How Do You Actually Get Sh*t Done?
A question for you: how do you actually get stuff done?
Whether it’s reaching your goals – or simply doing chores around the house – what is it that actually gets you to follow through?
I was out to dinner with Dan a few weeks ago and we started talking through this. Fresh off the launch of The Little Deck of Sweet Reflections, I was marveling at how powerful I felt having taken an idea and followed it all the way to realization.
And for Dan’s part, we were literally sitting at a restaurant drinking the beer that he brews – enjoying the “fruits of his labor” in an actual pint (because yes, my husband is a brewer!).
So many people have so many ideas. So many plans and wishes and goals.
How do you become someone who actually achieves what you want?
In my early career, I simply white-knuckled my way through my commitments and responsibilities. Pushing myself, nose-to-the-grindstone style. And it worked – for a while.
But after burning out one too many times, I realized I needed a healthier and more sustainable way to reach my goals.
I tried to slow down my pace. Being loose with my due dates, my expectations, and my schedule. “Maybe if I just lowered the volume,” I reckoned, “I could get my work done and feel less exhausted?”
In some ways that was true… At least I wasn’t working so hard. But slowing myself down also left me feeling untethered – disconnected from that sense of purpose and drive that I actually loved to feel and foster.
And then, I discovered Accountability. Specifically, enlisting someone else to help me stay accountable to my goals.
I don’t know why I resisted this kind of support before. Probably because my ego wanted to go it alone.
But as soon as I started asking for help – asking my coaches, mentors, even wise friends to hold me accountable for the actions I knew I wanted to take – everything shifted.
Try This Out
Now, not everyone needs Accountability the way I need it (Dan, for example, is a classic Questioner in Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies framework).
But if you struggle to meet the goals you set for yourself, Accountability may be just the ticket.
Today, I invite you to reflect on a goal or wish you’re holding – or even an action you know you want to take, but haven’t. Got it in your mind?
Now, ask yourself:
What’s important to me about this goal, wish or action?
What do I imagine it’ll be like – and feel like – when I’ve completed it?
Where am I feeling stuck? Is my goal or action not yet clear enough? Does it feel too big? Something else?
How might I enlist someone else to help me move forward?
This last question is key – because an Accountability partner is more than someone who just holds you to your due date.
They help you break your goal into doable steps.
They help you troubleshoot when you inevitably hit roadblocks and setbacks.
And they help you see your progress and celebrate your wins.
Where in your life could you benefit from some extra Accountability?
What To Do Next
As a coach, there are two Accountability questions I always ask my clients when we design homework at the end of a session:
When will you do this?
How will you let me know you’ve done it?
Beyond that, each of my clients needs something a little different. For some, knowing that I’m waiting to hear from them is enough to move them into action. For others, we agree to check in at a certain date.
For all of them, they know if they are not taking action, I’ll bring it up for a conversation. Not because they’re in trouble, but because they are getting stuck. And my job, as their coach, is to help them get unstuck.
This is the power of having a coach who holds your dream – and who holds you accountable to making it happen.
Learn more about how I support my clients in short, focused bursts of coaching and accountability, and reach out if now feels like the right time for you.
I’d love to be your guide – and see you actually get shit done.
Onward,
