Are you being held accountable?
What holds you accountable?
Who holds you accountable? <recall I had put a fair amount of time and effort into this gSheet with Brett: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1D_4X2y3hlhe7ZOz1rp3a-V4zGrDyXzb0lSVQ8THJdGE/edit#gid=133234611> Ability is the keyword. Accountable is the checks & balances part of the word. Who holds you accountable when you work for yourself?
Clients
Bills
Your spouse
Yourself (not!) You've got to structure your work to pay the bills. If you can't pay your bills, you have to go get a job. I've never forgotten that to be self-employed means that you have to be employ others to pay you. Self-employment requires:
Initiative
Drive, focus, and discipline
Confidence
That you wear many hats, but not too many hats!
That you trust others, but you hold others accountable. You need a system for tracking the work through to completion! It's a big part of the reason why I've become dependent on AuthorDock.
A roadmap to taking extreme personal accountability in order to drive achievement and fulfillment. The key is to avoid victim mentality, proactively set detailed commitments, and follow through consistently without making excuses.
Uncommon Accountability argues that taking personal accountability is the key to achieving greater success and fulfillment in life. The author defines accountability as being willing to accept responsibility for your actions and outcomes without making excuses. Moran introduces the 'Victim-Accountable Continuum', which shows that people typically fall somewhere between playing the victim and taking full accountability. The book provides strategies to move from victim thinking to accountable thinking. Some of the main ideas include:
Adopting an accountable mindset means never blaming other people or external circumstances for setbacks. You own your tasks and projects.
Accountability requires having difficult conversations to express your commitments and needs to others.
You must hold yourself accountable before expecting it from others. Take responsibility for mistakes immediately.
Create detailed accountability maps for your goals and review them often. Identify specific people to hold you accountable.
Make a list of your key goals and create an accountability map for each one. Outline specific tasks, deadlines and accountability partners.
When you catch yourself making excuses or blaming external factors, shift to accountable self-talk. Refocus on actions within your control.
Have regular accountability meetings with partners or mentors. Review your progress and resets commitments frequently.
Don't avoid difficult conversations. Communicate your needs and commitments proactively and clearly.
When you make a mistake, admit it quickly and publicly. Take ownership of correcting it.
Identify areas where you struggle with accountability and consciously work to improve.
Goal: Complete draft of book manuscript (80,000 words) Tasks:
Outline main sections and chapters (by 3/1)
Write 1st draft of Ch. 1-5 (by 4/1)
Write 1st draft of Ch 6-10 (by 5/1)
Write 1st draft of Ch 11-15 (by 6/1)
Revise all chapters (by 8/1)
Send to editor for feedback (by 9/1)
Incorporate editor feedback (by 10/1)
Final revisions (by 11/1) Accountability Partners:
Meet with writing coach biweekly for progress check-ins
Share updated word count with critique partner every 2 weeks
Meet with editor monthly to review new drafts
Celebrate milestones with spouse This maps out the key tasks and deadlines required to complete the book manuscript goal. It also identifies specific accountability partners who will help hold the person creating the map responsible for making progress and hitting deadlines. Regularly reviewing and updating an accountability map keeps you focused on the actions needed to achieve your goal.
Life is a choice. Every day, every moment, you choose your actions, your thoughts, your destiny. Excuses are the enemy of choice. They seduce you into the victim mindset where outside forces control your fate. Wake up! The victim mentality is quicksand. The more you struggle against it, the deeper it pulls you under. You always have a choice, even when life deals you a bad hand. The difference between victims and accountable people is mindset. Victims play the blame game. It's always someone else's fault. Problems are caused by external forces - bosses, colleagues, the economy, luck. Victims absolve themselves of responsibility. Accountable people play the ownership game. They look inward to their own choices and actions first. They own their work, double down on commitments and follow through. No finger pointing, no escapism. The buck stops here. This simple shift transforms everything. Suddenly you have power, no matter the circumstances. You author the story. You drive outcomes. Obstacles become challenges to actively tackle. When you own it, you can change it. Own your mistakes publicly, quickly correct them. Own your goals, attack them relentlessly. Communicate commitments clearly, then overdeliver. Shine a spotlight on all your work. Public accountability builds sharp motivation and exposes gaps. Create an accountability map to track progress. Review it, update it, live it. Make it visual and data-rich. Invite partners to hold you responsible. Let them challenge excuses before you make them. Give them permission to kick your butt when needed! Meet regularly to reset commitments. With extreme ownership, achievement flows. Excuses become laughable. Victimhood disappears in the rearview mirror. Eyes ahead on the open road you pave with daily choices. When you own your choices, freedom reigns. Even small choices build to life-changing results over time. Moment by moment, you write the story called You. Your life is a blank canvas. Your choices are the colors. Seize the brush! Paint a bold masterpiece built on responsibility, contribution, fulfillment. The brush is in your hands.
Here is an edited version of that section in a more concise style:
When you own your choices, everything changes.
Excuses fade as you acknowledge your role in outcomes, good and bad. Failures become feedback to learn from, not reasons to hide. Circumstances and difficult people are challenges to conquer, not barriers to blame.
With accountability, you stand tall, creating results through sheer will and grit. No more victim posture.
True accountability starts by realizing you steer your life through daily choices. Those choices wholly determine your path and destination.
When you grasp your power of choice, life becomes thrilling. Setbacks are expected and surmounted. Wins are achievements to build upon, not lucky breaks. Every moment holds potential.
Accountability unlocks your dreams. It turbocharges career success, wealth creation, relationships, health, purpose. Though not a guarantee, accountable action maximizes your odds.
Study history's giants. They owned their work first before anyone else noticed. Accountability enabled their rise.
No other personal quality has deeper impact than extreme ownership. It paves your unique road to greatness and fulfillment.
The brush is in your hands. Seize it with accountable grip. Paint your bold masterpiece stroke by stroke.
Mindset Drives Everything Results (R) come from Actions (A), which arise from Thinking (T). Success is not luck. It flows from accountability - how you think and act. Winners who lack financial discipline often lose newfound wealth fast. Their mindset sabotages them. Those who think and act accountably before a windfall tend to stay grounded after. Mindset sustains their success. It all starts with mindset. Your inner world of thoughts, values, habits and beliefs shapes your outer results. There are two mindset camps: victim or accountable. Both create radically different actions and outcomes. To compare mindsets, use the RAT model: Results (R) come from Actions (A), which arise from Thinking (T). Thinking drives actions. Actions drive results. Your thinking patterns - conscious and unconscious - steer your behaviors and outcomes. Victim thinking causes victim actions and poor results. Accountability thinking spurs accountability and achievement. Mindset sits at the root. Master your inner world to improve your outer world. Small mindset shifts create big result differences over time. The battle is won or lost in the mind first. Equip yourself with an accountability mindset for the life you desire.
Coach/Mentor ("Bar Racer"): Find a knowledgeable leader or mentor who can set elevated expectations and create a high-performance environment for you.
Team: Surround yourself with a team of like-minded, respected peers who can provide feedback, friendly competition, and a sense of shared mission.
Accountability Partner ("Buddy"): Pair up with someone you respect, but who is not a close friend, to create a "sink or swim" dynamic of mutual responsibility.
Public Accountability: Publicly declare your goals and commitments to create external pressure and visibility around your progress (or lack thereof).
GetMotivatedBuddies.com - The Behavior Change Social Platform that changes your behavior through evidenced-based plans and likeminded people.
Group Challenges: To start taking action with others
Adaptable: Create behavioral plans, Import other people's behavioral plans, Re-use plans, Create and track your own KPIs, Track your intentions, SMS/Email Check ins, Desktop or Mobile (not stuck to your phone), Work alone or with up to 4 Buddies in 4 Categories, Health & Fitness, Work, Learn, and Life, Cohorts of any size, Segmented shared calendars.
Gamified & Fun: Buddy Avatars, Accountability Score, Leaderboard, In-Group Challenges, Celebrations and Points with Check-ins, Fail safely and get back up, Points for any behavior
Meaningful Relationships: Search or get matched with people working towards similar goals, Buddy Match Likeness Score, Chat one-to-one, Chat in Groups, Groups for gyms, schools, apps and organizations, International community, Create real friendships
Higher Chance of Success: Check-in online, by email or SMS, Reconfirm your intentions, Holistic Measurement across four categories of your life, Expert-Led Challenges, Built on Evidence based psychological principles
Private and Safe: Maintain your anonymity, Subscription based - no selling of data, Private profiles and private groups, Segmented Shared Calendars (your Health & Fitness Buddy sees your Health & Fitness plans, your Work buddy sees your Work plans, etc)
Effective: The only behavior change app with loads of real testimonials. "GMB is really the only thing out there that systemizes accountability in a plan + buddy system that's actually flexible and realistic."
Shelpful - pay to have someone keep you accountable by text
Focusmate.com - watch and be watched by another person over video Behavior Change Apps [Free]
WOOP - Simple behavior change system by professor Gabrielle Oettingen at NYU
Stickk - create contracts for accountability with money on the line
Forfeit - forfeit money to charity if you don't do your task
Keystone - social habit tracker for iOS
Chain - social habit tracker for iOS
Beeminder - goal setting and behavior change through loss avoidance
pomorace.com - community pomodoro timer
StudyStream Live study streams
thinkdivergent.io - timed sessions with a body double Comprehensive resource list
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg
Why We Do What We Do by Edward Deci - one of the founders of self determination theory describes the science of motivation and well-being
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood
HitTheGoal - Discord community for group accountability
NowandMe - share feelings with others
Increaser.org - track time in browser