On Monday I had a phone conversation with Ed Gandia and I asked him for a favour.
There’s something I’ve been meaning to do for the past couple weeks and, as of last Monday, I still hadn’t done it.
It’s a daily habit – a good one – which, for a number of reasons (laziness being one of them) I’ve let slide.
So this past Monday morning, while looking at the week ahead, I decided that getting back on track with this habit was a MUST. That’s when I reached out to Ed and asked him to be my accountability partner.
“Ed, I’ve got a goal I want to accomplish, something very small, but important, and I need your help with it. I’d like you to hold me accountable. When we talk again next Monday, I’d like you to ask me if I accomplished this task?” Of course, Ed agreed to help me.
That was three days ago and guess what? It’s working. Here it is Thursday morning and so far I’ve done what I set out to do, every single day. I’ve reintegrated this positive habit back into my daily routine.
So why am I suddenly making progress on this task after weeks of slacking off? What’s my motivation?
Maybe it’s got something to do with pride. Or maybe ego, or fear of embarrassment, or maybe just an unwillingness on my part to waste a colleague’s time. Whatever the reason, on some level, I know I would experience a certain amount of discomfort if next Monday rolled around (the day when I have to face the music) and all I had to offer Ed was a sheepish, “Uhhh…. no…” when he asks me if I did what I set out to do. Instead, I plan on saying, “Yes!”
What about you? Have you ever used an accountability partner? Someone who’s going to call you on the things you say you’re going to do, in the time frame you’ve set out for yourself? What has been your experience? Did your partner help you make progress toward your goals, or no?
And if you’ve never used an accountability partner before… are you willing to give it a try?
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Pete Savage is a co-founder of TheWealthyFreelancer.com and a co-creator of The “Launch Email” Technique: The Fastest Way to Attract Good-Paying Clients as a New Freelancer.
Flickr photo courtesy of sean.koo
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
This works! With most business tasks, there are due dates and time frames and I think our minds adjust well to that… so, when it comes to those things that aren’t “due” we tend to put them off. I usually tell my husband, “I HAVE to have this done by that day” and he will ask (very nicely).. did you get that finished? Not that it would matter one way or the other, but I do think it helps to keep on track. I think it would be the embarrassment of having to say “no”. Although, I hadn’t really thought of it as an accountability partner, just a reminder.. it is effective.
The entire Weight Watchers empire is built on this principal. There it’s weighing in every week.
Pete – So glad you’ve accomplished your goal already. Means I don’t have to embarrass you with tough questions come Monday morning.
Well, come to think of it, I’ll try to embarrass you anyway.
Penny – I do think it’s the embarrassment of having to say “no.” Doing it once or twice won’t kill you. But the third or fourth time you have to tell your spouse (or your accountability partner) that you haven’t accomplished that task, then you start looking like a flake. And the last thing most of us want to be called is “flake.” (Actually, “dweeb” and “freak” are also pretty bad!)
I hold myself accountable because there’s no one else to hold me accountable. It’s good to have an accountability partner to keep you on track.
My deadline for a TV screenplay I’m writing is Dec. 31, 2009, and I shall meet or exceed it. I decided to write an eBook for one of my life coaching sites and committed to writing two chapters per day.
I think this works best the way you are doing it, Pete, rather than with both partners trying to reach the same goal. In my experience, both partners mess up and so neither feels too bad telling the other. Then, it’s tough to get back on track!
Rebecca and Jean – thanks for your comments here!
Penny – way to go, enlisting the help of your spouse
Ed – I’m glad to know that embarrassing me sets just the right tone for your week, you sonova….
Dava – I had never looked at it from that angle… you’re right, it CAN get messy when two are trying to reach the SAME goal and both fall short. However, breaking a common goal down into individual milestones (ones that each partner is uniquely responsible for) is a good way around that. Ed and Steve and I did that this past summer as we co-wrote a book, and it worked beautifully.