Virtual co-working and accountability partners have been proven to increase productivity and achieve goals. Combine the two and you have the magic formula for getting things done.
And yet…
This year you set out to do some things that would change your life.
What was on your list?
Some people have personal things, personal goals they wanted to focus on:
- losing weight
- getting fit
- stopping drinking
- stopping smoking
- breaking the sugar habit
- improving your relationship skills
- finishing a remodeling project
- learning a new skill
- preparing and passing a college exam
Some people have business related goals they wanted to work on:
- finishing a website
- writing content
- creating a marketing campaign
- doing research for a new product idea
- making sales calls
- doing social media activity that results in sales
- connecting with JV partners
- staying on track with a product launch
- organizing inventory
- writing a book
And still others have a combination of the two. Feel free to add your own to either or both lists.
You, like most people, started out with great enthusiasm. You also knew that if left on your own your enthusiasm would wane and you'd get distracted…
And you wouldn't finish.
It's happened too many times before.
This time would be different!
This time you found someone to be your accountability partner.
My Experience With An Accountability Partner Who Wasn’t
This is what happened to me a couple of years ago. And, it was exciting, indeed. Finally, I was going to get the support I needed and finally I was going to finish my project! And then, I didn't.
Let me tell you what happened:
I was actively commenting and reading a thread in a Facebook group about accountability and the value of accountability partners. Having hosted mastermind groups for many, many years I knew the value of being held accountable, of the simple “check-in” that kept me on track with what needed to be done that day, each day. I know about productivity and focus and have taught many people how to be more productive and how to stay focused. I kept my comments to this area and, as the thread continued, I realized that I missed having an accountability partner. And, I also realized that it was because I didn't have one I wasn't doing the daily things needed to reach my goals for the week, the month, the quarter.
I decided that it was time I found an accountability partner, so I posted a question on my personal Facebook profile: Who's looking for an accountability partner? I'm available and looking for one myself.
By the end of the day, I had someone respond via Messenger. We did a quick video chat and outlined what we each wanted to accomplish, what we thought we needed accountability for. Then we agreed that we would meet via Facebook video chat every morning at 6 am for no more than 20 minutes. We would tell each other what we had done the day before and then outline what we would do that day.
We began meeting the next morning. And, it was awesome! The enthusiasm was there. Both of us did our part, telling each other what we did and what we needed to do. And for about 2 weeks it was a good thing. I got a lot done, she had some family and friend issues pop up that stopped her from getting a few things done, but she still showed up.
And then she didn't. It was 6 am and I was ready for her to call me. At 6:10 am I called her and got no answer. Nothing. I shrugged it off, knowing that literally anything could have happened and figured we would connect the next day.
The next day, at 6 am, I was ready for her to call me. At 6:10 am I called her and got no answer.
The third day, at 6 am, I was ready for her to call me. At 6:10 am I called her and she answered. I was ready to pick up where we left off, but she wanted to chat about what had been happening the last few days. To me, it sounded like excuses about why she didn't get things done and why she stood me up. I let pass that day and finally got her to tell me what her plans for the day were.
The fourth day, at 6 am, I was ready for her to call me. At 6:10 am I called her and got no answer.
The fifth day, at 6 am, I was ready for her to call me. This time I didn't wait and called her. No answer.
Finally, on the sixth day, I simply sent her a message and said “thanks for trying, I'm looking for another accountability partner”. Of course, she responded and wanted to chat to clear things up. I didn't see the point, so declined.
Found The Right Accountability Partner!
I didn't give up, though. I know how valuable an accountability partner is, and I know that not everyone is cut out to be a partner.
Soon after this private message exchange, a long time friend showed up with a message “Hey, don't know how I missed your post about accountability partners, but boy do I need one!” I immediately responded and we agreed to meet via Zoom, every Monday morning for up to 90 minutes. We've been meeting ever since.
Why is this partner working out and the other one didn't?
Well, to begin with, both she and I know how to keep people accountable for their commitments. The first partner didn't know how to do this.
You see, being an accountability partner is more than just “showing up and saying I did this, did you do your thing?” What if the person didn't do their thing? A good partner knows how to ask questions so the person can get honest about Why they didn't do the work. And, the one being questioned knows and values being held accountable, so while there may be discomfort, there isn't anger or hurt feelings when being called out on the BS.
Was the other person not as committed as I was? Yes, that's another reason it didn't work out. Whether we met daily or weekly or monthly, being committed means showing up when you say you will. Whether you did the work or not, showing up matters. It helps to seal the commitment you made to yourself and definitely helps to show your trustworthiness to the other person. Break your word and you will become less trustworthy … and you will feel guilty and will doubt your ability to be a good partner.
You Can Have A Group of Accountability Partners!
In 2014 I began offering Focus & Succeed groups. They were limited in time, 10 weeks, and the purpose was to offer accountability groups to those who wanted to finish a project. I've been running them ever since.
In 2018 I added virtual co-working sessions and a private forum to the mix. This means that not only were we meeting once a week to update each other on progress, but there was also time set aside to meet and actually work … while someone else was working on something … and someone else was working on something … and so on. Also, with the private forum (not on Facebook), questions could be posed, resource ideas could be added, members could team up with another for personal accountability outside of the group.
Then, after seeing so much progress and hearing “How wonderful that I don't have to worry about my partner not showing up!” and “Holy cow! I had no idea I could accomplish so much!” and “Man, I love the virtual coworking…it's when I get the most done every week!” I decided to offer a monthly membership that offers all of the above.
Get It Done Groups Work For Everyone!
Get It Done Groups are a monthly membership to a group that meets virtually 1x a week for updates, 2x a week for virtual coworking, has a private forum (not Facebook) where conversations can happen, and includes a few tools and guidance from me about how to schedule tasks and set milestones and lay out what you'll need to do so that you can Get It Done! Whether that takes 1 month or 6 months, that's up to you and the project you want to finish.
Ready to join us? We'd love to see your face in the meetings and help you get focused and Get It Done!
>>>Get It Done Groups<<<
Have questions and want to meet with me to discuss first?
