The Truth About Time and Commitment

We’ve all said it: “I just don’t have the time,” and sometimes that is absolutely true; we don’t have enough time to do everything we want or intend to do. But be honest with yourself, are you using this as an excuse to get out of the things you said you would do? It’s one thing to politely decline adding something to your schedule because of other obligations, but it’s another thing entirely to commit to something and back out because you deem yourself too busy at the last minute. Sometimes it’s not an issue of timing; it’s an issue of following through on your commitments.

It’s essentially telling someone, “Because I didn’t manage my own time well, I am now going to waste your time by not showing up to our meeting, canceling plans, handing off my work to someone else, etc.” Unfortunately, most people don’t see it that way. If the roles were reversed, you might be upset with the other person for backing out, but because it was you who had to back out, you expect them to be understanding of or sympathetic to your situation. While I do believe that we should all show others grace where we can, I don’t believe that it is fair to expect something from others that you would not expect of yourself.

When someone says that they ran out of time, I often wonder if it was because they have hit their capacity or if it was that they chose not to make it a priority. The reason I say this is because I, too, have been guilty of allowing excuses to become stronger than my own willpower at times. When this happens, we don’t need more time; we just need a shift in mindset. Stop putting off things for tomorrow that are important today. Be intentional about what you are doing and when you are choosing to do it, and don’t allow excuses to get in the way of fulfilling your commitments.

The truth is that sometimes commitment is more important than time. We are all very busy, and while we sometimes do need to make changes to our schedules or shift our priorities, we should not use that as a justification for going back on our word, especially if we have no intention of making up for it. Whether you are a leader or you report to one, it is important to stop blaming your commitment issues on timing issues and start holding yourself accountable for the things that you have said you would do. Ultimately, success is built on consistency and follow-through, not excuses.

-Meghan Slaughter