Six Benefits of an Accountability Partner You Should Know

As with pretty much anything else in life, your journey toward success is so much better when you nurture meaningful connections with other people along the way. A trusted confidant can help provide support, make sure you stay motivated, and get you to focus on your professional development and personal growth.

All of these are reasons you should find an accountability partner!

But how can accountability help you, exactly? Read on to find out!

How Accountability Partners Help

Accountability Partnerships Motivate and Encourage You

Think of something in life you've always wanted to do, but could never muster up the courage, or perhaps, the energy. Did you want to learn a new language, for example, but you hate the slow, deliberate, often disheartening process of committing vocabulary to memory? Or maybe you realized you've always been interested in playing the piano or violin, but are afraid that it would be too difficult to learn?

Your accountability partner will help you see beyond your doubts and hesitation, and provide the external motivation to go after your goals and set out to achieve things that are important to you.

An Accountability Partner can Help you Find and Design Goals

Say, you realize you're not happy with some aspects of your career trajectory. And you'd like to switch to something that excites you. The problem is, you don't know how to get your feet wet, and approach a totally new industry. Grappling, or approaching this goal, seems so difficult. How would you even start?

When you're confused, sharing your objectives with your accountability partner can really help you figure out how to start. If your accountability partner is a peer or colleague with some experience in what you're trying to do, that's amazing -- they'll be able to share their own experience, and even suggest specific goals for you to try out. But even if they're a family member, a friend, or anyone else who doesn't have the domain expertise or personal experience, they will at least be able to give you encouragement, and then provide feedback and advice as you get started.

Don't underestimate the clarity that comes from just expressing in clear words what you're going through, and the different options you see ahead of you. Even if your partner can't help you at all, just providing a safe space for you to think out loud is of great value. Putting things into words helps you unravel the messy, inchoate thoughts in your head, and lay them out clearly. Suddenly, your options may look clearer, and decision-making seems simpler!

Having some trouble setting goals? Try Crunch, our SMART goal generator here!

Accountability gets you Focused and Organized

You may know your goals, but that's just the first step! There are so many things to contend with before you reach the end -- a busy schedule, problems with time management, a lack of discipline, and the urge to give in to distractions.

Knowing you're being held accountable, and that someone has set expectations for you, will help you take more responsibility and ownership for actions. And with more ownership comes focus!

Accountability keeps you On Track

Even after you've set goals to follow, consistency is important. This can be challenging, as a lot of hurdles come in the way -- you may be distracted with other things, procrastinate on getting started, or still have some doubt or hesitation in your ability to do it.

In this case, your accountability partners will make sure you're being consistent and putting in the work, by checking in every day, asking you about the work, and providing encouragement -- and maybe most importantly, dishing out some tough love, as needed.

Independent Observations and Feedback

Sometimes, we develop blind spots when it comes to analyzing our own life or work. We're so caught up in the midst of it all, and spend so much time thinking about it, that it's easy to miss the forest for the trees. An outside, third-party perspective can be just what you need! When you have an accountability partner, they might be able to provide constructive feedback and that "fresh eye" that might just get you unstuck.

Partners can Call you Out

A good accountability partner is not afraid to point out when things aren't going as planned -- and when you're slacking off! Perhaps you're having trouble resisting distractions or developing consistency, or are simply not focused enough. Perhaps you're spinning wheels and not focusing on the right things. In this case, it is your partner's job to point out what is happening and force you to think about how you can fix it.

What is an Accountability Partnership and Where to Find One

An accountability partnership, as we have seen now, is a relationship in which one or both sides hold each other responsible for their work and commitments. When you're held accountable, you know that someone is looking over your shoulder to see whether you are doing the work you have to do and not letting it slide away.

There are lots of places to find an accountability partner -- if you're a student or working professional, you're surrounded by people who are in one way or another working towards a common goal. With them, you have the opportunity to exchange notes, discuss strategies, and just move forward on the path of success together.

If you'd rather get motivation from another person in a more formal setting, check out accountability partner apps, services, and tools out there. Every tool has special features to cater to different accountability needs, so you get some options to choose from!

And, of course, you can always ask your family members and friends to check in on you, but be a little wary -- mixing accountability and personal relationships does not always work!

Try BaaS as an Accountability Partner

If you're convinced by the benefits of an accountability partnership, why not experience them with Boss as a Service? Our real (human) bosses are trained and motivated to check in with you every day, make sure you're setting goals and working to achieve them. We also have tons of organization and productivity tips, and are not afraid of getting tough when you need to hear it!

Final thoughts

Accountability can make the path to success seem less lonely and more enjoyable!

Want more on accountability? Check out these posts!

• Try a commitment device to help you get work done
• 45 Accountability Partner Quotes to Boost your Spirits