Have you ever started something new and didn’t stick with it? Then you tried again, but with a friend and it worked that time? That friend was your accountability buddy – the one who helped you do what you said you were going to do. In college I had a friend who wanted to work out at 6am so we did it together. On my own or on his own, neither of us would get out of bed in the winter and walk in the New England cold to go workout at 6am. BUT, if he was going to get up and go then so was I. I couldn’t let him down and he didn’t want to let me down so we both held each other accountable. Let’s talk about accountability.
According to the dictionary, accountability is owning up to your actions and accepting responsibility for your actions. Only you can take action in your life. You are responsible. So how do you cultivate or become more accountable when you kinda don’t feel like doing what you said you wanted to do? We all lose our mojo at times and this is the umph that helps keep us going. Here are some ways you can help yourself be more accountable to what you said you were going to do and do it.
- Find an accountability buddy. Sounds corny, but it works! Find someone who can help keep you on track. They can either have the same goal as you do and travel the path with you. Or, they can be the person who checks in on you to see if you’re following your plan. This person can be a friend, but doesn’t’ have to be. It does need to be someone who can show you a little tough love when you need it.
- Communicate. This might be the golden ticket for most things in life. Learn to communicate your needs to those around you. If you’re in a tough spot, not feeling motivated, or feeling just plain “eh”, talk to someone. Get motivated again. Talk about your roadblocks and how someone can help support you through them.
- Write it down. If you write down whatever it is you want to be accountable to, you get a visual reminder. This helps keep you accountable because you can actually SEE if you’ve done it or not. Of course, you cross it off once you’ve done it. I’m a list person!
- Make self restrictions. If you know that you are easily distracted then set up restrictions or boundaries for yourself. For example, you can turn your phone on & off at a certain time so you’re not tempted to use it when you’re supposed to be doing something else. I do this at night after work and on weekends to preserve my personal time. It’s not easy for me to do, but I’m learning and practicing.
Not all tips work for all humans. Find what works for you to hold you accountable. For me, it’s lists. I’m a very visual person so seeing something helps me a lot. A list gives me a goal (or goals) to accomplish that I can track. I will always exercise so I don’t need help with that; however, I do need to be accountable to slowing down and doing less. Telling a friend (hearing myself say it out loud) what I have planned for a weekend or the week reminds me to slow down and not book so many things. Nothing scheduled is a gift, not a “do more” spot on my calendar. I guess for me, lists and telling someone are ways that help me stay accountable to doing what I said I would do. 🙂