Put it in writing

I’ve said “that’s against the rules” to my kids about 5 trillion times in the past decade. But the thing that made “the rules” stick for them was writing them down. We now have four house rules written on a sheet of paper on the fridge, and they are taken very seriously.

I’ve given the same feedback to direct reports for months. But when I threw that feedback in a Google doc, I started to see changes.

I’ve spent years “planning” to change my habits, wishing I could have the motivation to do whatever. Writing down my goals gave me the discipline I needed.

Whether it’s for your kid, your coworker, or yourself, write it down. Don’t just say it out loud. Don’t just think it. There’s something about writing it down that makes it real.

Put it in writing if it’s important. And Slack doesn’t count.