Looking for answers on how to hold yourself accountable?
Perhaps you’re not producing the results you want or expect from yourself and you’re looking for ways to correct this.
I had a moment ten years or so ago when I was upset about the way that some things in my career were going. I was blaming a few others and frustrated with the way they were performing. Although I felt like I was giving it my all and I was constantly busy, I was accomplishing little. I felt very unproductive and never a step ahead.
I realized that it started with me. It all starts and ends with me. I have the power within me to do amazing things if I hold myself accountable.
I made a system of spending time on organization and perfecting what that organization looks like.
Now, I have more free time than ever to spend on the things that are important to me.
Let me give you some tips and share my ways of organizing that have helped me hold myself accountable.
#1 Step to Hold Yourself Accountable – Have Goals That You Have Placed In Writing
Writing things down is literally my number one trick for you to hold yourself accountable.
This is such an easy thing to do and overlooked by so many.
Organizing your thoughts, your day, your week, and your goals are all done by writing out a detailed plan.
Spending a short period of time getting yourself organized with your goals in writing is the key to holding yourself accountable.
Writing down my goals at the beginning of my day in a planner is actually one of the highlights of my day.
Create A Mini List Of Steps To Achieve Each Goal
Some goals take years. At times, there are goals that can take a day or a week. Each goal you have needs a completion date that you have given it in order to hold yourself accountable.
For the goals that take weeks or months or even years, we have to create somewhat of a mini goal list (or to-do list if you will) in order to stay on task to meet these goals.
After you’ve written each goal down, then break the goal up into smaller sections. Perhaps there are ten steps you have to take in order to complete the goal.
So this is what you have:
- Your list of goals
- A completion date you find acceptable for each goal
- A list of steps you plan to take to make sure that goal is completed by your personal due date
- An expected completion date for each step towards your goal
Give each goal it’s own sheet in your journal. One by one, transfer each step into a slot on your daily to-do list.
Set A Timeline To Hold Yourself Accountable
This keeps me on task with every single aspect of my life. I create a timeline for even chores at home.
I do usually give myself some time to sleep in and be lazy and hang out with my girls.
Here’s an example of what my Saturday list looks like:
- 10:00 – 10:15 – Gather all laundry and start a load
- 10:15 – 10:30 – Vacuum
- 10:30 – 11:00 – Clean bathrooms
- 11:00 – Empty washer & reload
- 11:10 – Figure out lunch
- 12:00 – 12:30 – Empty washer & reload, ask girls to help fold and put away
Basically, it holds myself accountable. Some weekend days I never make a list. The days that I do, I accomplish so much.
When I finish something early and have some empty time left in a block, I do whatever what I want and feel totally justified.
This is exactly how I treat my daily tasks at work. I give myself a reasonable amount of time to get each task done. If I finish early, yay for me! I then have some free time to do what I want or squeeze another task in there.
Multitasking
Just don’t. Don’t multitask. Stick to your list and your timeline and focus on one thing at a time.
I’m telling you from experience. I have never been able to accomplish more by taking on more at one time. However, I have been able to get distracted more easily, accomplish little, and feel more overwhelmed.
Some people say that this works wonders and somehow they manage to get the job done focusing on multiple things at once.
In order to hold yourself accountable, you have to have a list that you are working off of and able to cross the items off one by one.
Surround Yourself With People Who Can Support These Goals And Help Hold Yourself Accountable
Surround yourself with positive people who you can share your goals with. Having others up-to-date on what you’re working on will help hold yourself accountable.
Share your struggles with them.
I know my strengths and weaknesses. Be aware of what yours are.
When it comes to my strengths, I’m willing to drop everything and help anyone at any moment. Even with my weaknesses I’ll at least attempt to help to the best of my knowledge and pull others in that may be better suited.
That said, do not be afraid to utilize others and ask for assistance. Above all, be there for others with your strengths.
Reward Yourself When You Meet A Goal
If your team member were to complete a goal, you would certainly reward them with some sort of praise.
This should also be the case when you complete your own goals.
The reward is up to you. Perhaps you take a friend out to dinner or you leave early from work and enjoy a movie at home on the sofa while relaxing.
Goals are sometimes quite big and take a while to achieve. When there’s a large goal that could possibly take years (such as going back to school), reward yourself with small successes. For example, your ultimate goal is to finish your college degree over the next four years.
Your first small goal would be to complete semester one with a 3.0 GPA. Reward yourself if you meet that!
Keep Moving And Evolving
When you complete one goal, add another one to your list of goals.
Constantly be evolving with the changing times. Perhaps you made a goal a year ago to get your department to adapt to a new software in the office.
Everyone did and you were so thrilled! However, corporate has sent out a mass email and said that they are going to be trying something new.
Your new goal is to be the first one to pilot this new software and get your team on board.
Find joy in checking off boxes and having everything written down so you don’t have to keep all this information in your mind!
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