Easter Monday . . . Feeling Lazy?
Yesterday was not only Easter for us, it was also my birthday AND it was also the first day my husband was home in 4 days, plus the final day of pushing to meet a number of deadlines while trying to keep my kids from strangling each other. So, yes, today I`m feeling lazy. 
However, I`m not about to let that stop me from being productive today. In fact, this morning, I`ve already done an entire week of blog posts for Gourmet Mama, written a rather long post on the cost of living in Guatemala, submitted 3 articles to Constant Content and done a food photo shoot. My secret to being productive when feeling lazy? Get yourself an accountability partner.
You see, for the past month or so, I`ve been meeting on a regular basis with Marina from Travel Experta. We chat via Skype once a week (though last week we had the fun of being able to do it in person since she was here in Guatemala for a week and a half) to lay out our goals and motivate each other. On a daily basis, we send an email early in the morning with our goals for that day. I have to say, it really works to keep you on track!
So what should you look for in an accountability partner? Let`s take a look at what worked for us:
Similar drive: It`s not going to work if one person is horribly lazy and the other is super driven. You both need to be at more or less the same level of enthusiasm for your business.
Similar situations: Not to say that a grandmother with no kids at home can`t team up with someone who has toddlers and a baby, but with Marina, I`ve found the fact that our kids are almost the same ages really helps in how we understand each other.
Able to stick to discussion topics: When we meet up on Skype each week, Marina and I make a point of not veering off on topics that we could get distracted with. We stick to our businesses and goals and if one of us starts to move away, the other gently brings her back. You need to be able to do this with your partner and not feel awkward about it.
Also, I`ve noticed that if I try to do this with my sisters, it never works, so pick someone outside your family!!
It shouldn`t matter if you have drastically different businesses, as long as you are commited to improving your business. Sharing ideas, swapping motivations and encouraging the other person is what accountability partnership is all about. You can inquire about the previous week`s goals at each weekly meeting and it really does help to know that someone else is going to notice if you don`t do what you say you will!
Do you have experience with an accountability partner? What worked (or didn`t work) for you?
I once chose an accountability partner who had the same problem I did; he was too busy and had difficulty organizing. The result was neither of us was able to keep the appointments. Finding someone who has complimenting strengths and weaknesses (not the same ones), is important.
Hi,
Good thing you have that strong drive to stay in focus on what you’re doing. You’re not too far from reaching your goal. Keep it up.
More power to you and God bless your entire family!
That`s a good point, Mark. I think with Marina and I, we do well because we are very focused on the same thing and even though we do have plenty of differences, we have enough in common to make it work.