Commitments are difficult
Lately, I have been working a lot more across teams and companies. Increasingly, I have noticed that making a commitment and keeping a commitment are too very different animals. Commitments can be small, as in I will shoot you an update today. Commitments can be large like I will deliver a new product in just six months that will completely be disruptive. As all of our lives become more frenetic, keeping up with these promises made can be a significant challenge. Here are my guidelines to keeping my commitments that may help you do the same more often. I still miss mine as well, so feel this an outstanding continuous learning experience, never mastered always improved.
- Keep track of them separately. I carry multiple electronic devices, have multiple calendars, and carry several ruled lined notebooks to keep track of things. But I always have a hard time finding things nevertheless. I use a very small notebook where I record things only I commit to. I refer to this frequently to see where I am against those and only clear them after I have confirmed completion.
- Don't make them lightly. If you are traveling for the next three weeks and someone asks for a deliverable then, explain it is not possible. Don't plan on the miracle, plan for your time to be diverted elsewhere.
- Own your commitments. Come clean early as possible. Are you going to be late or delayed, let the other parties know ASAP. Did something fall through the cracks or just not work out as planned and got left behind, own you messed up and correct as quickly as you can.
I hope these help you come more dependable when you are, understand more commitments will come your way so stick to your plan that helps you keep them. Leave other tips you may have in the comments so we can all get better together.