One of the things that comes up a lot in my work is this theme of ‘accountability’. Whether I’m talking with farmers, fellow entrepreneurs, or colleagues with my consulting projects, it can be the biggest source of support and also one of the biggest gaps that we have. And not for lack of desire, but lack of good models of peers who create those systems for themselves.
As someone who is constantly distracted, you’ll notice that many of the tools I describe in today’s post have to do with managing distraction.
I credit my systems for accountability as one of the biggest reasons why I’ve been able to move forward (in business and in life) and I want to share them with you today. Feel free to add your favorite tools in the comments for others to glean creative ideas as well. Note: There is no perfect system. The perfect system is the one that works for YOU, your personality type, your lifestyle and habits, and feels expansive, not restricting. Feel free to try some of these out, riff on them to build your own, but above all, have fun! (P.S. – I’m not getting paid any kind of affiliate links or commissions for the links I’ve thrown in here. Just love them!) My top 10 tools for accountability:
1. Toggl: Plugin for time tracking that I use religiously to keep track of my contracts and other projects. I like looking at the summary reports each week to audit how I’m spending my time
2. Google Calendar: I use my calendar as my to-do list, so it can appear overwhelming to others, but I find it helps me be incredibly efficient in what I do, and I can assess how good I am at keeping track of how much time I spend on certain projects. I also come back to it as a visual reference when I get distracted to remind myself of the task that I’m SUPPOSED to be working on.
3. High quality notebook with no lines: Moleskin is my absolute favorite brand of notebooks because they have high quality paper and make notebooks with blank pages. This allows me to mind map, write down notes or tasks, and doodle. I like writing down lists with checkmarks to remind myself of high priority tasks in a day.
4. Monthly check-ins with professional colleagues and mentors: I have amassed a small group of friends and colleagues that I check in with regularly about business and life. Sometimes it’s a phone call, sometimes it’s a Zoom call, but either way, these people want to hear about progress I’m making and my goals for the coming weeks/months. Essential.
5. Tomato Timer – This is a pomodoro-style timer that goes for increments of 25 minutes, then you take a 5 minute break. This is great for those days when I’m working long hours on a single project and I want to keep moving my body and stay focused.
6. Airplane mode + focus mode on my laptop/phone: These are the BEST for controlling distractions. I’ll often flip my phone downward or even put it in the other room to stay focused. You’ll notice most of these tools have to do with reducing distraction…
7. A great playlist: Set the mood with good music and you can’t fail!
8. Coffee shops and public libraries: Sometimes you just need to be AROUND people to feel productive. It works for me. 🙂
9. An assistant: This honestly has been the BEST investment I’ve made in my business and my personal workflows. Nothing beats being able to delegate and have support, weekly check-ins that help you stay focused on moving things along. Highly recommend!
10. Daily and weekly journaling practice: We often don’t give ourselves time to process all the information that we’re taking in or set intentions for how we want to feel/what we want to change. I have a gratitude journal that I write in twice daily, and I’m constantly writing down reflections from meetings and goals that I have, whether related to finance, business, personal relationships, or fitness.
