Accountability

 When you work from home, accountability doesn't just happen — you have to build it yourself. In this episode, I break down why an accountability partner might be the most underrated productivity tool for WFH life. Backed by research showing success rates jumping from 10% to 95%, this is less about systems and more about not carrying everything alone. Simple, powerful, and easier to start than you think.

 https://shanaelsee.com/

Transcript

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Welcome, welcome. You're back with work from home with Shanna, and I'm so happy you're here. This is really the place for anyone who works from home and is having the same stuff that we all have. You know, your home is totally turning into your office and your office into your home, and there's kind of like a blurry boundary, and this is exactly what this podcast is all about. Trying to create a little bit of sanity and finding balance under the one roof. And today we're going to be talking about accountability because it's so important, especially because you work from home, no one's watching you, and you're kind of doing it all by yourself. I want to tell you about one of my biggest productivity boosts, and it's actually not a daily hack or a habit. It's a once-a-week slot that sets me up for success really every week. Drum roll, please. It's having an accountability partner. And this is something that I've realized that was lacking in my work from home life. I had all these goals and ideas and a vision, and it was all just mine and with me, and kind of just sitting there and even sometimes overwhelming. And the concept of an accountability partner is someone that you choose very intentionally to share your goals with and to check in regularly. And it's not a boss and it's not a manager and it's not someone assigning you deadlines. This is someone who you invite to be a part of your process. Someone who knows what you said you were going to do, and they can check back on you and circle back. And it sounds really simple, but it's actually very powerful because it's not only that people do this, it's actually also been researched. And I want to just share some of this research with you. So when you keep a goal to yourself, the chances of actually following through can be as low as 10%. And I know that we all feel this. But when you commit to someone else, that number jumps to 65%. And when you have a specific check-in with that specific person, it can go up to 95%. And this is a stat that comes from the research by the American Society of Training and Development. And what they found is exactly that the point of accountability. It's having the check-in. So what they found about just having an idea only equals a 10% success rate. And I know that all of us have these amazing ideas, but then it's just also not exactly enough to commit to someone because that's going to give you the 65% success rate. But having specific accountability appointment gives you up to a 95% success rate. So here's the nuance: that that 95% only really applies when there's structured and reoccurring check-in, like weekly meetings with someone who is expecting a result. So while they're not your boss or manager, they and you also for them set certain expectations. And this is a good and accountability partner. And that's the difference between saying to yourself, I'll try, and it's done. And not only that it's done, there's also kind of a pride to tell someone else, actually, you know what we spoke about last week? This and this, I actually did it. And they can go, oh, awesome. And all of a sudden, besides for being a lot more productive and sticking to your goals, there's also this pride of I came and I showed up with something to this person. And it really works vice versa for your accountability partner to also show up in that way for you. So I do want to also get into this that the let's divide two categories: people that work for companies that do have someone checking in on them. Um where an accountability partner can come in and be very useful, even if you work from home, but for a company, is in the way that you might have other goals. For example, getting a certain promotion or sticking to a daily habit that's not necessarily part of your work culture or you know, expected of you from work. So an accountability partner can come in for that kind of support and to support those extra goals that you have. Um and and really what it it could even be within the the daily habits that you're trying to achieve. Like, did you manage to drink six cups of water a day, for example? And the other um type of person that this is really, really great for and extremely useful, and I speak from experience is entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs who work from home or anywhere, really, they are really only accountable to themselves, and therefore it gets very lonely and it gets very hard to really um show up with the goal and the follow-through. And being accountable only to yourself is is difficult, and the idea is really to have a shared commitment to a person, and that's where we really can can say, how can I show up to my goals? Because while you have another person checking in on you, you can become more accountable, and it's also letting go of a little bit of the stress and everything that you're holding in your own head. There's no natural place to process ideas out loud, to reality check your plans, or to sense if you're on the right track. And then your goals can get very blurry, especially if you're building them on your own. There's also no clear finish line, no one handing you those priorities. It's not like in a company where you have a deadline. When you're an entrepreneur, it's really there's there's not necessarily deadlines, it's just you and your goals. And there's a lot of invisible work. Um, the thinking, the planning, the behind the scenes effort that really nobody sees besides for you. And therefore, no one can really reflect it back to you. And this is where it's important because research shows it's not actual accountability that matters, it's the feeling of being accountable that increases your effort and your consistency and your performance, which is sometimes where we all struggle. So, in other words, we work differently when we're not doing it alone. And that's why that's where it really comes back to whether you work for a company or you're an entrepreneur, it's solving one of the issues, which is loneliness. But it also brings you a lot of structure where there isn't any. It brings you clarity when things feel fuzzy and a visibility to work that would otherwise feel invisible. Like we spoke about all those invisible parts. Someone can actually be part of that process and mirror it back to you so you can actually hear it, how you're saying it, and and then have these insights of, oh wow, I didn't even realize I was missing a step. And really, the the other thing is that it really lightens the load because the moment you say your goal out loud, it stops living in your head. It becomes real, it becomes defined, it becomes something you can actually follow through on. And your accountability partner isn't there to pressure you, they're there to reflect back what you said matters and keep you gently in check and offer the kind of off honest perspective that's hard to access on your own. And sometimes that looks like encouragement, and sometimes it's a kind of constructive honesty that you didn't realize that you needed. And sometimes it's just knowing that someone will ask you, Did you do the thing? And you know what that feels like. But it changes your behavior because now it's not only about motivation, it's about showing up. And the beauty of this is that it doesn't have to be complicated. It can be a friend, it can be a colleague, it could be someone in a similar stage of life or business. And it could be a weekly or bi-weekly check-in, a simple rhythm, clear, small goals, that's really it. Because the real shift isn't in the system, it's in the fact that you're not carrying this alone anymore. And so if things have been feeling a little unclear, a little isolating, a little too easy to push off, which I know we all try and do, this is and this is like a very warm recommendation of your next step. Because the easiest part of it is the first message or phone call. And really, that message or phone call looks like this Hey, um, Sarah, want to be accountability partners, and just seeing what happens from there. Maybe it's explaining what the accountability is, what you want to be held accountable for, what kind of goals you have, and having someone who can check in with you and and sticking to it and setting you yourselves, both of you, because it has to be um uh a symbiotic relationship that you're accountable to that person, and that person is also accountable to you. And it's good to know that there are also, if you're not comfortable doing that with another person that you know, there are really apps for things like that, uh, like Focus Mate, for example, exactly for things like that, even for a specific time slot of just hand holding through a task that you really don't want to do and having someone on the other side to say, you're awesome, it really just goes such a long way. So that's my pro tip for today. It might be the next piece of your work from home puzzle. And a quick shout-out to my beautiful accountability partner for helping me get to where I am going. And yes, this podcast was totally something I wanted to be held accountable for, and here we are. So thank you for being here with me on this work from home journey. And as usual, I'd love to hear what your biggest challenges are when it comes to working from home. You can send a message or comment or email me, and that way I can include it in the next episode. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss what's next. And really, just thanks for being here. I see such a brighter and lighter future for you, and I know it's just around the corner. See you next time.