1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: tip is to find gentle accountability. Lots of people find 4 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 1: it easier to stick with their goals and habits if 5 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: they know that other people are expecting them to There 6 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,520 Speaker 1: is no need to take extreme measures. Almost any bit 7 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: of accountability can be helpful. A few weeks ago, I 8 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: hosted my annual time tracking challenge, when thousands of us 9 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: tracked our time together for a week. I encourage people 10 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: to sign up for daily motivational emails from me, and 11 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: I posted my own time logs on my blog. I've 12 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 1: been doing this challenge for ten years now, and I've 13 00:00:57,840 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: had several people tell me that they do it each 14 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: year and find it helpful for tweaking their schedules. Now, 15 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: on some level, that is a little strange, because if 16 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: you know time tracking is helpful, why wait until January 17 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: to do it? What is it about the fact that 18 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: thousands of other people are tracking their time that makes 19 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: it feel more doable? Because that's honestly all it is. 20 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: Knowledge of the crowd and daily mass emails. As I 21 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: tend not to be following up with individual people and 22 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: checking in on their timelogs daily and such. And yet 23 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 1: I know that even this gentlest level of accountability is 24 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: helpful for people. That's why I often write rough drafts 25 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: of novels in November, which was historically National novel writing Month. 26 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: Even a little accountability helps. So if you have something 27 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: you want to do, see if you can find just 28 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: a gentle layer of accountability that makes you feel like 29 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: you are not shouting into the void. One very simple 30 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: approach is to find an accountability partner. You do not 31 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 1: have to live in the same place. You don't even 32 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: have to talk to each other, though of course you could. 33 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: You just commit to sending each other an email once 34 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: a week or so to say what you have done 35 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: and what you plan to do. This person can encourage you, 36 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: congratulate you when you have achieved your goals, and just 37 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 1: as important, nudge you to get back on track when 38 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,119 Speaker 1: you stumble, and you can do the same for them. 39 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: You can go a step further and form a small 40 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: accountability group. Again, you don't have to live in the 41 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: same place. You can just check in once a month 42 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: by zoom and say what you have done and what 43 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: you intend to do. It's not like these people have 44 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: any power over you, but in general we tend to 45 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: respond to positive support and encouragement. You could even find 46 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,079 Speaker 1: a challenge that someone is running. I'm your goal pursuit 47 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: to that challenge. Maybe it is a six week boot 48 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,520 Speaker 1: camp at your gym, or maybe it is a thirty 49 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,920 Speaker 1: day walking challenge at work. Maybe it is a short 50 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: writing class that will help you shape an essay for publication. 51 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: By the end, look around and do your research and 52 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 1: see if there are other people doing what you want 53 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: to do. This might be worth investing a few resources 54 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: in to make it happen. Now Again, on some level, 55 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: this is all kind of silly. It is possible to 56 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: write a novel any month, or to stop drinking any month, 57 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: even if it is not dry January. There are no 58 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:41,839 Speaker 1: real teeth to an accountability group, and yet people find 59 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: it helpful not to do things alone. So find some 60 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: gentle accountability, and it is just possible you will be 61 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: more likely to achieve your goals in the meantime. This 62 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the 63 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: most of our time. Thanks for listening to before Breakfast. 64 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback. You can reach 65 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast 66 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:30,840 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, 67 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,919 Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 68 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.