I’ve been interested in the power of accountability for many years. Without someone holding me accountable, I tend to let those not urgent yet important tasks slide endlessly down my to-do list. When I set deadlines and have someone hold me accountable though, I’m more likely to get it done.
I’ve tried informal accountability groups where a few friends and I get together over a call/chat once per week, set some intentions for the week ahead and give an update on how we went last week. These informal groups are useful - I am still part of one today several years on. However, I do find that they’re not necessarily enough. It’s easy to get a bit slippery and come back every week without having made much progress.
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Sometimes friends are too nice
What works better for me is daily accountability from someone who is going to actually ask me pointed questions about why I’m not making progress. I get that from the GoalsWon app. The idea of GoalsWon is that you have a professional coach who you check in with every day. It’s their job to hold you accountable so the coach pushes a bit harder than if it was a friendship where concerns around being nice might take precedence 😅 That’s not to say the coaches aren’t nice - my coach is very encouraging and upbeat but still insistent on asking me why I’m not making progress.
Help with longer term targets
As well as the daily accountability, there’s also a way to set targets for the month. The idea is that the daily actions should lead towards achieving the monthly targets. I put targets down that I’m unlikely to make progress on myself.
Oh yeah…time to get cracking on the course!
For example at the start of the year, I set a target to join a running club and attend 4 sessions with them. This had been on my to do list for more than a year and I just hadn’t made it a priority. Moving it to my GoalsWon targets page meant that I actually rocked up to my first session with the Crosbie Crew (sidenote: if you like running, join a running club - it’s awesome!).
Not just accountability - ideas + cheerleading
One of the great things about GoalsWon is that the coach isn’t some mindless automaton that just asks you whether you did the action or not. My coach notices if I’m consistently not hitting my daily goals and first asks me to come up with a strategy for changing it (coaching questions). If I don’t have any good ideas, he’ll suggest some strategies that have worked with him.
I like this knowledge sharing approach. Sometimes a new strategy is what I need to get unstuck. When I do get back on track, my coach is great at celebrating my successes.
Results
Since working with my coach, I’ve made a lot of progress in my life:
- Sold a business without melting down under the stress
- Developed a consistent 9.30pm bedtime routine
- Got in the best shape of my life - sub 19:00 for 5k and lifting more weight than I’ve ever managed
- Improved my relationship with my wife ❤️
- Started cleaning the house proactively 😅
Try it out
I’d highly recommend trying out GoalsWon for yourself. They’ve got a 7 day free trial so you can see if it’s a good fit.
Also sneaky plug: GoalsWon works great with Focus Bear, the habit and productivity app I’m working on. In fact, I have Focus Bear remind me to check in to Goals Won each day.
Hi I'm Jeremy, and I understand the challenges of living with ASD and ADHD.
