Imagine this…
You start strong.
New routine. New goals. New commitment to yourself.
"This time is different," you tell yourself.
For a week, maybe two, you're crushing it. Waking up early. Hitting the gym. Staying disciplined.
Then life happens. 1 bad day. 1 missed session. 1 slip.
And instead of bouncing back, you collapse completely.
All or nothing. Back to square one. Starting over again next Monday.
Not because you lack discipline. Because you're caught in the wrong mental framework.
Now here’s what's actually happening…
You're operating with binary thinking, also called all-or-nothing thinking or black-and-white thinking.
In your mind, you're either on track or off track. Disciplined or undisciplined. Winning or failing.
So, when you miss one workout, you don't see it as just one missed workout. You see it as "I've already failed, so what's the point?"
1 bad meal becomes "Well, I already ruined today, might as well go all in."
1 morning hitting snooze becomes "I'm back to being undisciplined."
This cognitive distortion is why you keep starting and stopping.
And cognitive behavioral therapy research shows this is one of the most common patterns in people who struggle with consistency.
It’s called…
The 80/20 Consistency Rule
Used by elite athletes, high performers, and therapists to break the all-or-nothing cycle.
So that means…
You're "on track" if you hit 80% of your targets.
Not 100%. Not perfection. 80%.
And that also means…
Training 5x per week? You're on track if you hit 4 sessions.
Eating clean all week? You're on track if you nail 6 out of 7 days.
Waking up at 5:30 AM daily? You're on track if you do it 5-6 times.
This does 2 things…
It eliminates the "I already failed" spiral. You can miss once and still be winning.
It builds real consistency because 80% sustained over time beats 100% for 2 weeks, followed by collapse.
Research from habit formation studies shows that people who adopt flexible consistency standards maintain behaviors 3-4x longer than those who demand perfection.
Why does this work when nothing else does?
It’s perfection that creates fragility. One crack and the whole thing shatters.
But 80% creates resilience. You can miss. You can slip. And you're still on the path.
For example…
One guy I worked with would go hard for 3 weeks. He has a perfect diet, perfect training, perfect routine. Then he'd have one beer with friends and completely derail for a month.
After shifting to 80/20, he told me, "I had that beer. But the next morning I was back at the gym. For the first time in my life, one slip didn't destroy everything. I've been consistent for 4 months straight now."
That's not motivation. That's sustainable systems.
And the thing about the 80/20 rule is that…
You stop restarting every week. Because one miss doesn't mean failure anymore.
You build actual momentum. Because 80% for 12 weeks beats 100% for 2 weeks and quitting.
You trust yourself. Because you're proving you can stay consistent even when life isn't perfect.
You become the person you've been trying to be. Not through perfection. Through resilience.
So…
Pick your top 3 daily/weekly targets. Training, nutrition, morning routine, whatever matters most.
Define what 80% looks like for each one.
5 training sessions = 4 sessions is a win
7 clean eating days = 6 days is a win
7 early wake-ups = 5-6 is a win
Then track it. And as long as you hit 80%, you're winning.
One slip? You're still on track. Get back to it tomorrow.
2 slips in a week? Still on track if you nail the rest.
Do this for 30 days, and you'll break the all-or-nothing cycle that's been sabotaging you for years.
Stay consistent,
Okello Luri
P.S. Perfection isn't the goal. Sustainability is. 80% consistency for a year will change your life. 100% for two weeks won't. Choose accordingly.