Maybe I’m doing consistency wrong

Recently, I’ve decided to go back to a full body workout after doing a push/pull split for nearly two years. I just couldn’t find the time to consistently go to the gym more than twice a week. I’ve felt really frustrated about that, because I kept missing my goal. I also noticed that I didn’t progress anymore.

The switch to full body is great so far. I feel less stressed about going twice a week. That’s doable. But also, now I actually take time for it. I noticed that earlier I would often rush through the workout, because I still had other things to do. Now, I know the workout takes longer, so I just block the entire evening for it. I can actually go to muscle failure and do every exercise slowly with correct ROM.

Pure timewise, I’m probably at the gym less now. Definitely less if you count all the overhead of walking there, showering, and so on. But I’m getting more out of it.

I think I’ve been doing consistency wrong. I usually have no problem keeping something going. I’m always showing up. But maybe that’s the problem. If I’m just showing up to keep the streak going, I’m not really making progress.

It’s the same with learning Spanish at the moment. I tell myself, “At least, I’m consistent and do it every day,” even if it’s just 5 minutes of Duolingo. Arguably, if I just sat down for 30 minutes once a week and actually studied, I would make more progress (while spending less time).

“Just be patient, keep showing up, small steps compound” is not entirely true. Maybe I’m just stepping in place. There are just too many things on my plate right now to properly do them all. I think it’s better to take actual time and focus, even if it means doing some things less often.