Three Tips for Keeping Your Commitments

The lack of follow-through on commitments is a sure way to lose respect, damage your reputation, and disappoint yourself and others. Sometimes it can seem impossible to follow through, but if you don't your integrity will be questioned, and you will feel disappointed in yourself for not sticking to your promises. Below are some ways you can increase your ability to keep your commitments:

Don't over schedule -- Learn the art of saying no as well as yes. Take a moment when a new opportunity comes your way to look at your schedule, your desire, and whether taking on this new project is realistic for you. Saying no now is preferable and much more honorable, than taking on something you do not have time for, then having to back out later.

Track your commitments -- Use a calendaring system either paper, smart phone, computer calendar or all of the above to help you manage your commitments. This way it is less likely things will fall through the crack due to disorganization, and also helps ward off overwhelm. Tracking your commitments, using whatever methods work for you, will go far in enabling you to keep projects on schedule and all aspects of your life intact so you are free to say yes to those things that excite and empower you.

If you agreed, do it -- If you followed the above tips, then you should be fine keeping your commitments on time. Every commitment you make is very important to you or someone else, so if you can't meet a deadline, take full responsibility and let those involved know before it's too late. Be sure not to agree to projects that you don't find important, necessary, or desirable. Any of these will lead you into the realm of procrastination, overwhelm, or struggle with a task. The minute you go there, you have now entered the world of having to make excuses.

Create some wiggle room -- None of these tips prevent unforeseen circumstances that cause delays and require that you renegotiate the due date or maybe even the scope of work. To help prevent this, build some wiggle room into your schedule, so you will be less likely to be renegotiating, backing out, or breaking promises.

The more you evaluate commitments in advance and discipline yourself to follow through, the more sought out you will become. In addition, being reliable will help you grow and expand, and there may be cases where you need to take the time to reevaluate whether some of your previous long-term commitments to projects are still a fit for you. Growing out of a project is not a bad thing, if it is communicated in advance, and you have demonstrated excellent follow-through on your commitment to date. This maintains your relationship and reputation with others, and most importantly, your personal integrity and relationship with yourself.