Productivity Tip: Accountability

Holding yourself accountable for your goals can show up in many different ways in your life but one of the most effective ways by far to put this particular tool to use in making your life more productive is to enroll others in holding you accountable for your goals, accomplishments, and general acts of “getting things done”. When you place others in the role of holding you responsible for your goals and designated to-do’s it puts them in a position to support and encourage you to reach your goals or objectives and it also puts you in a place of knowing that someone is counting on you to be your word and keep up with what you said you would do. Having this kind of weight on you puts just enough helpful pressure to keep you on track and moving towards your goals because you know that you have someone on the other side that will be there with a reprimand if you don’t stay focused.

Not only does this person serve as a bit of a consequence (because you know you’ll be in trouble with them if you aren’t productive) but they can also serve as a cheerleader and a source of helpful advice and resources should any challenges or roadblocks come up. This is a person that has committed to you to make sure that you achieve your goals or accomplish whatever it was that you set out to do and because of that you can rely on them not only to hold you accountable but also to be there to support you in your endeavors. Because of this you want to make sure you select someone who is on track with their own goals and projects as well otherwise they may not be able to be of much help to you.

It’s also useful to apply this technique with a larger group of people such as a group with similar goals, or a crowd of friends or family that will help you maintain momentum. One way you could do this would be to use a twitter or facebook account to publicly post a goal or a project you’re working on with a deadline to complete it by. That way people will be aware of your set limits and up to speed on what your working on. When you do this you place the public eye on you which makes you more likely to focus on and complete your goals efficiently because know you have a few people keeping watch on you to see if you actually pull through with it. It also means that your network of resources and support is bigger and more likely to be able to provide you with advice and insight should you face any problems in completing your goals.

Use the tool of accountability any time you feel yourself procrastinating or holding back on a goal because of fear or any other excuse you may be using and you’ll find yourself receiving much better results with the support of your friends or family