Why You Need An Accountability Partner

Austin Johnson
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Why You Need An Accountability Partner

Accountability Partners as a Strategic Success Tool

Have you ever started something but didn’t finish? Or worse yet you said you were going to do something but never even got started? Don’t worry you’re not alone. When it comes to getting stuff done getting started is the hardest part and keeping it going is a close second. That’s where accountability partners and groups come in to help you succeed.

Accountability partners and groups are people that get together that have a similar common goal. One example would be a book club. They have a common goal of finishing and discussing a book (or maybe a few). These partners and groups are important to success because they keep you accountable for the things you say and do. Think about this, how hard is it going to be to tell you group of friends you didn’t’ do something? Pretty hard, especially if you know they stayed accountable for the same task. It’s kind of like peer pressure except your peers are convincing you to improve your life!

Now you may be thinking this concept sounds pretty cool but you have one big question, “How do I even find an accountability partner or group?”  The answer is there are a few different ways to get involved.

3 Ways to Find Accountability Partners or Groups 

Local Groups

Local GroupsNetworking is going to be a big part of meeting people and being part of an accountability group. You can find local groups through your hobbies or other interests. If you want to be part of Toastmasters find a local group and join. If you want to be around more people that like RC cars or planes go to a local hobby shop and ask around. There are thousands of people meeting everyday you just need to get out and find them. If you are having trouble with finding groups the next two ways of getting into a group are for you!

Create Your Own 

Creating your own group may not be the easiest way to go about this but it’s definitely the most rewarding. There are a few things that need to be done to create your own group. One is finding a place to meet. A simple solution is finding a park, a Starbucks, or someone’s house that is easily accessible.

Next you want to find a few like minded people to come together and create a group. Ideally you can find these people through your network. If you don’t have a network yet starting with an online group or a local meetup may be easier. Depending on your goals you can decide the main focus of the group (a book club reads books).

Next pick a time and date and be consistent. The third Monday or second Thursday of a month are great examples. This is something you want the entire group to agree on. At a later date you can work as a group to change the date but to start pick something that is easy to remember.

Online

OnlineThere are an abundance for online groups that can be joined. Some of these groups only meet online while others just use the internet as a way to market themselves. Depending on your personality either option will work. You can find these groups through social media like Facebook or apps like MeetUp. Check into if the groups are only online or if they meet in person before you join, it wouldn’t be fun to join a group just to find out that you don’t even live where they meet.

Now What Do We Do?

One you have a group you’re going to want something to do. There are a few options out there. You’ll notice that most groups have a structure that is consistent with each meeting. You don’t to show up to a book club and spend the entire time talking about something unrelated like sports or video games. That’s why it is important for an accountability group or partnership to have a structure.

Regular Meetings

The idea of regular meetings is going to be the easiest option for everyone involved. The group can pick a time and location for the meeting. Once this is set it should not be changed unless the group is better off changing time and locations at a future date.

The next thing the group will want to figure out is a schedule for the meeting. A good way to do that is to have a short period of time at the beginning for catching up as everyone rolls in. After everyone has arrived it’s time to get serious. Depending on your group you may want to do 10 to 20 minute time slots for everyone to talk about what they did do, didn’t do, and what they want to improve on. If your group has presentations this would be the time to do that. If these two ideas don’t sound right for your group then it’s time to discuss with them what will work best.

At the end of these meetings everyone should have had a chance to talk and make goals for the future. These goals can be as individuals or as a group. It’s up to you to decide what will work best for you.

Group Events

Group EventsGroup events are as formal or informal as you want them to be. These kind of events can be anything from team building to a guys or girls night out. This is the time when your group is creating a bond that will make you feel the need to stay accountable.

One of favorites group events for the groups I’ve been involved with were local sports games. It works out well because they are relatively cheap compared to professional games and almost everyone can have fun. If your group isn’t into sports it may be possible to find trade shows or conventions that interest the team. Remember this is about bonding with the group so find something that the group can enjoy.

Classes

Education is important for becoming successful and part of an accountability group or partner is helping everyone achieve more. One of the best ways to improve the group is through taking classes. This doesn’t have to be through a college or anything formal. If you or your group members see a seminar or class on a topic related to the group everyone has a chance to learn. Keep on the lookout for local events that are related to what you and your group want to achieve. A local personal finance seminar can push a personal finance accountability group to the next level.

Any time you take a class make sure to take notes and share it with the group. If multiple people in the group want to learn the same thing it can turn into more of a group event and it will make learning more fun. Remember this is about education and helping yourself and the group. Learning is one of the foundations of success so help your group learn!

Accountability On Your Own

Make a PlanThe groups or partners may make accountability easier but you still have to make sure you are accountable to yourself. This means that between meetings it’s important to stay on the right track. It may be hard to stay accountable when you aren’t checking in with your group or partners regularly but here are a few ways to do it.

  1. Use a daily journal to write down your daily, weekly, monthly, and long term goals.
  2. Create a “To do list” of all the most important activities. The more important the task is the higher it is on the list. Don’t skip tasks for something easier.
  3. Look at the end result you want and create a plan from end to beginning. This is your roadmap to success. Make adjustments as needed.
  4. Create a unique habit that helps you achieve your goals and stay accountable to yourself.

Everyone is different so try new things and experiment. If something works out well for you bring it to the group’s attention. It’s never a bad thing to help yourself and the group at the same time. Your group members may even start using your accountability tricks to improve themselves outside of the group.

Achieve More Through Accountability

It may not seem like it at first but accountability is a big part in becoming successful. You never know when something you are working on could change your life. It is important to surround yourself with people that also want you to succeed. Bringing those kinds of people so that everyone has a chance to achieve more. The more accountable you are for your actions the better. If you can bring people together with a common goal it makes it even easier.

Don’t forget that one of the best ways to achieve success is to create a culture of accountability around you. Share your ideas and goals with friends and family. Find new people to spend time with that want to achieve more just like you do. If you think that someone you know would benefit from learning more about accountability share these ideas with them. Help others join our community of people that believe everyone can achieve more!

Reading Your Way to Success

Austin Johnson
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Reading Your Way to Success

What Makes Reading so Important

Have you ever wondered what makes some people more successful than others? In most cases it’s the amount of time someone spends reading. Reading gives you a chance to look into the mind of someone that came before you or has more experience. Another common trend with people that read often is the formation of a keystone habit. Keystone habits are habits that are so influential on your life that creating one will change how you view the world. It can take many hours of work to create the habit of reading but the trade off is more happiness and success. Let’s take a look at ways to create a new habit.

How to Get Started

Getting started is always the hardest part of any task. When it comes to reading it can be even more difficult. I find this stems from being forced to read books we’re not interested in for a significant portion of our lives (think back to school).

  1. The first step to getting started will be experimenting and finding out what kind of books you are interested in reading. If you can’t decide take a look at best sellers on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Narrow it down to a few books and pick the one that you think will be the most entertaining.
  2. The second step is to read small portions every day. The best way to do this is find a time that you can consistently read or 15 to 30 minutes every day. Many people like to read right at the end of the work day. Another great choice is reading before bed. Reading before bed can be a great choice because it gets you away from electronics and calm you down.
  3. The third step will be to set goals and monitor your progress. At first it may be hard to stay consistent but make sure you have goals that push hard enough that you have to try but, not so hard that you give up. As you achieve your goals right down what you’ve accomplished even if it’s as simple as reading 1 chapter. No achievement is too small when creating new habits.

Once you have started to take the small steps you need to create your new habit you will realize that you want to keep learning more. As this desire for new resources grows you will need to start exploring what reading options are out there waiting for you.

Explore Your Reading Resources

Sometimes reading a book isn’t the best option. They can be difficult to transport and can be hard to read without the right lighting. Don’t let that get you done, there are greener pastures. Technology has advanced to the point where no matter where or what you’re doing you have access to reading or books of some form. Just to name a few we have eBooks, magazines, forum posts, blog posts, and to really get into left field audio books. Every reading resource you can find is worthwhile to look into. Sometimes you have to experiment to find out what is best for you. Speaking of what’s best for you the only way to know is to track your progress.

Tracking Your Progress

Statistics may be a boring topic but it’s the only way to optimization. When you take the time to look back at what you have accomplished you will see the progress and be excited by it. There are many way to track your progress when you read.

  • Log all the books you’ve read – Logging all of your books lets you see trends in what you enjoy reading, how quickly you read, and lets you go back to reread in the future.
  • Make Notes – It can be difficult to remember what you have read. Making notes allows you to refresh your memory without having to start from scratch. You can use note cards, notebooks, or even the book itself to take notes. Don’t forget you can highlight books too just make sure they are yours and not borrowed.
  • Quiz Yourself – We all know taking tests and quizzes can be boring or even stressful. Quizzing yourself on a book can be as simple as asking yourself what just happened or as complicated as creating a test. A test could be flashcards, multiple choice, true or false, or maybe even a quick essay.

Remember that reading can be difficult. Track what you have done to show yourself that you can make the most difficult challenge look easy.

Share Your Experiences

Now that you’ve taken your first step towards creating a keystone habit. It’s time to get your friends and family involved. Reading doesn’t have to be something you do on your own. Tell people about what you are reading and what you would like to read in the future. Get others excited about the same things you are excited about. If you can’t convince your friends and family seek out peers that are like minded. There are book clubs and mastermind groups around the world. These groups are there to help each other. They will be there to help you.

Just remember you are forming this habit for you, don’t let others bring you down. Everytime you read it should be something you want to read. Reading will change your life. Make sure you enjoy it and follow through with creating your new keystone habit. As a first step towards sharing your experiences share this post on your favorite social media.  If you really want to get involved sign up for our newsletter and updates.

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