In the novel The Covenant of Water, a marriage broker is having a conversation with two Indian women about the lessons he has learned over the decades. “The first priority is: Set the date!” Aniyan says. “Simple. You know why? Because you set a date and you’re committed.”
While his words of wisdom were shared in conjunction with matchmaking, I believe they apply in a far broader context. When projects are open-ended, there is less incentive to complete them compared to when there is a hard deadline for the end. (For example, we finished our promotional work for the bond referendum on Election Day but are still working on the final report that had no hard conclusion time.)
Setting the date for personal goals, organizational tasks, or friendships makes it more likely that these things will be accomplished. “Let’s get together” is vastly different than “Let’s go to lunch on Tuesday at 11:30.”
I invite you to apply the wise matchmaker’s advice and see if it doesn’t help you achieve your commitments.
