Promise your mother you’ll do it and you’ll do it. Because nobody messes with mom.
Accountability is a proven method for getting things done you might otherwise not do. When someone else is watching and will call you out when you don’t do what you said you would do, you are much more likely to do it.
In school, you may have had a study partner you met in the library who kept you accountable. You showed up because you didn’t want to explain why you didn’t.
In law school, you might have been in a study group where you agreed to brief certain cases and present a summary to the other members. You did it because they were counting on you.
Today, it might be your spouse, your law partner, or a business coach. Someone you know who is watching and will call you out if you don’t do what you committed to do.
Try it sometime. If you are pursing a goal and having trouble sticking with your plan, having someone hold you accountable might be just the thing that gets you to stick with it.
But there’s something else you can do. You can hold yourself accountable to yourself.
Start your day with a written list of tasks you intend to do. At the end of the day, write down what you did and didn’t do.
That’s it. The simple act of writing down what you did and comparing it to what you said you would do keeps you self-aware and accountable. You can’t cheat because you know the truth.
You’ll either follow your plan or change it. Changing it is okay because it’s your plan. So when you change it, you’ll know, and either be okay with that or feel guilty and change it back.
Unfortunately, there is another possibility. You might quit.
You’ll quit because accountability is a bitch. That’s why it’s so effective.
And, if holding yourself accountable isn’t working, there’s only one thing left to do.
Yep, call your mom. She won’t let you get away with anything.
