Ben Affleck recently made an appearance on the Smartless podcast, and he shared some advice from his long-time friend and collaborator, Matt Damon.
He was talking about being asked to do something (or deciding if you want to do something). The specific context was him being asked to appear at a charity event, which I’m guessing these types of celebrities get asked a lot. But this could apply to anything, like if you’re deciding to go to a work conference or even a vacation.
Here’s Matt Damon’s advice (paraphrased): If someone asks you to do something in 6 months, think of it as something you’ve already signed up for and must do tomorrow. Will you do it?
I really like this advice. It’s easier to say yes to something that won’t happen until the distant future, but think of all the things you’ve agreed to do that you end up dreading as they get closer and closer.
So Damon is saying to put yourself in your future shoes: Skip the next 6 months and pretend that the event, conference, or vacation is coming up tomorrow (or this weekend). How do you feel about it?
I don’t think this works for everything, but it’s a helpful way to reconceptualize some things. I just used it today, and I was surprised to find that my answer was yes–this isn’t just a way to say no to things! 🙂
What do you think about Matt Damon’s advice?