Yes, it’s been exactly one month and seven days since I last posted an article. I could say that I was busy and just didn’t have the time, but then I would contradict myself as I always stated that “you can make more time, if you really want to”. To be honest, the last 30 days were crazy as I and Andreea are looking to buy an apartment, thus, most of our focus went there, while we put everything else in second place. Even so, I did work (and am still working) on a huge article about procrastination, which may become the most complete piece of content on the web about this topic. As you can imagine, this is something that requires a lot of research, thus, it will take about two more weeks until you will see it published here.
Anyway, back to today’s article :). While searching for information about procrastination, I saw many people suggesting that you should tell others about your plans and what you are trying to achieve, as this will motivate you to work towards them and not quit, because you’ll be ashamed by what people think about you in case you don’t finish them. I don’t know how other people tick, but for me, this advice is miles away from the truth. I’ll tell you my opinion below.
Telling other people about my plans and talking open about them bites off my enthusiasm
We’ve all became acquainted with the amazing levels of energy and enthusiasm that flow through us when starting a new project. It’s like having a superpower that pushes you to move forward at the speed of lightning. But we also know that this energy is hard to keep and it usually goes away after a while. I’m very familiar with this energy, as I’ve started a lot of projects without ever completing them. And what I realized during these “new beginnings” is that I managed to keep this energy level higher and for a longer period of time when I kept it all for myself or only spoke about them with the people I collaborated with. Bragging about my plans left & right only took bites of this energy until I had nothing left.
If I were to make an analogy, it would be like I’m having a basket of fruits and each time I talk about my plans I share the fruits with the rest until there are none left. If I were to keep them all to myself, they would last a longer period of time and I would be able to rationalize them any way I would want to.
My theory?
I believe that while telling everyone about the project and what I’m planning to achieve with it tricks my brain into believing that those things have already happened and I have already acquired success. Thus, most of my motivation goes away as my subconscious believes that I’ve already reached my goal. Has this ever happened to you?
In comparison, when I didn’t tell people about what I’m currently up to and kept most of my plans to myself, I managed to save most of the energy and keep more focused on the end goal, as the enthusiasm was still there, driving me forward.
So, from my experience, I can’t really say that telling people about your plans is a good choice.
Not to mention that…
It’s hard enough to fight the disappointment of giving up or failing something you thought that will change your entire life. It’s damn hard to even look in the mirror the first few days. The inner punishment in these situations is enough to take big chunks out of your self-esteem and self-confidence. And this gets even harder when you have to face other people to whom you told your plans. So the effects of failure get doubled or even tripled.
Everyone’s mind works differently. But, in my opinion, no one else apart from you has to know about your projects unless this is strictly necessary. Keep it all for yourself, keep focused on your goal, and move in just one direction. Take action and let the results speak for you!