mcltyl Promise Debt Tracker
"I'll get back to you" — and then you didn't. Surface forgotten micro-commitments before they become reputation damage.
When to Use
- You said "I'll send that over" and it's been 3 days
- Someone asked you something and you said "let me check" — did you?
- You're the person who "always follows through" but lately things are slipping
- You want to catch dropped balls before others notice
Trigger: End of day review, or "what did I promise this week?"
The Problem
Most dropped commitments aren't malice. They're forgotten micro-promises:
- "I'll look into that"
- "Let me get back to you"
- "I'll send you the link"
- "Remind me and I'll..."
Each one is small. But they accumulate into: "You can't rely on them."
The Protocol
Step 1: Daily Capture (2 minutes, end of day)
Scan your day for commitment language:
In messages/emails sent today:
- "I'll..."
- "Let me..."
- "I can..."
- "Will do"
- "On it"
- "I'll follow up"
In meetings/calls:
- Anything you said you'd do
- Anything someone asked and you didn't say no
Prompt:
"What did you commit to today? Don't filter — dump everything you said you'd do."
Step 2: Categorize (1 minute)
For each commitment:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ✅ Done | Completed, no action needed |
| ⏳ In Progress | Working on it, on track |
| 🔴 Overdue | Said you'd do it, haven't |
| 🟡 At Risk | Not started, deadline approaching |
| ❓ Unclear | You don't remember what you meant |
Focus on 🔴 and 🟡. Those are your promise debt.
Step 3: Triage the Debt (2 minutes)
For each overdue/at-risk item:
Option A: Do it now (if <5 minutes)
Just do it. Right now. Before you close this.
Option B: Schedule it (if >5 minutes)
Block time tomorrow. Specific time, not "tomorrow sometime."
Option C: Renegotiate (if you can't/won't do it)
Message them: "Hey, I said I'd [X] but I'm not going to be able to. [Alternative or apology]."
Option D: Write it off (if it's too late to matter)
Acknowledge it's dropped. Learn from it. Move on.
Step 4: Prevention (30 seconds)
Before making new promises tomorrow:
"Can I actually do this? If not, say 'Let me check if I can commit to that' instead of 'I'll do it.'"
The rule: Don't say "I'll" unless you're willing to write it down immediately.
Weekly Review (Optional, 5 minutes)
Every Friday or Sunday:
- How many promises did I make this week?
- How many did I keep?
- What's my completion rate? (Target: >90%)
- Patterns?
- Over-promising in meetings?
- Forgetting async commitments?
- Saying yes to avoid awkwardness?
The Commitment Log (Simple Format)
Track in any notes app:
## 2026-03-25
| Promise | To Whom | By When | Status |
|---------|---------|---------|--------|
| Send deck | Sarah | EOD | ✅ |
| Review proposal | Mike | Fri | 🟡 |
| "Look into" pricing | Jane | ??? | 🔴 |
Minimum viable tracking: Just the 🔴 and 🟡 items. Don't over-engineer.
Common Patterns
"I'll look into it" syndrome
You said it to end the conversation, not because you planned to do it. Either do it or say "I don't think I'll have time for that."
Meeting commitment overload
You say yes in meetings because it's awkward to say no. Write down commitments IN the meeting, then review before it ends.
The "remind me" trap
"Remind me and I'll do it" = "I'm making this your responsibility." Stop saying this. Either commit or decline.
Output
By end of session:
- List of current promise debt (🔴/🟡)
- Action for each: Do Now / Schedule / Renegotiate / Write Off
- Any promises closed out
- Awareness of patterns
For post-meeting commitment capture, see Post-Meeting Rescue