4 Tips to Create Accountability and Get More Done

I don't know about you, but as a self-employed business owner, I LOVE getting insight into what makes me tick and personalized tips and tricks for helping me get more done. 

I've taken every personality test under the sun, and perhaps one of the most helpful I've found is also one of the simplest - Gretchen Rubin's "4 Tendencies" quiz.  It's all about understanding how you get things done.  (You can learn which tendency you are by taking the free quiz on Gretchen's website). 

I instantly fell in love with this concept, because I feel like when it comes to getting things done, the advice out there tends to be one size fits all.  We hear a lot of advice like "just write it on the calendar and then keep that appointment."  I was never able to follow this type of advice, but I couldn't understand why.  After taking this test I finally understood why traditional productivity advice often doesn't work for me, and what to do about it.  Intrigued?  Read on to find out more! 

When I took the test, I found out that I am an "Obliger." An Obliger responds readily to outward expectations, but has trouble following through on inward expectations.   In laymen's terms, that means we’ll show up for others but have trouble taking time for ourselves.  Sound familiar?  If you’ve ever called yourself a people pleaser, you may be an Obliger. 

Obligers are the biggest segment of the population, and I’m willing to guess a lot of kitchen and bath and interior designers out there are Obligers - we love making our clients happy!  But there is a dark side to being an Obliger… if no one is holding us accountable for something, we may find it nearly impossible to get anything done.

Here's what being an Obliger can look like for the self-employed:

• Any phone call or email request instantly goes to the top of the list and becomes the most important thing.  
• You scrap your own plan for the day and respond to everyone else's requests and expectations like a ping-pong ball.  
• Sometimes it feels nearly impossible to get your own work done or make progress on your own priorities. 
• Even on quiet days you may have trouble getting your work done because it's  just you.  
• You can't seem to get anything done until right before a meeting - it takes a looming deadline to light a fire under you and you're constantly procrastinating and then rushing at the last minute.  

I did all of this and more, but once I understood that I was an Obliger it was like a lightbulb went off: As an Obliger, other people’s priorities just seem more important to me.  It’s not a personal failing, it’s just my tendency. Any advice that required me to show up for myself just didn’t happen because it did not work with my tendency.  The problem wasn’t me - it was the advice which was made for a different tendency (Upholders, to be specific).

So here’s the thing - self-employed Obligers are in a tough spot. We don’t have bosses to please, or managers watching what we do.  It’s up to us to decide what needs to be done and do it, and there’s no one keeping track.  It can feel nearly impossible to get things done sometimes because of this, and it’s no wonder if we fall into the unhealthy working habits I mentioned earlier. 

But there is a better way.  Like I said, once I realized that Obligers need to create outer accountability to get things done, I started to look for ways that I could create this in my business. 

#1 Find office-mates to hold you accountable

One of the first things I did years ago was I got an office outside of my home.  I know in covid times this can be tricky, but in my case I found a co-working space to literally force me to put on pants and leave the house.  While no one there was technically keeping track of what I was doing, as an Obliger, just knowing others were there noticing if I was working or not was enough to keep my butt in the chair working, rather than laying on the sofa in my jammies.   

 #2 Hire staff to hold you accountable

I know as a boss you're supposed to be holding your staff accountable, but as an Obliger, it's actually the other way around!  For me, getting an assistant forced me to get my stuff together like nothing else ever could.  I had to show up to work because she was there.  I needed to plan my projects because she needed stuff to do.  I had to be more organized so she was able to do her work.  I had to plan ahead so that she could actually have time to do her work (instead of me alone, pulling yet another late night before a presentation). It’s easy to show up when you know someone else is expecting you.  Having an assistant is like having your own built-in accountability buddy, and for an Obliger, this is a game changer!   

Along the same lines, a virtual assistant can help you stay accountable for tasks as well.  I created a free resource to help you learn all about why and how to work with a virtual assistant in your kitchen and bath design business which you can download here.  

 #3 Use your clients to hold you accountable

In my case, I started planning out my design schedule and giving it to my clients ahead of time. <<gasp>>.  This was a hard one for me at first, because I didn't want someone else holding me accountable.  I wanted to be free to do the project in my own time, at my own pace, when I felt inspired.  Here’s the thing, though, I never actually felt “inspired”  until the night before a presentation, because I knew the client was expecting me to get the work done. 

When I actually started planning all of my projects out and scheduling my design presentations ahead of time, I let my Obliger tendency work for me. I was able to keep up a more regular schedule because I knew the clients were expecting it.   (By the way, I'm so passionate about this that I created a course to teach you all about it called the Design Roadmap Course... find out more here!).  

 #4 Find friends to hold you accountable

I created an accountability group for my weekly planning time. We meet on zoom at the same time every week and do our planning in a co-working session. Even when I don't want to show up, I always do because I know my group is expecting me.  (This is also included in my Design Roadmap Course!)

The bottom line is this: if you're having trouble getting your work done, create outer accountability.  This could look like setting up a bi-weekly meeting schedule with your client or finding an accountability buddy. Look for little ways in your daily workflow to get others to hold you accountable.  

So there you have it, some tips and tricks for finding outer accountability if you're an Obliger like me.  Remember, if you're an Obliger, it's not a personal failing to need outer accountability, it's just your tendency.  Stop hitting your head against a wall and trying to follow advice that is not meant for you, and instead find yourself some outer accountably today!  I promise, you'll have more fun, and get a lot more done.