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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning.
This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to find gentle accountability.
Lots of people find it easier to stick with their goals and habits if they know that other people are expecting them to.
There is no need to take extreme measures.
Almost any bit of accountability can be helpful.
A few weeks ago, I hosted my annual time tracking challenge, when thousands of us tracked our time together for a week.
I encouraged people to sign up for daily motivational emails from me, and I posted my own time logs on my blog.
I've been doing this challenge for 10 years now and I've had several people tell me that they do it each year and find it helpful for tweaking their schedules.
Now, on some level, that is a little strange.
Because if you know time tracking is helpful, why wait until January to do it?
What is it about the fact that thousands of other people are tracking their time?
That makes it feel more doable.
Because that's honestly all it is.
Knowledge of the crowd and daily mass emails, as I tend not to be following up with individual people and checking in on their time logs daily and such
And yet I know that even this gentlest level of accountability is helpful for people.
That's why I often write rough drafts of novels in November, which was historically National Novel Writing Month.
Even a little accountability helps.
So if you have something you want to do, see if you can find just a gentle layer of accountability that makes you feel like you are not shouting into the void.
One very simple approach is to find an accountability partner.
You do not have to live in the same place.
You don't even have to talk to each other, though of course you could.
You just commit to sending each other an email once a week or so to say what you have done and what you plan to do.
This person can encourage you, congratulate you when you have achieved your goals and, just as important, nudge you to get back on track when you stumble.
And you can do the same for them.
You can go a step further and form a small accountability group.
Again, you don't have to live in the same place.
You can just check in once a month by Zoom and say what you have done and what you intend to do.
It's not like these people have any power over you.
But in general, we tend to respond to positive support and encouragement.
You could even find a challenge that someone is running and time your goal pursuit to that challenge.
Maybe it is a six-week boot camp at your gym.
Or maybe it is a 30-day walking challenge at work.
Maybe it is a short writing class that will help you shape an essay for publication by the end.
Look around and do your research. and see if there are other people doing what you want to do.
This might be worth investing a few resources in to make it happen.
Now again, on some level, this is all kind of silly.
It is possible to write a novel any month or to stop drinking any month, even if it is not dry January.
There are no real teeth to an accountability group.
And yet, people find it helpful not to do things alone.
So find some gentle accountability.
And it is just possible you will be more likely to achieve your goals.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media.
For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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I'm Mike Della Rocha, host of Sacred Lessons, a space for men to pause, reflect, and heal.
This year we're talking honestly about mental health relationships and the patterns we're ready to release.
If you're looking for clarity, connection and healthier ways to show up in your life, Sacred Lessons is here for you.
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This is an iHeart Podcast.
Guaranteed human.
