I have often said in the past that if you want to accomplish a task, put it in your calendar. But snooze, reschedule or delete buttons can put a spanner in your plans.
So there is a better way. Put the task is someone else’s calendar. That is, get an accountability partner who holds you responsible for accomplishing a task.
Working with accountability buddy increases your chance of success by 85-95%
Don’t believe me? Read the article yourself.
Whether you work for yourself or your employer, you need an accountability buddy.
Businesses understand this and that is why they have the hierarchical structure in their organisation. My theory is, that is how the concept of bosses was born.
The poor souls were meant just to be your accountability partners and not the demons they have been turned into today.
Whether you like them or not, bosses and their deadlines at least ensure that we get our work done in time.
But what about those who work for themselves?
Ideally we must be highly motivated and get stuff done because it “should“ be done.
But that is the ideal scenario, not how it happens actually.
That is why we need to have accountability partners.
Accountability partners help us remain on track for all our projects. Besides that you also get the opportunity to:
- Coach someone in what you are a good at and in return get free coaching for something you need to learn and polish. I usually end up coaching my accountability buddies on scheduling.
- Work in your own time and at your own pace, which is not always possible if you have a professional mentor or coach. You often adjust your own schedules to set up meetings according to their availability.
- Hold discussions for as long as both of you want, which is quite enough for you to talk about your problems.
So how to find an accountability buddy?
Here are some ideas:
- Ask someone you know – a friend, a colleague – someone who has enough grip on you to hold a gun to your head!!
- Post in your social media groups asking for accountability partners. You will be surprised at how many people need them. Here it works mutually.
- If you are part of any Facebook group for freelancers, they routinely come up with threads where you can post your need for an accountability partner. Be on the lookout and you will soon land one.
And if all else fails, DM me to check if I have the bandwidth to be your accountability partner.
