HOW TO SET UP A SELF ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
HOW TO SET UP A SELF ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
Do you easily get distracted? ''I'll get to that project tomorrow. I am too busy today'' ''Sorry I am late. I got stuck in traffic'' ''That's not my best work. I was really tired'' Do these lines sound familiar? If they do, then you may have problem with your self-accountability system. What follows here will help you create a positive self-accountability system that allows you to work at your best and set yourself up for success. Excuses are common, but that doesn't make them acceptable. We use them as a tool for avoiding accountability and personal growth. True winners don't make excuses--they accept personal accountability for everything in their live, and it propels them to success!
WHAT IS SELF ACCOUNTABILITY
Self-accountability is the concept of taking personal responsibility for your own actions, emotions, and outcomes. Self-accountability is also the idea of no longer blaming others, life events, or other external circumstances for problems in your life. Instead, you take charge of your own happiness by working towards goals and making good decisions. Self-accountability is a core component of personal responsibility. It means being able to focus on your goals and follow through with them. You take your commitments seriously because you know they're a reflection of your own character, and when you're not able to finish a task or complete a commitment, you look for the lesson so that you can improve in the future.
WHY IS BEING ACCOUNTABLE IMPORTANT
If you're not growing, you're dying. If you don't know how to take accountability for your actions, it's much harder to work on your personal growth. You'll always find an excuse for your failure, a reason you weren't able to achieve a goal, someone to blame when things go wrong - and you'll never grow as a person. That's why it's important to build a strong self-accountability system that works for you so that your life becomes more fulfilling and meaningful as time goes by.
HOW TO SET TO A SELF ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
Self-accountability is the single most Important trait for a successful, fulfilling career, relationship, and life. Yet, many people struggle with this skill set. But it’s possible to overcome self-accountability challenges with self-accountability strategies.
1. Establish a long-term goal
Your long-term goal is the reason you want to hold yourself accountable. It can describe a broad objective, like increasing your work assignment efficiency, or something more specific, like graduating from a master's program. Make an agreement with yourself to take action and think about how you're going to accomplish the goal. You may want to research all the important aspects of your goal so you can effectively strategize. For instance, you can start researching what graduate programs appeal to you and note their application requirements.
2. Set short-term goals
Short-term goals are tasks you can accomplish every week to help you achieve your long-term goal. Determine a few tasks to schedule throughout the week and decide which day you review your progress. It may be helpful to create short-term goals that have a narrow scope and very few steps. For instance, if your long-term goal is increasing your clientele, a short-term goal could involve contacting a new potential client or writing a self-advertisement to publish in the future.
3. Define your values
Reflect on your value system and what motivates you to succeed. This process can help you understand the reason you set a particular long-term goal, which may increase your enthusiasm for the goal and new accountability strategies. Write one or two memorable, actionable statements that define one aspect of your value system that you want to focus on. This statement can be broad or more specific, and you may want to adjust it in the future to suit another purpose.
4. Set a timeline for yourself
Devise a schedule to manage your short-term goals and your other responsibilities. Be mindful of what you can accomplish in a certain time frame so you can maintain your schedule and produce high-quality results. It may be helpful to first enter all your responsibilities in one timeline document. Next, prioritize two short-term goals you feel especially motivated to work on and two additional tasks that have upcoming deadlines. This practice can help build your time management skills and accurate estimation ability.
5. Finish one task before you start another
When you start a task, try to devote all your time and attention to finishing that task before you address another. This strategy can increase your understanding of a task, which can illuminate how long it might take to complete. For instance, if you need to learn a new software program, plan to stay focused on only the software until you finish reading the directional guide and tutorial. At that point, you can understand the difficulty level and how long it may take for you to install, practice and adapt to the program.
6. Track your progress
Act as your own supervisor by self-reviewing your work conduct every month. You can model your process after a supervisor or develop a unique strategy that suits your needs. Determine if you're accomplishing your goals in the time frame you set and if the work reflects your expectations. Depending on your preferences and skill set, you can also use a journal to track your progress or gather statistical information relevant to your long-term goal.
Here are some questions to consider when reflecting on your accountability:
How have you empowered your days?
What is one of your long-term goals?
What is a short-term goal for this week and how are you accomplishing it?
How much time do you spend on each task or activity?
8. Create a self-reward system
To help motivate yourself to succeed, devise a reward system for accomplishing short-term and long-term goals. You can match the size of the reward to the type of goal. For instance, you can reward a short-term goal of three business-related emails a day by purchasing a favorite snack or watching a television program. For a long-term goal, you could plan a vacation to celebrate your achievement and restore your energy for accountability efforts in the future.
9. Ask trusted colleagues or contacts for feedback
Contact someone you trust and ask if they could offer their perspective on your work conduct, strengths and skills. Having a separate point of view from your own can help you identify new areas to improve in the future. It's also a way you can stay accountable to other people. For example, if you collaborate on a project with a colleague, you can ask them for informal feedback about how your work performance affected their own.
10. Use an accountability application
There are many computer or mobile applications designed to help you stay accountable. Some can monitor your health status during the day, while others track your goals, time management and budgeting habits in user-friendly formats. You can use an accountability application to streamline your goal-making process, allowing the application to create an organization system that works best for you.
Here is an application you can use for holding yourself accountable:
She minds app: It is a self-development app and platform that helps you live confidently, build your mindset, and make better decisions. The app helps track habits and provides access to resources, challenges, and community as well as monthly coaching.
The Fab Chieftess believes that you can have it all without sacrificing the other areas in life. By developing a strategy, accountability, and mindset work you can discover a better way to enrich and live the life you want to lead. Book a consultation today!