Love what you do
There is no secret, magic shortcut that makes anything worthwhile doing easy.
You won't be fed with a silver spoon.
This is why it makes a lot more sense to do something you love and is meaningful to you. Or to find meaning and love in what you do and have to do. And have fun doing it. Because without it, you won't be able to keep going. And it's the only thing that really matters: to keep going whatever life is throwing at you. If you're not excited by what you do, you won't put in the efforts, and you will quit.
Loving what you do brings consistency
Consistency. If there one thing I lacked the last decade, this was it.
I believe consistency is the cornerstone of not only any worthwhile achievement, but also fulfilment. After all, lack of consistency is often due to a loss of interest when we don't get what we were aiming for. But this is probably one of life's big trick. When you desire so much an outcome and you strive for it, but it is not attainable within the confines of one's willpower. It is only attainable when one has relinquished the idea of attaining the outcome, but still keeps going because they enjoy the process anyway.
See also A little every day.
Consistency yes, but not blind consistency
I tried many times to not think about the end goal and rely on willpower and discipline. But it often turns into a losing battle. You have a limited amount of willpower, and being blindly consistent without any enjoyment nor true purpose is foolish.
Draiing your willpower and straining hard to be disciplined, doing something every day, just because you hope attaining some outcome is like trying to cross an ocean swimming.
I woke up every day at 5am, ran, worked out, set a tight schedule with actionable and measurable goals. But without any true purpose, and with the activities feeling like a hassle, I've gave up many times. You have to Balance your effort with enjoyment.
It's easier to have fun
You want to achieve something, and you know consistency is the way to go. Why would it have to be a pain each time? Why would it have to be a strain? How can you arrange the process so that you actually enjoy doing it?
Whether it's way you do it, the conditions in which you do it, the time or place or both, the environment, the duration, there is always a way to make the process enjoyable. Steve Jobs said it best:
Love what you do.
Not do what you love. Love what you do. Focus entirely on the task at hand, don't wish to be somehwere else, don't wish to be quickly done with it. Take your time, focus on the process.
Don't over do it. Don't burn out. Be an infinite player playing an infinte game. The goal is not to finish the game but to keep playing it.
Go slower.
Do less.
Take your fucking time.
Enjoy it and do it every day. Spark joy in your work, as Marie Kondo would say.
There will be times where it will still be a drag. It's inevitable. But chances are these times will be the exception rather than the norm.
If everyday feels like a hassle, it's no wonder that you can't be consistent.
But if most days you are filled with joy and excitement, even a few days of drag here and there won't stop you from achieving consistency.