Who are you accountable to? If you have a family, perhaps you're most accountable to them, or maybe it's your boss. Everyone is accountable to someone, but I've found one of the best practices in business and in life is to be accountable to yourself.
Accountability is a big deal and for many people determines whether or not anything in their life gets done. Many things are put off to the future for a lack of accountability - that is, if we don't HAVE to do something, many of us tend to not do it, even if it would be a good thing. It actually pains me to think of how many things I could have done by now had it not been for procrastination and a lack of personal accountability.
Being accountable to myself is one of the best practices I've ever learned, and though I am not even close to mastering the practice, just being on my way has helped me grow by leaps and bounds, both personally and professionally.
So how can accountability help you get more things done? Well, for me, I hold myself accountable by making a "To do" list each day, each week, and each quarter - it's more than business planning, it is life planning. I review my lists each day, each week, and each quarter to see where I've come, and also to see where I need to put more focus. If everything on the list isn't crossed off, that's where my focus goes.
Some people believe that 'long lists don't get done'. Personally, I like long lists. Why? Simple...I like crossing things off! My daily 'To do' list includes things as big as '3 hour continuing education class' all the way down to the simplest of things, like 'Post ad to Craigslist' (which is a 1 minute long exercise...but hey, I get to cross it off the list!). Weekly goals focus on things like lead generation, apps taken, home projects, and things I know I need to spend more time on (I play guitar, so a weekly list might include 'write 1 new song'). The quarterly lists are my favorite - these are what most people refer to as 'business plans', but for me, they're my life plan - I make a business list and a personal list. I set the goals pretty high and fail pretty regularly, but they help me keep my eye on the prize, and when I look back after 3 months and can cross some things off, it's a great feeling.
"The reason why people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go rather than how far they've gotten"
So do you want to get more done? Start your lists, and keep them in view. Review them each day, each week, and start holding yourself accountable to your short & long term goals. Married? Share your list with your spouse and have them help keep you accountable, too. There's no better feeling than accomplishing goals, and this is one of the best ways to stay the course and resist the "I can do it later" mentality. So start crossing things off your list!
Comments(1)