THE SECRET TO SUCCESSFUL SELF ACCOUNTABILITY

​8 out of every 10 inquiries we receive states something about a need for help with accountability, so if you too feel this need, you aren't alone. Excuses can build as to why you haven’t achieved your goals: work is too busy to have time for exercise, the kids won’t eat that so I can’t either, life keeps getting in the way of my wellness time. A way to combat these excuses and achieve your health goals is to establish accountability.

Spoiler: Lack of Accountability Makes Your Health Goals Harder

Did you know there is more than one kind of accountability? There is external accountability and there is internal or (self) accountability.

Let's first define them.

External accountability - comes from the outside - in. It is being held accountable by others. 

Examples of this could be a personal trainer who you plan to meet with, a coach who you plan to check in with, a group who expects you to respond, show up, share. External accountability can take various forms, such as performance-based funding, standardized testing, accreditation, or public reporting. It is formed outside-in.

Internal or self accountability is being accountable to oneself.

It's an individual's personal commitment to be true to their values and to fulfill their promises. Internal accountability is holding yourself responsible in achieving your goals. Whether it be committing to a morning meditation or study session for an exam, you show up and carry out the promises you've made to yourself.

Health coaching offers accountability externally, with a focus on building it internally for clients to achieve success on their own. I truly believe in self-accountability but we are tribal beings and sometimes we do need a little support from our fellow women. This is why I created our She Strong Community. It’s a closed, supportive group to share journeys, ask questions and find advice. Chances are we are all thinking the same or have been in the same situation so let’s share our wisdom and encouragement!

She Strong, coaching and similar networks are powerful external tools for building confidence and I highly recommend utilizing them. However, the ultimate goal should be to have your primary source of accountability as internal.

Why? Well, if we don't learn how to hold promises to ourselves, the ability to accomplish... anything, will be extremely difficult.

So how do you develop internal accountability? (Notice I said develop!)

Here Are Five Strategies That Will Help You Start Being Self-Accountable Today:

Examine your beliefs and values. Knowing your values allows you to know what to choose in given situations.

For example: You have come to the realization that you have been working so much that you have only been giving half effort to yourself outside of work. You find yourself rushing from the office to a dinner with friends, quickly applying mascara in the rearview mirror in a queue of traffic. Your mind is buzzing so much by the time you meet your girlfriends that it takes you till after the mains to be able to fully open up in conversation.

Now, listen to yourself and ask yourself what this is doing to your mind and your body. Being in this rushed state is not good for your happiness, friendships or digestion! Though you might not realize it, the stress from living such a frantic life could be affecting your bodily functions.

So you need to set yourself boundaries. You need to decide what values you should focus on. Yes, work is important but you need to be able to switch off. Your social life is important but if you say yes to everything and in the end feel run down, are these things that usually feel so fulfilling ACTUALLY able to fulfill you or are they now draining you?

Write down some clear values to have something concrete to return to when making decisions. For example, “Each situation must bring me joy” “I must have 15 minutes after work to decompress”. So, now every invite you receive or plan you make, consider your values and whether you can meet them.

Pay attention to your internal dialogue: Turn your "I'll try," “I should” and "I hope to" statements into "I will", "I am" and "I've decided".

For example, you have seen a pilates class advertised at the end of the road and every time you pass it on the school run you think, “I should try that out” but 6 months later, you still haven’t stepped foot inside. How about next time you pass the sign, you take 5 minutes to go inside and sign up to a taster class? Or if you don’t have time for this tell yourself “I will sign up online tonight and make time every Saturday morning to go”.

If you set clear goals and time frames it will greatly increase your accountability to yourself.

Develop time management skills and start with a time audit.

Have you ever done a time audit? This is a deep-dive into how you are really spending your time. Often where we think our time is going and how we are actually spending it are two very different things.

By running a time audit over a couple of days you can time how long tasks actually take you to see where you could free up time or spend it more wisely. Here’s how to do it yourself:

1. Decide how you are going to record your time.

   You can simply use pen and paper or notes on your phone, or go serious with a spreadsheet or time-tracking app. Choose the method you’re going to find most convenient.

2. Set yourself goals for the day/few days/week.

   Make sure they are realistic! For example, only use social media for half an hour, check my emails at 9am and 4pm only or walk the dog for a whole hour at 5:30 pm sharp. Don’t set vague and unachievable goals such as, ‘Don’t get distracted’.

3. Time everything you do.

   Use the timer on your phone or a tracking app. Be aware of distractions and multitasking. So, time how long it takes you to get ready from the point of your alarm going off, how long you take eating breakfast, taking the kids to school, traveling to work, each individual task at work, collecting the kids, going to the gym, cooking dinner or preparing to go out for the evening etc.

   Each day might be different and your focus may fluctuate. BE HONEST with yourself. If you’ve just spent an hour scrolling through your Instagram feed, record it. You need to see it in black and white.

4. Analyze how your time is spent.

   You will be able to see the most productive hours in your day. You can see where time may be wasted, where you have gaps or where you need more down time. From this analysis you can plan how to prioritize tasks, where to set time limits or eradicate actions completely. 

5. Create a schedule.

   Have you achieved the goals that you set yourself? Did you feel rushed throughout the day? Can you see gaps where you could spend more time on yourself? It could be that you think you couldn’t possibly have time to meditate in the morning but when analyzing your time you find actually, if you shift around some focus in the day, you can free up 15 minutes in your morning routine. 

Find a way to measure your initial success to show yourself you are following through.

This could be a follow through from your time audit. You can simply make a checklist of what you want to achieve in the day and get in the habit of ticking off actions to prove to yourself you’re achieving them. They don’t have to be huge; it could be logging your nutrients, taking a daily walk or making time to journal.

I also use apps to track my habits, such as Habit Tracker and I have a personal habit tracking calendar checklist that I use routinely to keep me on the right path. You can download it here!

Now you know the secrets, how are you going to implement these steps to self-accountability?

Self accountability is hard if you don’t build yourself foundations first and that’s why I get so many inquiries about it! If you are floating around without a structure, you need these tools in place to build accountability. Follow these steps and see how your motivation increases!

I totally get how tough it can be building internal accountability, we all need that external support at times. Get in touch with me and my coaches at Vital Roots Health Co for that helping hand, to make sure you’re doing the best for you. And remember, whether you’re ready for coaching or not, you are always welcome to join the tribe of supportive women in the She Strong Community!