4 Ways Accountability Makes Writing Goals Easier to Achieve

It’s the time again where many of us are thinking about the back to school season. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, or student, school is on the mind. Even if you’re not any of these roles, you’ve probably seen the back to school section growing in the grocery and office supply stores - maybe getting some office supplies while they’re on sale.

Who doesn’t want to stock up on penny notebooks?!

This year is different because everything is uncertain. Will teachers and students go back to face-to-face classes? Will there be more online learning opportunities and/or expectations? Will we have another outbreak of COVID-19 and have to be sent home again? No one really knows.

This is a great time to talk about accountability because so many of us are already in the mindset of figuring out what we have to do and what we’re responsible for (even those of us with fur babies rather than human babies).

Writing is frequently one of the things that makes it onto the “do it later” list.

As adults, we know we’re responsible - we’ll get our stuff done and move on. But many times we push off things we don’t feel we “need” to do or that “can wait” because they’re “just not that important” or other things have to take precedence. Writing is frequently one of the things that makes it onto the “do it later” list.

What is Accountability?

Before we talk about why it’s so much easier to achieve your writing goals with accountability, I wanted to clarify what I mean so we’re on the same page.

When I say accountability, I simply mean that we are treating it as a worthy investment of our time and making time to actually do it.

When I say accountability in reference to our writing, I simply mean that we are treating it as a worthy investment of our time and making time in our busy schedules to actually do it - to be accountable for making our own progress.

A lot of times writers will keep themselves accountable by getting an accountability partner. Having someone else involved can apply a little pressure to actually do something about our writing instead of just letting it sit there like we might if there’s no one we’re “accountable” to.

So while it’s always important to be accountable to ourselves, I will also talk a lot about the benefits of having an accountability partner.

How Does Accountability Relate to Writing Goals?

So what does all of this have to do with writing goals?

There are several ways accountability can be good for our writing:

Human Connection with Other Writers

While you can certainly make yourself accountable by regularly checking in with yourself, accountability also gives you a great opportunity to connect with other humans! Since writing is solitary most of the time, we can sometimes get wrapped up in our own little world. If you get an accountability partner, it’s a great way to talk about writing as a process, talk about your own project, and learn about other writers’ projects, too.

Helps with Progress on SMART Goals

If you haven’t read my blog on SMART goals, you should because it’ll really help you clarify your own goals. Just as a quick review, though, SMART goals are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. So when you start making accountability a priority in your writing, you’ll feel good about making progress, but you’ll also see it because you’ll be monitoring it regularly!

Makes You Actually Write

A big part of the reason writers get stuck is that we put off the actual writing. Even if we want to write, we find reasons to push it back “just a little” or even make an excuse NOT to do it. It’s kind of weird, actually.

A big part of the reason writers get stuck is that we put off the actual writing.

Weirdness aside, when you use accountability, whether to yourself or with a partner, you will actually write because at that point there’s more at stake than writing whenever you feel like it. And hey, writing because you feel like it is great! But it doesn’t always get the job done if that’s the only time you’re doing it.

Why Does Accountability Make Writing Goals Easier?

Are you starting to see why accountability is helpful to your writing?

It can definitely be tricky, especially for those of us who feel constantly overloaded and overwhelmed by our To Do lists.

BUT, these 4 reasons why accountability will make writing goals easier to achieve are hard to argue with.

(They really make you want to start being accountable!)

1. Lessens the pressure to be perfect

Who here struggles with that crazy idea we call perfectionism? Hi there, me too! The thing about perfectionism, besides the fact that it’s actually terrible, is that it keeps us from taking action. When we’re being accountable and making measurable progress on a regular basis, we tend to feel less pressured to be perfect because we know we just need to get it done.

When we’re being accountable and making measurable progress on a regular basis, we tend to feel less pressured to be perfect

This is especially true if you have an accountability partner because you know you need to send it out, and you need to do it on time, so there’s no time for you to dilly-dally around with whether or not you used the right word in that one sentence in the middle of that one paragraph.

2. Forces action

If you know you’re waiting on someone to send you something, and you’re going to send something back, that compels you to take action, right? It’s the same way with accountability. You know you need to be accountable and just do the thing - if not for yourself than for your partner - so you simply do it.

3. Built in feedback

When you’re being accountable with someone else, you can use that as a time to get feedback on an ongoing basis instead of just at the end after you’re done with everything. Getting feedback has numerous benefits, but in this context it can be super helpful because you can start implementing changes or playing with different ideas right now rather than when you’re all done with the draft.

4. Consistent Progress

Accountability is great because it helps us make consistent progress. Not just once in a while progress, or explosive finish the whole thing in 30 days progress (unless that’s what you want to do), but instead week after week progress that’s a struggle for most of us.

Accountability helps us make that progress we’ve been trying to get and struggled with on our own.

The busier we get, the more writing seems to slip down the list of priorities. Accountability helps us make that progress we’ve been trying to get and struggled with on our own.

Next Steps

If you’ve heard of or used accountability before, you’re probably familiar with how helpful it is! If you haven’t, I would highly recommend getting an accountability partner! You’ll find it lessens the need to be perfect, makes you take action, gets you some ongoing feedback, and allows you to make the consistent progress you want to make but have such a hard time with on your own.

If you haven’t used accountability before, I would highly recommend getting an accountability partner!

But what do you do with this information going forward? There are several simple steps you can take. Notice I didn’t say “easy” - being accountable isn’t necessarily easy, but it IS worth it.

1. Decide what kind of accountability you need for your writing.

Do you need just a simple check-in with someone every week/two weeks/month to say “Hey, did you do this?” Or do you need someone to meet with every week and workshop new material? Or maybe something in between? Decide what you want from accountability before you try to find someone to work with. Remember, your situation is unique to you, so you know what would be most helpful - trust yourself.

2. Find someone to be accountable with.

Whether you go with a trusted friend or a professional, make sure that whoever you want to work with will be a) honest and b) tell you what you need to hear, even if it’s not what you want to hear. This generally means try to find another writer.

If you are interested in working with me, I offer 1:1 accountability sessions for just this reason. A lot of writers don’t have other writers in their life to do this with, at least not friends who they are close enough with to feel comfortable working with in this way.

I’ve been a writer and writing teacher for years, and I’ve seen almost everything in writing. I’m always going to be honest, but I will always be kind about it. If this sounds like something you want to investigate more, click here to read more about some of the services I offer along with accountability.

3. Ask them to help you

Once you’ve decided on someone you want to be accountability partners with, ask them if they would be willing! I’ve found that most people are willing to help if they can, but don't assume anything before you ask.

4. Be accountable!

Once you’ve found your person, get writing and be accountable! And, if you decide you don’t want to find an accountability partner, set up regular check-ins with yourself about your writing so that you can be accountable to yourself.

My challenge to you is to find an accountability partner before your next writing session and ask if they’re willing to work with you.

Have you had an accountability partner before? How did it go? Or have you used another version of accountability? I’d love to hear about your experiences! Find me on social media, drop a comment below, or email me at rachel@captuingyourconfidence.com!

Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing.

4 Ways Accountability Makes Writing Goals Easier to Achieve