In our personal and professional lives, we try and keep up with the superwoman ideal and insist on multitasking things we should have said ‘no’ to taking on. Often we give our word without thinking. Young and old alike, we are constantly saying ‘yes’ to the requests and demands of our family, friends, peers, colleagues and spouses; usually at the expense of our reputations.

How often have you had to reschedule plans with friends because you’ve double-booked yourself? Or had to cancel social arrangements at the last minute because you still had work to do or were too tired to go? Or, how often have you said you would do something for somebody but it slipped your mind?

Some of us have unintentionally earned ourselves a reputation for being flaky and unreliable. The people around us don’t respect our word. It may not seem like a big deal among family and friends,  they know us and are likely to be understanding. What about those who don’t know us as well, for instance our acquaintances or colleagues ?

In life (especially in a professional context) it is important to keep your word. Professionalism rests on the trust and respect that derives from your ability to follow through on your commitments. You can be the best in your field but if your reputation is sullied by instances of unreliability and inconsistency you won’t be trusted.  Your peers won’t respect you for what you can do because your work is overshadowed by what you haven’t done.

Fulfilling your obligations is the best way to build trust and respect among your clients, colleagues and management (and people in general). If you don’t, it’s more than likely that you will be overlooked for future work and professional advancements.

Follow through is the key to achieving all success. A reputation for being reliable, consistent and efficient can only serve to enhance your professional prospects and the practise of keeping your word at work will inevitably filter over into your personal life too. So, let’s try living life with a radically new train of thought; where the best way to keep your word is to keep it.

Here are my top 5 Tips for keeping your word:

 1. Say no

 If in doubt about your ability to follow-through on something, don’t take on the responsibility. People will respect you more for it. And if you do manage to do what was asked of you after all it won’t go unappreciated.

 2. Know your limits

Only say yes to things that

a) You are sure you are happy and comfortable with doing

b) You have the time and resources to complete.  

3. Ask for help

No one has ever achieved anything of significance working entirely on their own. It’s ok to say that you need help. Learn to delegate smaller tasks to ease the load and ensure that you can focus on the more important things at hand.

4. Communicate

If you think you're going to fall through, let the person know. This way you can either come to a new arrangement about the task or at least allow them the opportunity to find someone else to finish it.

5.  Just Do It

Nike’s longest running slogan keeps cropping up for a reason. We all get a little distracted but if you choose to commit to doing something then do it.