Just… Stop… Talking

“I was gonna…”

If there was one phrase that defined my teenage years, that was it.

I had a knack for verbally committing to actions without ever following through.

Of course my parents didn’t take too kindly to that. And I remember quite a few scoldings that were sparked by my unreliable nature.

It wasn’t so much that I was lazy—okay well, maybe a little. It was ironically due to my will to be seen as a dependable person. Because in my mind, accepting responsibility was more important than actually carrying it out.

My superiors were confident that I would finish any project or task they gave me back then, but when they came around a few days later, they’d get a half-hearted product at best.

This all got really old after a while, and I was tired of letting so many people down. So just like any other time I didn’t get my desired results, I decided to make a change.

Mere Talk

In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:23 NASB)

I know I’m not the only one who wrestles with the urge to talk. We all have the inherent will to be seen as more than what we are, and our words are the most convenient tools to bring about that purpose.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all serve as outlets for us to boast of the feats we’re capable of. But then why does everyone’s resumé contradict reality?

Mere talk.

Always do the work first. That was the change I made years ago. I wasn’t going to talk until I forced myself to do the inconvenient part first.

I realized that it’s better to get uncomfortable now than to have nothing to show later. And keeping that point in mind, I thought I’d show you three specific strategies you can use to make sure you do the same.

#1 Draw the Line

If you have business of your own to do, you obviously have to set your own deadlines. But there’s a difference between the deadlines you should set and the ones that estimate how long it’ll take to finish.

Your deadlines need to be:

Sweat inducing
Written in stone

They need to be early enough to cause a struggle. And they need to be clearly defined, written down, and stowed away so you respect them instead of pushing them back.

Setting such early deadlines will get you in the habit of being overly prepared. Plus they’ll give you the added benefit of creativity.

Now how do deadlines make you more creative? Think back to your school days to get an idea.

When you had an easy exam coming up, or if you had plenty of time to complete an assignment, you didn’t alter your preparation much. But if you procrastinated and only had two days to finish that big project, or if you knew that exam would be difficult, everything changed:

You furiously scanned your calendar to see when you could fit more studying into your schedule
You asked every stranger in class if they had a handle on the material
And your classmates wrote answers on the inside of their water bottle labels to cheat on the test

Nothing brings out creativity like a little bit of stress.

Of course you don’t want to run yourself into the ground here, but hopefully you see the difference in challenging yourself beyond what you know you can do.

And this change applies to more than just personal business. If you’re working for someone else, you still set your deadlines the same way. The only difference is that you’ll have a true deadline to compare it against.

So if a project is due in a month for example, plan to only use the last week for review. Or if an assignment is due in five days, get it done in three.

Get in the habit of setting a higher standard of your own, and you’ll never stress over any deadline.

#2 Grab a Muzzle

For a generation so enraptured by the idea of success, you’d think we’d be doing more than posting motivational quotes online.

You have to fight that desire to live life through your phone. The fewer outlets you have to post about what you’re doing, the more time and focus you’ll have to actually do the work.

It’s so easy to find yourself scrolling down your timelines throughout the day—I know I’m guilty of it.

Sure, you can point fingers and say that this is just another millennial shortcoming (man I hate that “m” word), but this is far from a generational flaw. I’ve seen people of all ages glued to their phones in cities across the globe.

Now granted, some of us can afford the distraction more than others. But if you’re between the ages of 18 and 30, take advantage of your higher energy level and focus it towards something worthwhile.

Note how many times you check your phone throughout the day and don’t hesitate to press delete if you need to. There’s really no need to have more than 2 social networking apps—and even that number is pushing it.

Always be conscious of your actions and ask yourself if they help you move forward.

Your phone is a tool for you to use. Don’t let it use you.

#3 Catch Eyes Before Ears

This one is kind of a compromise, but it’s still helpful anyway.

If you’re a person who just has to run your mouth, then only promote semi-finished work.

So say you’re writing a book for example. You would write a chapter first, edit it afterwards, and then present it to others for their input later.

Doing this will give you two benefits. First, you can talk about your project and get feedback before you finish the whole thing. And second, you’ll be more consistent because of the smaller workload required at each step.

But again, the pieces you promote here need to be finished. We all have a tendency to feel like our work is done when we talk about it. So make sure that whatever you show is complete, and don’t go on about any future plans.

Remember that people want evidence. They want proof. And they usually want multiple examples of it.

No one wants to hear plans until they see tangibles.

That’s why you do the work first—it builds confidence in the future. So instead of talking about what’s next, look at what your work is saying right now.