way to operate.

Yes, routine is the solution. Creating your perfect routine.

How a community affects consistency

That is just the beginning, though.

What really helps you stay consistent in your business is having others around you that lift you up, give you ideas, make you accountable, and provide a community.

• Do you have people in your life who hold you accountable for your daily choices in your faith and business?
• Are you looking for a place where you can work on staying consistent in your business as you grow it?
• Are you feeling alone, a little overwhelmed, and know you could do better if you had someone to ask you about your routine?

The Calling Clarity Course & Community can help you figure out the best way to operate your business now and grow with you in the future. You can make an appointment to chat with me and see how we can work together.

In Colossians 1:11, Paul says, “We. . . pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy. . .” This is my prayer for you too.

God is calling you to be consistent in all you do. To grow in your endurance as you grow your business.

Find your way to have your perfect God-centered business and do what He is calling you to do by staying consistent in your business.

Be filled to overflowing,

DeneenTB