5 Steps to Accountability
Accountability is key. It’s the tug at your heel reminding you there’s moves to be made and goals to achieve and it will always come at the cost of your full attention and commitment.
When I decided I wanted to blog about finding my confidence through fashion, I knew I had to be all in or all out. There wasn’t going to be any in-between, this was serious.
To be honest, with the Coronavirus and quarantine, it was so easy for me push it off, lay on my couch and watch Bravo all day. It only takes a couple of hours of that to have me feeling antsy, knowing I should be working on the blog that would become the starting point to my greatest journey, but also feeling lost on where to start.
Through a combination of organizational experience gained from being in the fast-paced event planning industry to the very inspirational book I recently read The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, it sparked the need for a post like this and the importance of determining priorities then holding yourself accountable to achieve them. Start simple, be clear with the core values you are trying to accomplish and START!
Take Action Now
Time waits for no one, and as stated in The One Thing, life is unexpected and “postponement can be permanent.” Re-arrange schedules for the time needed to take action. Fear is an emotion we too easily allow to overcome our bodies and minds whether it’s in the form of anxiety, procrastination or preparation. Don’t let fear of outcome, fear of success or failure or fear of judgement of others stop you from pressing “go.”
Mission Statement
Think about your purpose and write a few sentences as to why what you’re doing is important to you and those you want to impact beyond you. Rank your top 5 core values and expand on each to define why they are relevant and important to the cause. Integrate your statement and values into discussions with others, self-talk, daily reflections and visual cues (ex: writing mission statement on a post-it note and sticking it on your desk or a place you frequent often). It’s okay if your mission statement or core values change overtime as you evolve.
Maintain a Work / Life Balance
We’ve decided we want to eat, sleep, breath our new goal and now we’re drained from spending all of our time on it. Overworking yourself is a huge mistake that can lead to real health issues so creating an ideal work / life balance is the healthy path to take. To take this a step further, establish a balance within your work and within your life. For work, this may mean setting priorities and using efficiency and focus as a metric of success rather than hours spent. For life, this may mean being aware of your personal needs. Making sure you feel like you still “have a life” even after you’ve taken on this incredible new goal. Then being aware of what your family and friends need and also what your body, mind and spirit need.
Write Down To Do Lists and Give Yourself Due Dates
There is nothing more satisfying than crossing off a completed task. If you like lists, write lists. If not, try a calendar where you can write your daily goals and see them day by day. If you’d rather go digital, set daily or weekly reminders. At the top of those lists, give yourself a realistic deadline on when these tasks need to be completed. This two-in-one step will demand accountability and also motivate yourself to get there.
Choose and Accomplish Your One Thing
We oftentimes try to take on too many projects at once. In our minds, it seems like a great idea. Even if the tasks are simple, if all those tasks aren’t checked off, it may seem like we’ve failed or were unsuccessful. Instead, choose one thing at a time and work at that one thing until the task has been accomplished, we become an expert at the subject or it becomes a daily habit. These small steps make the foundation.
Once your “one thing” is determined, use your calendar and start backwards. Think of your longtime overall goal then list out steps to get there: month by month, week by week all the way down to day by day. This really breaks down each task needed to achieve your end goal and helps make everything seem less daunting. Use this to create a more clear vision and stay on track.
I highly recommend reading The One Thing for anyone trying to organize their day to day in business or ANY aspect of your life. The goal is to accomplish tasks with purpose and efficiency. Good luck!
