Whatever works to get the work done, is what works.
Accountability is the glue that bonds commitment to results. ~Will Craig
The one many times I left something to the last minute…
Over the course of my entire life, I’ve been the person to leave things until the last minute. I know, I know – this isn’t the most flattering thing to admit, but I’m 100% sure I’m not the only one.
I vividly remember writing starting a term paper in University at 8:00 pm the night before it was due. Can you even imagine? 😁
I’m not particularly proud of the fact that I’ve often left things until the last minute, but I’ll also be honest and say that it’s because I usually can and still do ok. I got that paper done and wound up with a decent grade, which meant that the lesson got lost on me and so I simply kept repeating the pattern.
When I became a parent, this had to change. Having two babies 17-months apart while trying to grow a fledgling baby business meant that I had to get more intentional about how I used my time. I could no longer put off something for later…because later didn’t exist.
When my kiddos were tiny, any work window I had needed to be used to its fullest and as a result, I got more done in those early years than I have most of my life. #crazybuttrue
Now that my kids are older and more self-sufficient, and I have more time available to me, I have to be consistently careful not to fall back into those same old patterns of deferring the work that matters, for the easy-to-check-off work that presents itself at the moment. Or giving myself “outs” when I bypass doing the work and saying that I’ll get to it later.
Because even though I can usually get away with it, I don’t really want to anymore. I have important work to do in the world, I have big ambitions to grow LEAD.Well into the go-to hub for women leaders, and I have a book that needs to get written.
I can do some of this work in those last-minute, under-pressure moments – but I can’t do it all this way without sacrificing my sanity or the quality of the work, or both. It used to work for me, and now it doesn’t.
So what am I doing to keep myself on track?
After 42 years on this earth, what I know for sure is that I do my best (and most) work when I bake in accountability.
It sounds so basic, but I also know that many of us have a story about whether we should need accountability. We feel that we’re weak or undisciplined or lazy if we need other people to help us stay in motion.
I remember reading someone say that we shouldn’t need accountability if we are deeply connected to our purpose. That if we cared enough and were committed enough, we should be able to get the work done.
Ya, I think that’s a bunch of b.s.
Whatever works to get the work done, is what works.
We want to believe we can do this all ourselves. We tell ourselves that if we were disciplined enough / smart enough / motivated enough etc, we could take care of things without needing anyone to help us.
But it’s this belief that actually prevents us from the growth we seek.
We all require help.
We all deserve help.
And when we ask for it, we open up possibilities that were shut down for us when we were operating in isolation.
You aren’t weak if you need accountability to get where you want to go. You’re being courageous enough to accept that you can’t do it alone.
You’re not short of discipline if you need someone to keep you accountable to your goals. You’re acknowledging your limitations and working with them instead of hoping they magically disappear.
Right now for me, that looks like a small mastermind-of-three group that meets bi-weekly.
And that also looks like daily stickers in my planner every time I publish something (my daily commitment), followed by a text to my group with the simple word: sticker. I got this idea from the women over at the #AmWriting podcast and so far, it’s working.
If you need help to stay on track with your goals, get it – however you need it to look. Don’t let pride get in the way of the work that matters most to you. However you get it done, with whatever help you need to do it, counts.
And if you want my help, check out my new Accelerator Sessions (formerly Rise Sessions), which go the extra mile when it comes to accountability – including 24/7 access to me via Voxer. There are only a handful of spots available at any given time. No fancy sales page, just the goods to help you start, continue and FINISH your work — well.
Because whatever works to get the work done, is what works.
Steph
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p.s. If you enjoy this newsletter, can you please forward it to a friend or share it on Twitter here? 🙏🏻
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💡 FRESH, HAND-PICKED RESOURCES
Curated links from around the web to help you work well, live well and lead well. Plus a few of my favourite things.
Four Tendencies Quiz
If you haven’t taken Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies quiz, I encourage you to do so. She breaks us down into four groups: upholders, obligers, questioners and rebels and from this, helps each group identify what they need to succeed.
Can you guess that a) I’m an Obliger and b) external accountability is the go-to strategy for Obligers? LOL. I own it.
Is Your Planning Procrastination in Disguise?
Speaking of procrastination, planning is a very common (guilty-as-charged) way to feel productive while not actually making any real forward movement. There’s a place for planning, to be sure, but this article also highlights the counterproductive ways it keeps us stuck.
>> Read more here.
Why I Taught Myself to Procrastinate
And now for some good news. Procrastination might be a good thing – particularly as it relates to our creativity. I even learned a new word in this article, one that has never described me. 😂
Read until the end, it’s worth it.
>> Read more here.
These are a few of my favourite things…
🏵 11 different covers of one of my favourite songs. I concur with their #1 choice, though Prince is pretty awesome too.
🏵 Read this last week and loved it. Important read for everyone IMHO.
🏵 Sitting with this: “The seed is in the ground. Now may we rest in hope while darkness does its work.” ~Wendell Berry
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🎉 The Accelerator Sessions
We all need help getting our important work done.
My newly revised Accelerator Sessions (formerly Rise Sessions) are an accessible, affordable way to get into action and STAY in action. We meet twice a month for 30-minutes and in between, you have unlimited Voxer access to me so that you keep moving even when life throws you a curveball (which it always does, let’s face it).
>> Learn more and sign up here.
I only have a few spots available for this on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have questions, hit reply and we can chat.
Let’s get your important work DONE. 👊
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💥THE WEEK IN A GIF
Me celebrating that I survived a week with a very sick (spare you the details, but you get it) kid at home.
