PP12: “Do it first” principle – Tell what you’ve done, not what you will do

(Part of the series: 12 Favorite Productivity Principles)

12. “Do it first” principle – Tell what you’ve done, not what you will do

This is another wonderfully counterintuitive principle that is incredibly powerful once you put it into practice. Don’t tell people what you’re going to do. Do it first, then tell them.

Here’s how this plays out in real life. Let’s say there’s something you want to do, perhaps declutter your home or lose weight or write a book. You would think telling other people what you are going to do would make you more likely to do it. But it doesn’t always work out that way. (The exception is if you tell someone who is holding you accountable to your goals.)

When you tell someone what you are going to do, you get a feeling of accomplishment even though you haven’t really done anything yet. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we talk about what we’re going to do. It makes us feel good.

Unfortunately, that good feeling is counterproductive. It breeds a false sense of accomplishment that reduces your motivation to do the intended task. As a result, you may never get around to actually doing it.

The next time you get the urge to tell people what you are going to do, resist the urge and don’t tell them. You will find it incredibly frustrating at first because you want to feel that sense of accomplishment. But it will keep your motivation for actually doing the task that much stronger.

Don’t tell people what you’re going to do. Do it first, then tell them. Once you learn the “do it first” principle, you will have a whole host of actual accomplishments to talk about instead of mere potential accomplishments.

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Well, that’s it. Those are my 12 favorite productivity principles. I hope you found them helpful, as they have been extremely helpful to me. Tomorrow I will wrap this series up with one last post sharing several miscellaneous tips I have also found useful.

Next in series: PP00: Miscellaneous – Your mileage may vary
 

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