In a perfect world, a say-do ratio would be one to one, meaning you have done everything that you said you would do. Where do you think you land?
I'd love to think I am fairly reliable and that my say do ratio is fairly good, especially at work. I deliver on my deadlines, commit to follow up and actually do it, call people back in reasonable amount of time if I said I would, offer to help where I can etc. However, sometimes in my personal life I do miss things, like when I say "I ll clean this" and than get home from work and I am too tired, so I don't do it. Over last little while I tried to be more mindful of my say-do ratio at home and at work and here are few things that have helped me be more reliable:
Be honest about what you can commit to.
There is only so much you can do in a day, if you are being asked to do something, be honest and realistic about saying yes and doing it. Don't be afraid to say no, if you can't follow through, say no and explain why. Saying that, don't say no just because you don't feel like doing something; huge part of being reliable is that you DO help on a regular basis, and that people can count on you.
Schedule things + write things down.
"I don't need to write that down, I'll remember" is one of the things I caught myself doing - when in all honesty, I wouldn't remember, than be freaking out when I remember last minute or way past when I was supposed to do something. Write things down. Schedule them in your calendar with reminders, put sticky notes where you'll remember to look, but do something that hold you accountable to your commitments, and reminds you to do things you said you would.
Play on your own level.
Not everyone is equally reliable, not everyone will do as they said, be okay with that. You can only control what your say-do ratio is; sometimes it hard to be the person who feels like you are not receiving the same you are putting out in the world but you cant control that much. I have co-workers who say "well so and so isn't doing things, and getting away with it, why would I do this?" As a soccer coach of mine said once "play your best game every time you hit the filed, regardless of what other 21 players are doing. Championships (games) are lost when we try to match someone else's play" I think that applies to be reliable and say do-ratio. Do you best, your life is your own game (play), so make sure you feel good about doing your best; not someone else's.
Don't half-ass things.
There is more to being reliable than just keeping your word. Reliable people let their actions rise above their excuses, and if you are committing to do something, make sure you do it well. If you are gonna put your whatever (half ass) effort in, just say you can't do it.
So what is your say-do ratio? How do you make sure you are reliable?
I'd love to think I am fairly reliable and that my say do ratio is fairly good, especially at work. I deliver on my deadlines, commit to follow up and actually do it, call people back in reasonable amount of time if I said I would, offer to help where I can etc. However, sometimes in my personal life I do miss things, like when I say "I ll clean this" and than get home from work and I am too tired, so I don't do it. Over last little while I tried to be more mindful of my say-do ratio at home and at work and here are few things that have helped me be more reliable:
Be honest about what you can commit to.
There is only so much you can do in a day, if you are being asked to do something, be honest and realistic about saying yes and doing it. Don't be afraid to say no, if you can't follow through, say no and explain why. Saying that, don't say no just because you don't feel like doing something; huge part of being reliable is that you DO help on a regular basis, and that people can count on you.
Schedule things + write things down.
"I don't need to write that down, I'll remember" is one of the things I caught myself doing - when in all honesty, I wouldn't remember, than be freaking out when I remember last minute or way past when I was supposed to do something. Write things down. Schedule them in your calendar with reminders, put sticky notes where you'll remember to look, but do something that hold you accountable to your commitments, and reminds you to do things you said you would.
Play on your own level.
Not everyone is equally reliable, not everyone will do as they said, be okay with that. You can only control what your say-do ratio is; sometimes it hard to be the person who feels like you are not receiving the same you are putting out in the world but you cant control that much. I have co-workers who say "well so and so isn't doing things, and getting away with it, why would I do this?" As a soccer coach of mine said once "play your best game every time you hit the filed, regardless of what other 21 players are doing. Championships (games) are lost when we try to match someone else's play" I think that applies to be reliable and say do-ratio. Do you best, your life is your own game (play), so make sure you feel good about doing your best; not someone else's.
Don't half-ass things.
There is more to being reliable than just keeping your word. Reliable people let their actions rise above their excuses, and if you are committing to do something, make sure you do it well. If you are gonna put your whatever (half ass) effort in, just say you can't do it.
So what is your say-do ratio? How do you make sure you are reliable?
