“Your life works to the degree you keep your agreements.”
-Werner Erhard
“Never promise more than you can perform.”
-Publilus Syrus
More importantly, every agreement you make is ultimately
with yourself. Even when you are making an agreement with someone else, your
brain hears it and registers it as a commitment.
Some tips on making and keeping agreements
2. Write down all the
agreements you make. Use a calendar, daily planning book, notebook, or
computer to record all of your agreements.
3. Communicate any broken
agreement at the first appropriate time. As soon as you know you are going
to have a broken agreement—your car won’t start, you are caught in
traffic, your child is sick, your babysitter can’t make it, your computer
crashes—notify the other person as soon as possible, and then renegotiate
the agreement. This demonstrates respect for others’ time and their needs.
It also gives them time to reschedule, replan, make other arrangements,
and limit any potential damage.
4. Learn to say no more
often. Give yourself time to think it over before making any new
agreements. I write the word no in yellow highlighter on all my calendar
pages as a way to remind myself to really consider what else I’ll have to
give up if I say yes to something new. It makes me pause and think before
I add another commitment to my life.