Do More, One Small Task at a Time

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Do More, Your Life is Lived One Day at a Time

It can be tough to do more when it feels like you don’t have enough time. One way to start achieving more is to add small tasks to your day. Think about this for a minute. If you want to write a book but don’t have time you can write 100 words per day. That may not seem like that many but over the course of a year you will have written 36,500 words. That’s almost an entire book right there. This simple idea can be used on any task that you want to have more of in your life.

The idea is that if you add one small thing to your life each day it builds up over time. It’s like compounding interest. Einstein once said “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it… He who doesn’t, pays it…” if you consider doing something every day as a way to compound your interests you will achieve more. The first thing you will need to do is find something worth pursuing.  That thing must be worth doing every day!

Pick Your Once a Day ThingGet Inspired By Reading

If you’re like me then you know that picking something new to learn can be difficult. Since you are trying to pick something that you can do every day it is a good idea to start with something you want as a habit. The best kind of habits are keystone habits. They are life changing and they build up other good habits. A few examples of things that you could do every day are reading, writing, exercising, or practicing a skill or trade.

Your one thing is something you have to be willing to commit to for a couple of months if not years. After you have picked your one thing you will be able to start your journey towards achieving more and pursuing excellence in all aspects of your life.

Make a Goal Then Break it Down

You’ve already picked something you want to spend more time doing. Now it’s time to decide what you want to do with your one thing. Goal setting is a monumental part of being successful. You should always strive to create the most empowering goals for yourself because you are the only one that can decided how successful you can be. When building monumental goals you should plan to break them down into actionable steps. That’s where doing something every day comes in.

After you’ve made your ultimate goal, it’s time to figure out what the most beneficial use of your time is each day. Take some time to visualize what you’re trying to achieve. How much time can you spend on your goal each day? Is it 30 minutes, 1 hour, or more? If you only have 30 minutes each day to work on your goal, break your goal down into smaller daily tasks that are easy to manage. The same goes for an hour or even 2. The important part here is making and effort to work your goal into your daily schedule.

Expand Into New AreasPositive thinking will change the world

After you have gotten into the habit of doing your task everyday it is time to expand into new beneficial areas. These new areas need to be 1 step removed and no more. That means that if you decided to read more often you should go out and start riding a unicycle as an additional task (unless you were learning about unicycles, in that case ignore that last part). If you did choose to read more this is a perfect time to start writing. Another example would be if you started working out then adding a healthy diet or meditation would be 1 step removed. You may have even started learning to draw in which case painting or animation may be a good next step.

Whatever you decide to do remember that you are only going to add a task that is 1 step removed. 1 step removed tasks will have overlapping interests or skills. The reason for this is that when your goals overlap you can compound your success.

Achieve More With Less

Success comes to those that are willing to put the work in, have patience, and understand that your opinion of success isn’t the same as the next person’s. Finding one thing that you can do everyday will evolve into you mastering a skill. If you are able to find something you are passionate about your growth will be accelerated even more. Once your skills evolve to the point where you can bring in new ideas that’s when you know you’re on the right path to success.

The more you strive to be the best that you can be the happier you will be. You aren’t just helping yourself, you are helping everyone that you interact with on a daily basis. If you think that getting better at one thing will help your life, find a friend that wants to do more too. You’ll be able to hold each other accountable meaning you’ll grow faster. No one successful will ever claim they did it alone, surround yourself with people that have the same mindset as you.

If you think achieving more every day is something that will help you, then it will help someone around you achieve more too. Make sure you share this idea with a friend. Whether it be by word of mouth or by sharing this post on social media. Taking one step in the right direction will help. Success is something that everyone deserves. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about what you can do for yourself and the people around you. Thanks for reading!

Why You Need An Accountability Partner

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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!