An accountability buddy is a helpful way to achieve your goals. According to a study by Dr. Gail Matthews, when you are accountable to at least one other person, you have a better chance of achieving your goals. Do you have an accountability buddy? There is a video to watch and an article to read. Be sure to turn up your speakers.
Here's what the study by Dr. Gail Matthews of Dominican University California found:
"People who wrote down their goals, shared this information with a friend, and sent weekly updates to that friend were on average 33% more successful in accomplishing their stated goals than those who merely formulated goals."
Dr. Matthews recruited 267 participants from businesses, organizations and networking groups and ranged in age from 23 – 72. They had a wide range of backgrounds and levels of success.
She than divided them into five groups:
Group 1 – They were told to think about business related goals they hoped to achieve within four weeks and rate each goal as to its difficulty, importance, skills level, resources needed, commitment and motivation and whether they had pursued this goal before.
Group 2 – 5 were asked to write their goals down and rate them the same as Group 1.
Group 3 – They were asked to also write an action plan for each goal.
Group 4 – They had to write their goals, an action plan and also share these commitments with a friend.
Group 5 – This group had to do all that groups 1-4 did PLUS send a weekly progress report a friend.
Here are the results of the study:
Group 1 – Accomplished 43% of their “hoped for” goals
Groups 2 - 4 – Accomplished 65% of their written goals
Group 5 – Were the most successful. They accomplished an average of 76% of their goals.
Seventy-six percent - that’s significant when it comes to staying on track to achieving your goals. If you’ve ever set goals and lost interest in them, you know how important it is to have the emotional and physical support of like-minded friends to keep going forward. A kind word or a gentle push can make all the difference.
You can also start a Mastermind group to support achieving your goals. A mastermind group is a place where like-minded people can openly talk about concerns, goals and plans. It is not a class or seminar – it is more of a discussion group with a structure and a purpose. Usually there is a facilitator who leads the group in discussions and sharing. The beauty of the mastermind is that everyone has an equal voice. A mastermind is not as personal as having an accountability buddy.
Is it time you found yourself an accountability buddy?
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Sharon Recommends
Here is an offsite link to Amazon.com - I'd like to recommend one of my favorite "time management" books “Eat That Frog!” by Brian Tracy – it's short, sweet, to the point and filled with practical suggestions: Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
I'd also like to recommend my Kindle ebook How To Keep Yourself and Your Business On Track. The empowered woman's guide to staying focused on your money making goals. Here's a direct link: How To Keep Yourself and Your Business On Track (Women Empowering Women)
I've purchased this book for myself and my opinions are solely mine. I am also an affiliate of Amazon.com and if you purchase this book through this link, I will earn a commission.
