"Just be consistent."

By now, you've undoubtedly heard this advice countless times. So much so that it may even induce an eye roll or sigh.

Yes, it’s true, consistency is the difference maker. The common thread behind every major success story.

Everyone tells you to be consistent, but no one ever tells you how to be consistent.

And let’s be honest, it’s (much) easier said than done. Life gets chaotic. Motivation fades. Discipline wavers. Consistency breaks.

I've personally spent thousands of hours wrestling with this exact problem—and I've developed my own ultra-simple approach that works:

I call it my ABC Goal System…

The Origins of the System

The seed of the idea was planted in my head during a conversation with a legendary American marathoner in 2023.

I had just started running and was a few days away from my first marathon. When I asked him for advice, he inquired about my time goals for the race.

I told him I wanted to run a sub-3 hour marathon (an aggressive target for a brand new runner).

His response:

“For a marathon, you need three goals: A, B, and C.”

What he meant, in the context of the marathon:

• A Goal: Your optimal time goal.
• B Goal: Your baseline time goal.
• C Goal: Your downside time goal (for a first timer, just finish).

The idea was simple, but surprisingly powerful:

From the start, you focus on the baseline (the “B Goal”). Run the race to achieve it. Be conservative in your early approach. If you feel strong as the race wears on, start to push towards the optimal (the “A Goal”). If you feel weak and start to slip, just aim to hit the downside (the “C Goal”).

Runners who only have the singular time goal (like me before the advice) are likely to be completely derailed if they start to slip. Once their only goal is out of sight, they have nothing to drive them forward.

The new approach is designed to keep you in the moment—in the fight—no matter what you’re feeling. You always have something to focus on.

I took the advice and it worked, running a 2:57:31 in that first marathon in September 2023.

But soon after the race, I realized that the core principle behind the system applied well-beyond running.

It was a cheat code for maintaining consistency across my days.

Here’s how to use it…

My Cheat Code For Consistency

For every daily system in your life, create three goals:

• A Goal: Your most ambitious, perfect case.
• B Goal: Your middle ground, baseline case.
• C Goal: Your minimum viable level, downside case.

On days when you feel great, you hit your A Goal. On days when you feel ok, you hit your B Goal. On days when you feel bad, you hit your C Goal.

The reason this is so incredibly effective for building consistency is because it circumvents a common struggle of highly ambitious people:

The tendency to allow the optimal to get in the way of the beneficial.

We constantly say things like:

• I don’t have an hour to work out, so I’m just not going to work out.
• I don’t have two hours for deep work, so I’m just going to send a few emails.
• I don’t have an hour to call my friend, so I’m not even going to send a text.

But here’s the truth:

Anything above zero compounds.

Consistency isn’t about perfect daily performances. It’s about showing up, however imperfectly, and getting it done.

A 15-minute walk is infinitely better than sitting on the couch. 15 minutes of deep work is infinitely better than zero. Sending the text is infinitely better than nothing.

Anything above zero compounds.

To illustrate how this works, let’s use the simple example of daily exercise. Say I want to build consistency around an exercise habit, but I’ve been struggling to make it happen.

So, I create three goals:

• A Goal: 60 minutes in the gym.
• B Goal: 30 minutes of movement (gym, bike, walk, etc.)
• C Goal: 15 minute walk.

Note: The C Goal should feel almost embarrassingly easy to achieve. Trust me, that’s the point.

My baseline is always 30 minutes of movement. But if I slept great and feel ready, I hit that A Goal of 60 minutes in the gym. Alternatively, if my kid kept me up all night, I’m a bit under the weather, or I’m traveling, I hit that C Goal of a 15 minute walk.

No matter what, I have a focus—and whether I hit my A, B, or C Goal for the day, I know I’m making forward progress.

It doesn’t have to be optimal for it to be beneficial.

Anything above zero compounds.

And the best part is that you can apply this idea to any area of your life where you’re trying to build consistency and make progress.

In your work, it could look like this:

• A Goal: Two long deep work blocks. Batched calls/email time.
• B Goal: One long deep work block. Batched calls/email time.
• C Goal: One short deep work sprint.

In your romantic relationship, it could look like this:

• A Goal: Long walk or date.
• B Goal: Short walk or present conversation.
• C Goal: One call or FaceTime chat.

In your mental health, it could look like this:

• A Goal: 30 minute technology-free walk.
• B Goal: 15-minute technology-free walk.
• C Goal: 5-minute breathing break.

The ABC Goal System removes any intimidation or guilt in your pursuit of consistency and progress.

The system prevents optimal (A Goal) from getting in the way of beneficial (C Goal) and gives you the flexibility to make progress while allowing grace for the inevitable vagaries of life to enter.

You can hold yourself to the fire when it comes to the act, but give yourself grace when it comes to the amount.

In other words, make sure you do the thing, but don't worry about how much of the thing you do.

Creating Your ABC Goals

To get started with your ABC Goal System, choose an area of life where you find yourself struggling with consistency.

Establish your ABC Goals. Write them down. Track which goal you hit on a daily basis.

My ABC Goal System is designed to help you show up every single day and build the momentum that comes from doing so.

Stop allowing optimal to get in the way of beneficial.

Remember: Small things become big things. Anything above zero compounds.