2 HN users recommended this talk4 months2010–2023score 5.5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
Commenters credit it with changing how they handle plans and recommend it as a short, sourced talk.
A four-minute TED talk in which Derek Sivers argues that announcing your goals can make you less likely to achieve them. He cites psychology research going back to the 1920s.
“I did not really put two and two together until I saw this talk[0] many years ago and it clicked.” (HN, 2023)
Don't tell people your goals. I heard this in a TED talk years ago[0]. Telling people what you plan to do can evoke the same emotions as actually doing that thing, lowering the drive to do the work to accomplish the goal because you got your emotional reward already. Being a serial starter, I retroactively noticed this pattern in myself when I heard this. Now, when I want to do something new, I shut up about it until I either complete it or have enough momentum in the project to have reached critical mass. [0] [this video]
Telling goals gives an emotional reward and lowers drive
I like to think in public about things I've already done, and think in private about things I'm intending to do. I like blogging about things I've already done because it helps me process and solidify my learnings. Also, explaining something in writing is a great way for me to see what knowledge or other gaps I may have. But I don't like blogging or even discussing with loved ones my intentions or goals until I have made some concrete progress toward it. I have a tendency to start things and not finish them as excitement wanes, and realized that talking about things while I am excited about them has a negative impact on my drive to actually do the thing. I did not really put two and two together until I saw this talk[0] many years ago and it clicked. So now no matter how excited or motivated I am about a goal or new idea, I try to keep it to myself until I've made some threshold of actual progress. [0] [this video]
Talking about intentions early undermines drive to finish
"Keep your goals to yourself" from this TED talk I saw more than ten ago: [this video] I revisit it every few years as a reminder and have been following this advice ever since I first saw it If I talk about my goals or something I plan on doing too soon, I'm less likely to follow through with it. Now I shut up and don't talk about it until I have enough momentum.
Microsoft's mentality reminds me of a recent TedTalk: [this video] The researcher concludes that when you tell others what you are going to do, that your mind tricks itself into believing that the task has already been achieved, and reduces the incentive to do the hard work to actually achieve it. Thus, when Steve Balmer gushes to the press and says that iPhone is going to get obliterated, it probably reduces the chances of that actually happening.
Sharing goals publicly can reduce motivation to achieve them
As I mentioned in the other thread, there is actually plenty of evidence against this view, evidence showing that publicly announcing your goals actually reduces your motivation. Here is the same short TED talk I posted on the subject in the other thread: [this video] Don't mean to rain on your parade, just trying to get all the relevant numbers out there. Your brain may vary.
Hi HN, I'm the founder of BurnTheBoats.org. Burn The Boats is a free service that lets you create irrevocable social pre-commitments. After committing to a goal on the site and providing your friends' email addresses, Burn The Boats will email them on your deadline. The only way to stop that email is to pay a cancellation fee, whose amount you choose when you set your goal. Unlike other goal-setting platforms, Burn The Boats doesn't email your friends right away and encourages you to keep your goal to yourself. This is because research shows that sharing your goal can make you less likely to achieve it (which was the topic of one of Derek Sivers' Ted Talks [1]). By only divulging your goal to your friends on the due date, Burn The Boats gives you the benefits of social accountability without the motivation-sapping effects of sharing your goal immediately. I'd appreciate your feedback on any aspect of the site (concept, design, copy, etc...). Thanks for reading! Cheers! Bevan ps. I've vlogged the process of building the app, which you can see here: [link] [1] [ [this video] ]
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