Bad Habit #11 ~ Failing to Follow Through

We all know people, or may BE one of those people, who are constantly saying they are going to do something, then don’t. Whether it’s a project at work, something on the honey-do list at home, or your friend telling you for the 10th time she’s going to compete in a 10K. And when these things don’t happen, we can be angry, let down, or just plain tired of hearing the plans you know will never come to fruition. Why is it that people fail to follow through?

Among many of the reasons people don’t follow through on what they say is they seem to set unattainable goals, they are unprepared, or they don’t have a concrete plan on how to get to the end of that goal. And some people, well, they’re just procrastinators until they run out of time. When people fail to follow through on commitments, promises or deadlines, it not only bothers people on the other end, it puts a chink in the self-esteem armor of the person failing to follow through. So…what advice can you give to those folks….

• Set attainable goals: No, it’s not possible to lose 30 pounds in a week.
• Have a concrete plan: you plan is the roadmap of how you’ll get there
• Set reminders: step by step reminders on your calendar break down the goal into manageable parts
• Make consistent action: you gotta ACT on those reminders!
• Ask for support: don’t be afraid to ask for help or guidance. Just don’t dump the whole project on somebody!
• Be Accountable: enlist the aid of a co-worker, friend or family member to help keep you on track. They can be your accountability partner.

Nobody feels good when somebody says they will do something and then they don’t. As the adage goes “When you fail to plan, plan to fail.” Following through is ALL about planning.

Lee’s Challenge:

Nope – this is not me. I’m too much of a type A, list-maker, put it on my calendar with 2 reminders kinda gal. If only everybody in my life would be the same way! ; )

Barbara’s Challenge:

I had to examine this one carefully.  I’m accountable 100%…to you.  I’ve found in this challenge if I say it out loud, I’ll hold myself accountable.  If I don’t say out loud, “what the heck is that laundry basket doing in the dining room”….I won’t move it, I’ll continue to kick it out of the way every time I go by it.  I’ll not let anyone down, if I say I’m going to do something – you can consider it done.  Following through on the things I need is another story.  I’m working on that now….I’ll be back after my massage!

[socialpoll id=”10222”]