10 Tips to Make Personal Accountability Come Naturally

Picture of By Darren Finkelstein
By Darren Finkelstein

The Accountability Guy®

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10 Tips to Make Personal Accountability Come Naturally

You may be ambitious and have several powerful ideas. That next big step in your career can seem inches away from manifesting itself. However, none of that will matter if you don’t exercise some form of discipline and hold yourself personally accountable for your actions.

Often, people struggle to understand how to go about doing that. It’s not the path itself that is difficult. It’s the distractions along the way that make it a challenge. 

Personal accountability, then, is not a magical gift bestowed on exceptional individuals. It’s a skill that you adopt and hone over time. It wouldn’t be too obvious to point out that your personal and organizational goals depend on you doing so.

This article, then, gives you an insight into how to inculcate a sense of personal accountability. Read on to find out more.

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Tips For Building Your Own Sense Of Accountability

There are several ways to orient yourself towards being more responsible and accountable naturally. These are just the more effective ones.

1. Outline A Belief System

You will often find yourself being caught up in your daily life. Sometimes, the mundane can indeed overshadow what’s really valuable to you.

For this reason alone, you need to outline a comprehensive belief system that you aspire to live by. Don’t get it wrong. This isn’t about setting goals. Instead, it’s about defining what really matters to you.

For example, think about what your work means to you. Where do you see yourself in the industry in the next two years? 

Answering these questions can help you build towards where you finally want to end up. Moreover, that clarity on your eventual destination can help you streamline how you conduct yourself.

2. Set Realistic And Achievable Goals

Now that you have a general idea of how to conduct yourself, you can start setting personal goals.

It is critical that these goals are achievable and realistic. There is no point in dreaming about something that’s out of the question, at least at the moment. 

Set a 6-month plan to start off with. List down all the things you want to accomplish in that period. Then, get to work on them. 

Once you start checking off some of these smaller goals, a larger goal will eventually start to emerge. That’s when you know you are headed in the right direction.

3. Structure Your Schedule And Commit To A Step-By-Step Process

You have set your goals and have a general idea about when they need to be fulfilled. However, just having a deadline is not enough. Ask yourself what you need to do to accomplish everything before that deadline.

This is the part where structuring your schedule becomes essential. Commit to a step-by-step plan. Besides, steady progress is crucial to helping you reach what you have in mind.

4. Get Rid Of Your Self-Sabotaging Tendencies

The most painful and detrimental road you can go down is the path of self-doubt. That can limit the possibilities that you can actually explore and learn from. Further, that limitation can loop back into that same tendency to self-doubt. 

It is vital that you break out of that loop and go beyond what you know. It’s completely okay to not be great at something from the very start. Mastery over anything comes with time and persistence.

5. Establish An Honest Evaluation Process

One of the most beneficial things to your progress is brutal honesty. Take that feedback that is being given to you. Additionally, personally assess where you fell short. 

This is not to highlight where you failed. It’s to emphasize where you need to improve. All criticism can be constructive if you just take it in such a way.

 

6. Reward Yourself For What You Have Accomplished

In the process of consistent improvement, it’s sometimes challenging to remember how far you have come. Don’t make that mistake. After all, when someone else is trying to improve, you would reward their progress for motivating them. Do the same for yourself.

7. Don't Lose Track Of The Reason Behind It All

Building a sense of personal accountability requires understanding why your goals are important to you. How will achieving a specific goal improve your existing circumstances? What was the initial value behind that goal that attracted you in the first place?

You need to constantly ask yourself these questions while you accomplish what you set out to do.

8. Learn To Separate And Value The Time You Have

When it comes to working, people often carry it over to their personal time. You need to understand the difference between personal and work time. Once you do, you will maximize your own productivity during work hours. 

Additionally, you get to enjoy your personal time in a more relaxed fashion. 

9. Focus Your Efforts

A significant mistake that people make is to chase their goals all at the same time. You need to realize that you are just one person. You can only do several things simultaneously before collapsing on yourself.

Identify your priorities and accomplish those first. Then, work on the next goal. A haphazard way of doing things will get you nowhere.

10. Connect With An Accountability Coach Or Partner

This is, perhaps, the most significant step you can take in building personal accountability. A professional who guides in this regard will enable you to make leaps and bounds.

From identifying your core strengths to helping you adjust your plan, an accountability coach will be invaluable to your efforts.

To Conclude

These tips will help you build a structured and more accountable version of yourself. Still, you could require additional guidance and help. For that reason, you can reach out to professionals, such as TickThoseBoxes, who specialize in these services.

One of the most beneficial things to your progress is brutal honesty. Take that feedback that is being given to you. Additionally, personally assess where you fell short. 

This is not to highlight where you failed. It’s to emphasize where you need to improve. All criticism can be constructive if you just take it in such a way.