Today, we’re talking about how to actually turn knowledge into action.
And what’s funny is I was definitely not the type of person who could do this a few years ago. It always seemed like I was just bouncing around from one thing to the next.
I knew exactly what I needed to do to achieve my goals. But I wasn’t doing it!
And I think a lot of people out there can relate to this.
It’s because we’ve been taught a didactic way of learning since childhood, which means we’re expected to listen to or read the information and then memorize it.
The problem is that we are rarely taught to implement what we learned.
It’s no wonder we’re so bad at this!
But I have cracked the code to achieving my goals while working less and traveling full-time.
And now, I’m going to share it with you and teach you to apply it to every area of your life to hold yourself accountable.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
By the end of this article, you’ll know:
- What does it mean to hold yourself accountable?
- The importance of holding yourself accountable
- How to hold yourself accountable
- Examples of how to hold yourself accountable
💡Key takeaways:
- Holding yourself accountable means taking full responsibility for your life and actions. You stick to your plans and don’t make excuses.
- When you hold yourself accountable, you improve your decision-making, self-confidence, happiness, and discipline.
- Some of the most effective ways to hold yourself accountable include setting goals, tracking your progress, working with an accountability partner, and rewarding yourself.
What does it mean to hold yourself accountable?
When you hold yourself accountable, you take responsibility for your life.
You do what you say you will and take full ownership of your actions without making excuses or blaming others.
And most importantly, you stick to your plan and reach your goals by whatever means necessary.
For example, I hold myself accountable by pre-planning my work week and following through on each task.
That way, I can be sure I’ll fulfill my obligations as a business owner, partner, and parent.
It’s critical to hold yourself accountable in all parts of life – and I’ll tell you why next.
The importance of holding yourself accountable
I used to live and breathe my Wall Street Job.
Then, I landed in the hospital because of burnout.
I had to slow down.
So Carey and I set out to find a way to work less while still being productive. And we did!
Now, we’re fully nomadic, working less while being more productive than ever, and making more money.
And it’s all because we learned to hold ourselves accountable.
When you hold yourself accountable, your life changes for the better.
Not only do you have a stronger sense of discipline and commitment, but you’re also more resilient. You can overcome obstacles without losing your focus, reliability, or consistency.
When you hold yourself accountable, you:
- Make better decisions
- Increase your self-awareness and self-confidence
- Improve emotional regulation and develop more effective coping skills
- Cultivate more happiness in relationships, whether with a partner, friend, or family member
- Build greater levels of happiness and trust at work
Plus, holding yourself accountable keeps you honest and ethical, which makes you trustworthy and reliable.
Who wouldn’t want to be that kind of person?
Keep reading for actionable ways to hold yourself accountable!
How to hold yourself accountable
When you’re disciplined enough to hold yourself accountable, you set yourself up for more success, better performance, and a healthier lifestyle.
But that kind of discipline and self-accountability isn’t easy to come by.
Why?
Because research shows that like our Focus Muscle, it’s something we have to work to improve.
So why not start today?
Here are seven of the best ways to hold yourself accountable in life and at work.
1. Set goals
The most important step in learning to hold yourself accountable is learning how to set goals.
When you set a goal, it helps you determine what you want to achieve, increases your motivation, and keeps you focused.
But 92% of people never reach their goals.
Why?
Because they’re not setting the right goals.
Studies show that goals need to be specific and challenging (but not too challenging) to be effective.
That’s why S.M.A.R.T. goals are so effective.
S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Let’s say you wanted to improve your productivity at work.
“Improve productivity at work” isn’t effective.
But “I will improve my workplace productivity by reducing my project completion time by 10% in the next month” is.
Do you see the difference? The new goal clearly outlines the objective, constraints, relevance, and deadline.
Set both short- and long-term goals.
Short-term goals can be completed in a few weeks or months.
On the other hand, long-term goals can take months or years to complete.
Remember, don’t set so many goals that you get overwhelmed and end up stuck and not taking any action.
Experts say having three to five goals is ideal.
I’ll show you how to reach them in this video:
2. Track your progress
When you hold yourself accountable, monitoring and tracking your progress is crucial to success.
For some people, that just means checking in every once in a while.
But you’re more likely to succeed if you track it.
So, make note of your overall goals as well as each one’s tasks, deadlines, and milestones, and check them off as you achieve them.
Do it in a way that works for you, whether it’s creating a to-do list with pen and paper or using a task manager to keep track of where each goal stands.
For example, I use Asana for everything, even my goals! I’ll show you how in this guide.
Or, share it with an accountability buddy! We’ll touch on this more in a minute.
3. Join coaching programs or masterminds
One of the most effective ways to hold yourself accountable is to work with a coach.
A coach is what I call a bar-raiser – they raise the bar with their high expectations and won’t accept any excuses.
Think of the last time you achieved something extraordinary. Chances are, you had a bar-raiser in your corner.
Or, you could join a mastermind.
A mastermind is a group of like-minded people whom you respect. Like a coach, they offer feedback and support that truly means something to you.
But they also offer something a coach can’t: competition.
In a supportive and friendly environment, competition is great for motivation.
After all, you can’t make excuses or feel sorry for yourself when someone else is getting the results you want, right?
That’s why Lifehack Tribe is so powerful – when you’re surrounded by 2,000+ people trying to change their lives through productivity, you can’t fail.
📚Read more: The Inside Scoop on our Revolutionary Membership Community
I’ll tell you more about why working with a bar-raiser or mastermind works in this video:
4. Get an accountability buddy
If you really want to hold yourself accountable, get an accountability buddy.
An accountability buddy is someone who’s essentially tied to you.
You’re both responsible for making sure the other shows up and, in turn, succeeds. You sink or swim together.
And it’s a really powerful method.
Research shows that people with an accountability buddy have a 65% chance of achieving their goals.
And if you check in with them, that shoots up to 95%!
And this might seem counterintuitive… but don’t partner up with someone you’re close to.
Instead, work with someone you respect but who isn’t afraid to call you out when you make excuses.
This is what we call a “mirror buddy.”
Instead of acting like a cheerleader or coach, a mirror buddy helps you see your progress in a neutral way by repeating what you’re telling or showing them without emotion or opinion.
A great way to find an accountability buddy is by reaching out to a professional network or membership community.
5. Tell people about your goals
The one thing most of us are missing in our lives and accountability journeys is public accountability.
Think about it.
If we don’t do the thing we keep meaning to do, it’s likely no one will ever find out.
But if you put your goal out there, whether on social media or at work, people will suddenly be tuned in. They’ll be watching and waiting.
And I promise it’s going to put you on the hook to deliver.
For example, Carey and I sell our courses before we even create them, which really holds our feet to the flames.
Just make sure you tell the right people.
Studies show that sharing your goals with people you respect or consider important increases your commitment and motivation.
On the other hand, sharing with everyone actually makes you less likely to reach your goals.
If you really want to up your motivation, check out stickK.
It’s an app created by Yale University economists that allows you to invest a certain amount of money in a goal.
If you reach your goal by the deadline, you earn it back. If not, you lose it!
6. Reward yourself
I am a huge proponent of rewarding yourself.
I mean, dangling a carrot and just knowing you’re going to get a reward is enough to get you going, right?
Science backs it up.
When you hold yourself accountable for completing a task or reaching a goal and then reward yourself for it, your brain releases dopamine – also known as the happy hormone.That feeling of accomplishment and happiness increases your motivation and productivity, which makes it even easier to hold yourself accountable.
But for this to work, your goals have to be S.M.A.R.T., which we touched on earlier.
If they’re not, it won’t be rewarding to complete them.
For instance, I wouldn’t reward myself for completing a big project at work if I hadn’t even started it yet.
That’s when milestones are helpful – regularly recognizing and celebrating your progress along the way can increase your confidence and motivation.
7. Be self-compassionate
When you hold yourself accountable, the most important thing to remember is to be compassionate.
It’s easy to believe that being hard on ourselves will motivate us to do better.
But studies show it’s the exact opposite.
When you’re hard on yourself and take part in negative self-talk, you run the risk of:
- Reducing your chances of success
- Increasing your levels of stress
- Developing mental health problems, including depression and anxiety
So remember to be kind to yourself when you’re learning to hold yourself accountable.
After all, mistakes are just that – mistakes! They’re not permanent and can actually be good for you if you look at them as learning opportunities.
The same goes for failure.
A staggering 30% of Americans are terrified of failure – and because of it, some people never try at all.
You have to reframe that mindset and see failure as an inevitable part of the process.
When you do, you rob it of its power.
What I mean by that is that you won’t see failure as a chance or reason to quit.
Instead, you’ll treat it as a learning experience and an opportunity to start fresh.
Okay, so you know how to hold yourself accountable – but I’ll teach you how to put it into action in the next section, so keep reading!
Examples of how to hold yourself accountable
Believe it or not, you have dozens of opportunities to hold yourself accountable every single day.
Don’t believe me?
Let’s take a look.
Work-life balance
- Create an ideal schedule: Some people love a 9-5 schedule, but it’s not one-size-fits-all, right? Shift your work to the hours that align with your energy and work for you. For instance, I do my best work in the early or late hours, when I’m free from distractions. So, I shifted my schedule accordingly.
- Get into routines: A “start work” and “finish work” routine will help you get into a work mindset and truly disengage when it’s time to log off.
Relationships
- Schedule quality time: Make a habit of scheduling weekly or monthly activities. This will show that the relationship is a priority and help you both stay connected and engaged.
- Check in: Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone once a week! Having informal conversations about how they’re feeling or what they need will go a long way.
Productivity
- Pre-plan your week: Planning your week down to the hour (including unscheduled time) is the best way to hold yourself accountable.
When you have a roadmap, you stay focused, manage your time well, track your progress, and meet your goals.
- Play the Sticky Focus Game: I love using sticky notes to supercharge my productivity.
Money
- Create and stick to a budget: This will help you get clarity on your financial goals, better track your income and expenses, and hold yourself accountable for spending wisely.
- Automate your savings: If you’re trying to save money, automating your contributions to your savings account will help you avoid spending frivolously.
Health
- Buy a fitness tracker: Setting goals and tracking your progress in real time will force you to hold yourself accountable.
- Sign up for a partner workout: Remember what I mentioned about working with other people and having accountability partners? Studies show you work harder and longer with a gym buddy.
What’s next?
There you have it!
The easiest – and most effective – ways to hold yourself accountable at work and in your personal life.
If you really want to hold yourself accountable, you’ll want to check out our Winning the Week Worksheet.
It’s an easy-to-use planning guide that helps you get clarity and control over your schedule so you can be less stressed and more productive.
You can download it for free here:
