Contrary to what you might think from this blog I don’t like to talk very much about what I’m doing, unless I’m actually doing something. Normally I keep my plans fairly quiet until enough is in place and happening. Talking is easy. Doing, that is the bit that matters.
The idea behind these posts was always to share my learnings along the way and to have something to look back to in the future, but also a way for me to get perspective on things. Many times have I found writing these posts immensely motivating. By committing in public to doing something more with ideas than to write them down I’ve become more motivated. And writing the blog posts, seeing the increase in readers and getting feedback has been really good and kept me going. Until I hit the point where I started to feel like all I was doing was talking about byflock and our products rather than actually working on any of them other than the small bits.
Yesterday I was asked if I’d read this post by Derek Siver called Shut up! Announcing your plans makes you less motivated to accomplish them. In it he talks about how research done since 1933 show that people who talk about their intentions are less likely to actually make them happen. He writes:
Announcing your plans to others satisfies your self-identity just enough that you’re less motivated to do the hard work needed.
– Derek Sivers
There’s been a fair bit of discussion on the web about whether what Derek Sivers says is right or not and whether you should share your goals. I know that for me sharing my goals publicly with close friends, colleagues or family, and having accountability towards them, motivates me. For the same reason I wanted to share my goal of making something out of my ideas. It’s a bigger undertaking and at times a little “What have I started” and as I don’t like to just talk and not keep what I’ve said I’m going to do, I thought I’d try to share it with everyone who may come across this blog. To really make sure that I follow through and that the commitment was there. In that sense it has worked. I’ve felt accountable but what hasn’t worked is that there has been less doing this year for the reasons I wrote about yesterday and due to that it has at time felt fake.
I don’t care much for talking about things. I get impatient when meetings drag on. When people discuss a problem at length rather than actually sit down and work through it. I like to do. I need to see progress. I like to have clear and tangible goals and milestones that give me a sense of how much further I have to go. And I like to acknowledge reaching those milestones. In other words I like doing. And now, when a new year is about to being the focus will be on that. Less talk about things that aren’t progressing as much as I want them to and more focus on actually ensuring they progress. It’s time to make things.
Tomorrow – Day 364 | Focusing my attention
Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/jenosaur/3893945884
