While there are countless benefits to becoming an entrepreneur or author, the one drawback that isn’t often highlighted is that it can be a slightly lonely process. Sure, the work you’re doing is fulfilling and working for yourself is incredibly liberating. You’re disciplined for the most part, and are thriving without a boss looking over your shoulder! However, you miss hearing other people’s feedback and working on projects in a team setting. And you’ve been finding yourself procrastinating a little bit more than usual lately..
Part of the creative process involves bouncing ideas back and forth, and sometimes you wish there was somebody else around to provide their opinion. Not to mention – you could do with a little boost of motivation to stay focused when the urge to give in to distraction hits, or valuable advice that would help you map out the best way to reach your goals.
It sounds like you might be searching for an accountability partner.
Just what exactly does that entail? For starters, finding somebody who can hold you responsible for achieving your goals, while you do the same in return for them. In the process, you’ll learn from each other, exchange valuable resources, swap helpful advice and might even just strike up a fantastic friendship!
Here are the main reasons why you should find one.
They keep you focused on achieving your goals
Knowing that your accountability partner has set aside 30 to 60 minutes of their week to speak with you encourages you to stay on task and accomplish the goals you’ve outlined for yourself. If you veer off course or procrastinate, you’ll have to answer to not only your own conscience, but to your partner as well. The objective here isn’t to make you feel as though anybody is policing you, but rather to keep you aware of the fact that somebody else is monitoring your progress. You won’t get reprimanded if you slack off, but you’ll certainly feel less inclined to do so knowing that your weekly accountability meeting or call is coming up. Being held accountable to your goals makes you much more likely to stick to them.
They provide perspective
As an entrepreneur, author or both – it can often be hard for you to see what’s right in front of you. After poring over your work for weeks or months, you can miss an easy to spot mistake or overlook a strategy that could help you be more productive, market yourself better and sell more of your products and services. While you might have employees working for you who could help in this regard – they too are deeply ingrained in the work, making it difficult for them to provide the valuable third party insight that an accountability partner does. Remaining removed and at an arm’s length from your business, your partner’s perspective is often just what you need when there is a tricky decision to be made or you’ve lost sight of your purpose and need to get back on track.
They help you learn
Chose an accountability partner that works in a completely different field than you do. This way, you can both learn from each other. Even if it’s something as simple as improving your personal accounting practices or refining your WordPress skills, the best accountability partners constantly exchange information and help each other grow professionally. Additionally, when your partner works in a different industry than you do, they may be able to provide solutions to problems or suggest alternate business practices that you wouldn’t have otherwise thought of. In return, you can do the same for them.
While all of that sounds great, where do you find an accountability partner?
It’s difficult to pinpoint one specific way or place to meet accountability partners. The best tip we can suggest is to search for a person you feel you can learn from, and who’s opinion you respect. Most often, it’s convenient to meet accountability partners at networking events, as part of an online course you’re taking or in social media groups you belong to. Look for somebody who you feel has a similar or greater work ethic than yours and a person you connect well with on an interpersonal level. After all, you’re going to be communicating alot!
Agenda for your meetings or calls
Depending on who your partner is, you’ll either be meeting in person or via Skype. In order to keep your conversations as productive as possible, try to follow a general agenda every week (or however often you choose to speak) so that you can both know what to expect and how to best prepare. Outline your wins from the previous week, which areas you’re struggling in, your goals for the following week, any feedback you have for each other and one or two valuable resources you came across that you feel the other person could benefit from. If both of the partners are authors, it could be interesting to come up with a writing scorecard to keep track of how many words you’ve written or chapters you’ve made progress on.
Tools required
A Google spreadsheet is all you’ll need, but don’t underestimate its innocuousness! This is a powerful tool in that it will help you record everything you and your partner discuss – which will prove to be immensely valuable in retrospect. When you’re feeling like you aren’t accomplishing as much as you should, you can look back on your sheet to see just how far you’ve come. In turn, it will serve as a fantastic planning tool for what’s to come in the future.
Are you looking for an accountability partner to help you write your book? Consider joining our free 7 Day Book Kickstart Challenge, which provides you access to a Facebook group filled with like-minded aspiring authors. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to learn more!
