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“Be consistent.”

or so goes the common advice. But,

• Why bother?
• Can’t consistency be a means of procrastination?
• Where is the line with perfectionism?

The power of consistency is clear. We see it in the practice of any master at their craft. We see it in those who are successful at work or in relationships. Consistency can create a dependability in self and others.

But there are concerns.

It can indeed become its own form of procrastination. Maybe that vital project’s deadline is approaching, and we have yet to set aside the more engaging one for now.

It can indeed become its own perfectionism. For example, using a “Don’t break the chain” method of developing habits can inadvertently become a burden, meaning lost to a husk of existence (“See also the opening scene of Joe vs the Volcano”)

Joe Vs The Volcano opening scene

So, can’t consistency become simply another type of force-based work?

Yes, absolutely.

But this is yet one more realm where Visits, as their own unit of work, can become not only powerful but nimble, a flexible way to engage meaningfully with work.

A Visit means fully showing up to something to be with it, and *then* deciding what to do, including doing nothing.

Certainly there is more to it, but that is its essence.

One of the arguments against a visit is:

“What is the point of showing up and doing nothing?”

What’s lost is the vital sense of exposing oneself directly to the emotions of the work. Without that direct exposure, we do not see the cracks, crevices, and nuances of our being in relation to *the thing*, whatever the thing is. Simple, but certainly not easy.

But there is an even greater strength of visits that grows from regular visits, perhaps especially when made daily.

Once we expose ourselves, the mind can now churn in whatever magical ways it tends to churn.

Maybe you sit at the project on one visit. At a next session, maybe you knock out a few sentences, adjust one image, pluck a few strings,.. .

Or not. Either is fine.

Later yet, maybe you do even more, getting into a flow.

Even when you “do nothing”, its magic can still carry forward.

But what’s more important is the process of sitting there at any one of those visits to see what happens, to allow the emotions to be, so you can more deliberately decide what to do.

For example, you can always stop.

*But preferably do so at a Visit.* It’s while you are there that you fully feel the significance of the project, the momentum developed, and more. By *saying goodbye in person*, you can relish the meaning that has formed over time and maybe even better bring its spirit into whatever next adventures await.

As such, consistency never needs to be a chain and can instead be a wave to ride.

– Kourosh

PS. There are many types of insidious force-based methods of work. Consider checking out this post on the matter: How Do You Know if You Are Using a “Force-Based” System of Working?