We’ve all said it before: “I’ll do it later” or “I’ll work harder next time.” This temporary comfort comes at a severe cost, causing distrust in our own prowess and an overwhelming workload. No matter your intentions, inaction is much worse than being honest about your capabilities.
Take team assignments, for example. Empty promises produce false hope while workflow gets stalled as your teammates falsely believe that you will follow through. When the truth comes out, your words undeniably cause disappointment and damage to your own credibility. This is why promises shouldn’t be made without adequate planning to back them up.
Falling into this category only contributes to a troubling trend, although it’s still possible to fix. 92% of people fail to achieve their goals, and the 8% of those who do succeed tend to slip up at least once due to a lack of motivation to live up to their word. While these goals are made with good intentions, words ultimately carry no weight when we fail to act on them.
According to research by New York University, students who announced their future intentions such as “I will take reading assignments more seriously” tended to act less on those goals—what the brain calls “premature dopamine.” Feeling satisfied for putting in the bare minimum of “trying” is the brain deluding thoughts of already succeeding. This is why we feel so deserving of the same rewards we’d gain from actually achieving something.
Instead of starting the assignment, the thrill goes towards justifying breaks and meaningless phrases like “just 10 more minutes” of scrolling and binging, which then spirals into hours upon hours.
98% of adolescents procrastinate today, and this isn’t surprising. The brain’s false sense of accomplishment chips away at you both physically and mentally. Work piles up until it seems impossible to complete, initiating a stressful cycle: working late to catch up on assignments, turning in low quality work and ultimately damaging your mental health.
At school, these bad habits may lead to homework deductions or unexpectedly low test scores. But they also show others that you are unwilling or unable to put in the necessary effort.
Although positive self-talk is essential to one’s self-esteem, people are evaluated by their actions, not their words. Knowing how much you can reasonably balance given your time and energy and taking minor steps like setting up a calendar, breaking tasks into smaller components and eliminating distractions from your phone or using an app blocker will help you progress toward your goals and live up to your word.
Words offer only comfort, but actions build trust and are ultimately what people remember. Being perfect isn’t the goal—it’s demonstrating progress and growth toward your intentions.
