To stay accountable, it is important to set goals and track what you need to accomplish daily. Accountability is important because it forces you to work harder and push through the resistance but also know when you are slacking.
One of the repeating challenges clients say to me is, “How do I hold myself accountable?” and this seems to be increasing too.
So why do we find it more and more challenging to hold ourselves accountable? Throughout this article, I will share some of the common reasons accountability is an issue and tips for conquering it.
What does it mean to take accountability?
Vocabulary.com describes accountability as follows:
If you take responsibility for your own actions, you show accountability. Stepping up and admitting it when you break something shows accountability.
While Webster’s Dictionary defines accountability as “the quality or state of being accountable; an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions.”
What you can take from this explanation is it doesn’t mean punishment; it’s a willingness to accept responsibility for our own actions.
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How to build accountability to myself?
You should ask yourself these questions:
-What am I doing?
-Am I working as hard as I can?
-What do I want?
-What do I have?
-How am I feeling at this moment?
In order to stay accountable and get the job done, one should make sure they have their priorities in order. One of the best ways to do this is by making a list of tasks that need to be completed and a set time limit for each task.
We often experience a lack of motivation when we are about to start a long, tiring task. It is the expectation of how we will feel in the future that doesn’t motivate us. The anticipation that we will be tired and that our work won’t be good enough makes us feel lazy and demotivated from doing the work at all.
There are various techniques to combat this feeling of laziness, things such as:
–Planning: Planning might be difficult for some people, but it is a great way to tackle procrastination. It helps you organise your thoughts which in turn gets you excited to get started on your task.
–Break it down into smaller tasks: Sometimes, we feel overwhelmed by the enormity of a task, and this is what creates that feeling of laziness.
We used to think that laziness is a sign of a bad character. Nowadays, research suggests that laziness is not always a bad thing. It may be the result of our environment and certain factors, such as sleep deprivation or depression.
Laziness can be regarded as an adaptive response to certain conditions and should not be considered a weakness or a character flaw.
The key to overcoming lazy days is understanding the triggers of laziness and developing techniques to fight it.
1. Break down the task into smaller, more manageable tasks
2. Find a deadline
3. Focus on why you should do it
4. Reward yourself with something to look forward to when the task is complete
Is motivation stopping your accountability?
Sometimes when you are trying to get work done, motivation can be hard. It is tempting to just give up and do something else.
Here are some tips on how you can stay motivated when you don’t want to get anything done.
1) Break the work down into manageable steps:
2) Keep a list of your goals and accomplishments:
3) Get a teammate or trusted friend to hold you accountable:
4) Share your goal with others:
5) Reward yourself after completing each task:
6) Celebrate your successes.
There are many factors that can cause you to lose motivation. When this happens, don’t give up and instead start with a small task.
If you feel lazy or unmotivated, the first step is to figure out what is triggering that feeling. The next step is to find a starting point for your task and then work your way from here.
It might help to break up the task into smaller pieces (as mentioned previously), so it doesn’t seem as overwhelming.
Personally, I have found that it helps if I set myself a time limit for completing each mini-task, so I don’t overthink things too much.
Setting a timer on your phone can be an effective tactic because it forces you to get started on something more quickly than if you had been given free rein of time.
Focus on the end result, and all of your hard work will eventually pay off.
It’s important to identify the tasks that you don’t enjoy but know are important. By focusing on the end result, you’ll learn to appreciate what you do for a living. With time, you’ll find your hard work will be worth it, and things like these tasks will become easier to do.
How to be accountable for your actions
The key is to think about what you enjoy more. Spend your time completing those tasks that you enjoy and spend less time on the ones you do not enjoy so much.
One way to approach this task is to think about the benefits it has for you and society. Another way is to find someone who will be willing to do some of the tasks that you don’t enjoy doing with you. You can also divide up tasks and create rewards for completing them or have a system of points that can be redeemed for certain things in order to take pressure off completing certain tasks.
The first step is to take a break and remind yourself of why this task is important. Get your head straight and evaluate the task with a fresh perspective. After that, break it down into manageable chunks and map out the path you need to take to complete it.
A task like this is not one that should be taken lightly. It will require a lot of time and work, but with the right mindset, getting to the end of the task successfully is possible.
Firstly, one must make sure they have enough time set aside for completing the task at hand. This is important because if there are distractions that prevent you from keeping your focus on the task, then it will take a lot longer than it should.
Next, one must break down their goal into smaller steps and write down what needs to be done in order for them to reach their goal.
In order to stay motivated and keep oneself accountable, it is important to treat every step as a mini-goal in itself.
Research the steps that you should take to take massive action to complete a challenging task.
It is very important not to get overwhelmed by thinking that the task is too big and will never be completed.
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