Toby’s Substack

Consistently Inconsistent

Toby Rose Lonesome — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:02:22 GMT

I’ve always been inconsistent. I could be using the same tools, measuring with the same tape, or playing a sport I’ve been practicing for years, but the consistency just isn’t there. This bothered me a lot as a kid, when pressure placed on me to perform well often left me doing the exact opposite.

In adulthood it’s no different, except that the pressure now comes mostly from myself. I, like most of us, care about and want to do a good job, no matter what I am doing. However, my outcomes are never consistent. I could beat myself up over this—and I have—but the more I learn to just accept this about myself, the more my mistakes and inconsistencies roll off as I keep working toward my goals.

What I’ve realized is that it really does come down to that pressure. Whether self-imposed or coming from others, pressure can mess with your mind and affect the outcome of whatever you’re working on.

I noticed this with my last window install in the studio shed build. The layout and framing went smoothly, and I finished that window with zero mistakes. Zero mistakes! That never happens. But I went into that last window with zero pressure. In fact, I didn’t even intend to install it when I did. I went out to the shed early one morning in my sandals with my coffee, intending to simply do the layout, make my pencil marks, and listen to a podcast.

That lack of pressure created a situation where I was just enjoying myself and making progress without giving it too much thought. Before I knew it, I had the lumber cut and the window fully framed out. I cut the siding, went to set the window, and realized it was perfect. It fit like a glove and looked great. I nailed it in and called it a day.

Now, if I could just train myself to go into my projects without that pressure, I think I’d have a much more enjoyable experience every time. Of course I will still make mistakes—those are unavoidable—but I bet I’d make fewer of them.

I could beat myself up for never being predictable, or I could lean into the fact that my process has its own rhythm.

And so, I’ve learned a great deal—not just about framing windows into existing walls, but about how setting the right mindset changes the entire build. The truth is, I’m probably always going to be inconsistent. Some days the cuts will fit like a glove on the first try, and other days I’ll measure three times and still manage to cut the board short. But I’m finally becoming okay with that. Being “consistently inconsistent” just means accepting that the outcome isn’t the measure of my worth—it’s just the nature of taking things on with my own two hands.

When I drop the self-imposed pressure to be perfect, the process stops feeling like a test and starts feeling like life. Mistakes will still happen, but when they do, they’re just part of the story rather than proof of a flaw.

See how that zero-pressure window build actually played out in real time—coffee, sandals and all—Full process in the video linked below.

Toby’s Substack

Consistently Inconsistent

Perfection is the Mistake

Analysis Paralysis

OUT of Desperation

Untethered

The Price of Life

The Tropical Cabin Visitor

Will I Drill a Well???

So Long RV - I won't miss you

Solar Re-Wire Redemption

The Reality of a Dream Garden

The Soil Orders Its Own Time

Home is Where the HEALING is

Imitate the Trees

The Art of Staying Put

Apart from the Pushing and Hauling

Well, 2 panels is better than ZERO panels… RIGHT?

The Solar Ground Mount Advantage:

The Mountain Tax: A Week of Deadlocks and Deadlines

Sandhill Cranes Bring Spring to the Mountains