Paul HagenWe tend to plan for the ideal periods. The periods when we have energy and feel on top of things. Staying consistent feels manageable then, but our conditions rarely stay like this for long.
When life gets harder, we often cling to the same frequency and intensity we’re used to. But trying too hard for too long can mean pushing beyond what we can sustain. And when we get there, consistency tends to break. But if pushing through isn’t the answer, then what is?
It starts with creating a smaller version of your routines. Something you can realistically maintain during difficult periods, so you have something to build on when life gets easier.
Why consistency matters more than intensity during difficult periods
We tend to look at intensity as the driver behind growth. Work hard, do your best, push through. And while effort is part of growth, consistency is what allows that effort to accumulate.
Consistently showing up and doing the work helps you build self-trust, develop your abilities, and move towards the results you’re working for. But if consistency breaks every time things get difficult, how are those results going to accumulate?
During demanding periods, you may not have the energy to continue with the same intensity. Trying to force it can leave you abandoning routines you could have maintained at a smaller scale.
This is where your goal needs to change. You might spend a period preserving what you’ve built, with less attention on further progress. A smaller version keeps important habits in your life and makes returning easier. You protect consistency by adjusting intensity.
How to create a smaller version of your routines you can maintain
So how do we maintain consistency when our circumstances change, life demands more than usual, or we aren’t at our best?
We create routines small enough to fit our capacity, but meaningful enough to support our identity and self-trust. That means deciding what matters, what’s enough to maintain it, when to scale back, and to still recognize the smaller version as a win.
Define your non-negotiables
First, define your non-negotiables. What matters most to you and the way you view yourself? Which activities support your progress, or at least help you maintain what you’ve built?
These will be individual, and they’ll change throughout your life. They might involve essential work commitments, keeping regular meals in your day, or prioritising quality time with your partner, even if it’s a brief moment together at the end of the day.
Keep the list short. If everything is non-negotiable, have you actually prioritized anything? Some things have to matter more than others.
Choose the things that matter most to your wellbeing, your goals, and the person you want to be. Let lower priorities wait. You’re deciding where your limited capacity will go, so make that decision deliberately.
Adjust your output to match your capacity
Next, define the smallest version that meaningfully supports each priority. What can you maintain without digging yourself deeper and making it harder to return?
Three weekly workouts might become two shorter sessions. Working on a career change every evening might become one focused half-hour each weekend. Quality time with your partner might mean ten minutes together without phones before bed.
Adjust the duration, frequency, or scope until the commitment fits your actual capacity. If the smaller version still leaves you stretched beyond what you can manage, it needs adjusting too.
Ideally, plan ahead. Decide what your smaller version looks like and which signs mean it’s time to use it. Are you repeatedly sacrificing sleep to keep up? Has a change at work left you with little energy after essential responsibilities?
Without that decision, it’s easy to push for too long. What could have been a deliberate reduction becomes an extended break from things you wanted to keep.
Make the plan concrete: write down what you’ll keep doing, how much and how often, and which signs mean it’s time to scale back. Pick a day each week to check whether that plan still fits your capacity.
See the smaller version as a win
Scaling back can feel like a loss. It’s frustrating to fall below your usual output and feel as though progress is slipping away. But your life and circumstances aren’t what they normally are.
Your capacity is being used elsewhere. If more of your energy is going towards a new job, a family difficulty, or another major change, how can you expect the same output that are your best in ideal conditions?
Recognising that and acting on it takes discipline. You have to respect your current limits enough to change the plan, even when part of you wants to prove you can keep going.
Then let the smaller version count. If you complete the commitment and still judge yourself against your usual routine, you’re carrying the same pressure into a smaller workload.
Every time you follow through on a realistic commitment, you give yourself evidence that you can respond to difficult circumstances deliberately. That matters for self-trust and identity.
Build back up as your capacity returns
When things get easier and your capacity returns, it’s time to revisit your output and slowly scale back up. What can you add back? What are you ready to give more attention to?
Don’t let a temporary adjustment become permanent simply because you’ve stopped questioning it. The smaller version served a purpose. As circumstances improve, use the capacity you regain to move back towards what matters to you.
Scale down when you need to, and take responsibility for building back up when you can. The point is to preserve enough through difficult periods that you’re in a better position to move forward when they pass.
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