On a call with my mastermind partners today, I suggested we use the 5-question format I use with my book writing students for accountability (courtesy of my mentor and friend Mitch Feigenberg):
- What did I say I’d do?
- What did I actually do?
- What worked?
- What didn’t?
- What’s next?
Here’s how my check in went:
Out of my 3 commitments, I’d completed 2. I’d already scheduled commitment 3 in my calendar, so just scheduling again for this week wasn’t going to work. Instead, I decided first to be realistic. 8-10 hours just wasn’t happening–too much to do to support my Bring Your Book to Life participants. I scheduled a more realistic 4 hours and I also remembered a trick I’d shared with clients in the past: Call an accountability partner before the writing and after.
So, I’m calling my mastermind partner Richard before I start writing my articles and again when I complete each work period. Will it work? I’ll let you know. What tips do you have for staying accountable and getting past procrastination?