It makes sense to want to broadcast your goals and plans to your close friends and family. Plan on going to the gym every morning? Want to finish that 500-page book? Telling your friends and family should seemingly act as motivation to help you get things done—people know about your plans, and now it’s up to you to follow up and fulfill your plans.
But not so fast.
The simple act of telling people your plans makes you feel like you’ve already accomplished your goals—even if you haven’t started.
“Tests done since 1933 show that people who talk about their intentions are less likely to make them happen,” says Derek Sivers, author of Shut up! Announcing your plans makes you less motivated to accomplish them.
“Announcing your plans to others satisfies your self-identity just enough that you’re less motivated to do the hard work needed.”
Announcing your plans gives you a false and unfounded sense of completeness. The simple act of telling people your plans makes you feel like you’ve already accomplished your goals—even if you haven’t started.
Next time, keep your intentions to yourself, and you’ll be more likely to complete your goals as opposed to people who announce their plans to the public. And if you need to announce your plans, do it in a way that holds you accountable and doesn’t make you feel accomplished (“If I’m not prepared for the 10K by next week, you need to come drag me off my couch!”) as opposed to providing you with an immediate sense of satisfaction (“I want to run a 10K this year, so I’m going to!”).
Family and Friends Introduce Doubts
There’s also another downfall to announcing your plans: finding out your family and friends are less enthused and excited about your ideas than you anticipated. You’re so excited with an idea that you can’t wait to tell the world, only to find out the people that matter most are full of reservations and doubts.
It’s deflating, it’s demotivating, and it’s defeating. When you don’t get the reaction you expected, all the minor doubts you had in your mind about the idea suddenly become mountains, and you’re now facing roadblocks that you didn’t expect at such an early stage of the ideation process.
“Getting a new creative project in motion is hard enough without the doubt of others stacked against you. Do yourself a favour and keep your mouth shut.,” says David Usher, author of Let The Elephants Run.
“When your ideas are still new- born, treat them as something precious that needs time to grow and develop and change. There will be plenty of time to talk and discuss and defend your ideas later. Plenty of time.“