Tell a friend your goal and the date. It’s harder to lie to yourself with a witness.

Private intentions can be revised silently and endlessly. A goal nobody else knows about has no fixed shape, so when the date slides the goal slides with it and no version of you ever has to notice. Another person holding the date turns it into a fact you have to deal with rather than a feeling you can adjust.

Pick one thing and one date, then tell somebody who will actually ask. Make the date close enough to be real, like three weeks. Ask them to check in once rather than to chase you.