Getting Accountable

Having goals is all very well and good but if you don’t do anything with them then they’re nothing more than an idea until you put them into action. Many people’s dreams and ideas stay as just that. One way to increase the likelihood that you’ll actually do something about your goals, achieve your targets and reach your aims is to make yourself accountable.

You can do this by actually writing them down. Getting those thoughts and ideas out onto paper makes them more real but your not answerable to anyone but yourself and you don’t have the added incentive of someone else holding you accountable and it becomes too easy to let yourself off the hook.

The next thing to do is to actually tell someone about it. Whether it’s a friend, colleague, mentor or coach. Tell them what you’re going to do and when and agree that you’ll report on your progress or meet up for a review on a regular basis.

Now if you really want to give yourself an incentive and additional impetus to take action, give yourself a compelling reason to achieve a task or complete your goal, especially if you have a tendency to put things off. If you DON’T complete the task – agree that you will do something that would give you a certain amount of pain. Not so much a reward or ‘carrot’ but a stick.

This usually involves money or a prized possession. For instance if you didn’t achieve the goal you’d set yourself, you’d agree to give away your car – lock, stock and barrel, no quibbling, no changing your mind later. It needs to be something pretty significant like that or you wouldn’t do it. The impact of losing something that means a lot to you, is far more likely to keep you accountable and focused on the task in hand.

As Samuel Johnson said "Nothing focuses the mind like a hanging." A slight extreme but you get the picture.

Inspiration To Change

Well, the Olympics launched in great style on Friday with an amazing Opening ceremony and while I’m not particularly into sports on TV, I’ve been avidly watching some of the more obscure sports that we don’t usually get to see – especially if you don’t have satellite or cable.

However, watching these athletes who have trained for years and I’m thinking that I really need to get out more … and exercise. My running (well, it’s like running, only slower) has dropped off, as has the cycling – mainly due to the constant wind which makes cycling to and fro from town too much like hard work. Also my diet needs a boost and having discussed the best places to have coffee and then got onto the subject of detox diets – I could do with loosing a few pounds. It definitely hangs around more as you get older ladies!

So, not only have I just agreed to run the Brighton Half Marathon in February next year but I’ve also decided to give my diet an overhaul this week. Not that it’s all bad – just a few too many cakes and lattes creeping in. OK, I know it’s not New Year but you don’t have to leave your resolutions for just once a year. You can set your goals at any time of the year. I’ve printed off my training chart, stocked up on fruit and veg and got through one day without a tea or coffee.

What inspires you? What would you like to change? Set yourself a challenge and then do something about it.

Early Bird Or Night Owl?

We all have different times of the day when we have more energy than at others. Some people are at their best first thing in the morning - a good time for creativity and others do their best work late at night, when it’s quieter.

Getting up an hour or so earlier may give you an extra hour at the beginning of the day but not if you’re a night owl. Don’t burn the candle at both ends and go to bed late or force yourself into an unnatural routine by constantly working late if you’re naturally an early bird.

Try not to fight your natural tendency for when you work at your best. If you’re an early bird, use the morning to do tasks which require you to be at your best or need your concentration. Don’t set aside time to work on a complex report or jobs which require your concentration in the afternoon when you’re more likely to hit the post lunch slump or in the evening when you’re tired. If you’re a night owl and need quiet time for your creativity, leave it until later in the day.

If you’re tied to traditional office hours then when you start and finish work may not have the level of flexibility to accommodate early or late working. However many employers now offer more flexible working patterns. If you work for yourself you have more flexibility around when you work but still need to be able to deal with other people’s normal working day both in business and at home.

There may be certain days of the week when it makes sense to schedule in particular tasks. For instance - you might hit the ground running on a Monday morning but be ready to go home by Thursday. You might find you have a peak of activity on a Friday when you’re keen to clear things out at the end of the week and go home with a clean slate.

Know when you’re most productive time of day is, when you prefer doing certain types of tasks and plan around those times.