Why Be Accountable?

You have a project in the back of your mind– A book you want to write. A business you want to start. A new career you want to try. An adventure you want to take. The body you want to build.

You’ve been through all the normal motivational blogs and YouTube videos and books. You’ve found your “Why” with a capital “W.” You’re very clear about your reasons that this is where you want to take your life.

But you’re not actually doing it.

It sits on the back burner, simmering away, while life keeps happening around you and to you. Work happens, family happens, relationships happen, kids happen.

You look at other people–famous people, famous-to-you people, people in your circle of friends– who somehow seem to do their projects. They put their work out into the world. But you don’t. You wonder if something’s wrong with you. Are you not motivated enough? Are you just lazy? Are you not as good at adulting? Or are you just not a good enough person?

The answers are different than you think. There’s nothing wrong with you. Life happens to everyone. But most of us haven’t fully explored how to unlock our own productivity. 

Unlocking productivity is the subject of myriad resources available everywhere. What I don’t think is adequately addressed in what I’ll globally call the “productivity space” is accountability.

Accountability is mentioned, of course. Productivity gurus provide various anecdotes about it, from their perspective. As far as I’ve seen, no one has taken a deep dive into different forms of accountability and how to best use them to our advantage.

So why do we need accountability, if we need it at all?

Here’s the thing about writing a book, starting a business, changing careers, creating art, or working out–they all have an air of selfishness. We feel like the things we do for others — our current job, our family, and our relationships — are more important than the things we want to do just for ourselves or just to express ourselves. Even if our project would help other people, we tend to downplay that aspect and focus on our selfish motivations for it.

That is when accountability becomes invaluable. We have internal objections that are nebulous, undefined, reasonable-sounding, but ultimately excuse-driven. What we need, and want, is a way to get external leverage on our internal objections. The accountability definition used in this blog is anything or anyone that helps us gain mental leverage to achieve the results we desire. 

We’ve seen accountability at work — in our own lives or in the lives of others. The barista who signed up for NaNoWriMo and used it to finish her book. The two business partners who kept each other going while they were working out of a garage. The lady who made a bet with her friend that she would start a new career. The 50-year-old who met an online friend for the first time on a travel adventure. The guy who hired a trainer and transformed his body in three month’s time.

All of those examples used some form of accountability — in these cases external motivations. Something beyond the “why” of their project gave them the leverage to move forward. It was a way to overcome internal resistance, circumvent selfish feelings and just do the work.

You might say, “That worked for me once. But I tried accountability again later and it backfired. I gave up on my project instead of finishing.” I’ve been there too. I thought one accountability method was the way to go, but it didn’t transfer to the next project. That’s one of the reasons I created this blog. I’ve had more success finishing projects in the last 10 years than in multiple decades before. One reason is that I found more appropriate accountability methods for each one.

I want you to finish your project. I want you to succeed. And I think when you have the right accountability, you will. So I hope you’ll join me in exploring different types of accountability and try them out for yourself!

What’s Your Account?

What do you think? Is accountability worth more discussion?