Accountability Partner – someone that is available online or in person who you can share your goals with can help you monitor your success and ultimately achieve your goals.
Once a month I meet with a group of dynamic women here in Columbia, South Carolina to do just that. We share our successes, areas for improvement, brainstorm with one another and offer genuine love and support on our respective journeys.
Why Have an Accountability Partner?
Gaining the support of a friend, spouse, partner, or a co-worker that understands your goals and its importance to you can make all the difference when it comes to sticking to your plan. Here are some of the ways in which an accountability partner can help:
An Accountability Partner Keeps You From Procrastinating
When you have someone constantly checking on your progress, you’ll be far more likely to work on your goals daily. It will virtually become impossible to put off tasks that you need to complete today, because you know at the end of the day you’ll need to check in with your accountability partner.
Procrastinating is easy when you’re working on a goal or goals yourself, but when you have to check-in with someone else, it is almost embarrassing to procrastinate. An accountability partner is more likely to keep you working each day towards your goal or goals.
An Accountability Partner Keeps You Accountable
Certain checkpoints can be established where you will be forced to be accountable, such as reaching certain benchmarks at designated dates. Whether it is daily, weekly or monthly, you have to be accountable for the goals that you are planning on achieving when someone is checking in with you.
An accountability partner will ensure that you maintain your responsibility in meeting your set timelines for accomplishing certain parts of your goal or goals. If you’re not good at this, use some extra incentive like giving your accountability partner a sum of money that they can only return to you if you check in each day!
An Accountability Partner Keeps You Motivated
Receiving support from someone else gives you the motivation to work at achieving your goals. Sometimes, just having someone available to talk to can really motivate you to keep going when you hit a roadblock. Talk the problem through with your accountability partner and you may just renew your energy.
An Accountability Partner Keeps You Focused
A strong accountability partner will keep you focused on achieving your goal and the steps you need to take to gain that achievement. You want a strong person, because he or she will ensure that you do not give up or slack in meeting your benchmarks and ultimate goal.
Remaining focused can be difficult, especially if you can be easily distracted by some setbacks. An accountability partner can keep your mind focused on the prize when you achieve your goal or goals. They can remind you why you’re doing it in the first place.
When working on your own, sometimes it’s easier just to give up than make adjustments. Having an accountability partner means you can talk things through and come to a logical decision not based on fear, doubt, or pure laziness
Do you incorporate accountability partners in your goal-setting process?