I was on a Zoom call with 65 people. Half from the Freelancer’s Workshop, half from the Bootstrapper’s Workshop. Both workshops led by Seth Godin.

It was 2019.

The freelancers and bootstrappers had just completed their programs. This was our first joint Zoom, a graduation celebration.

Seth congratulated us and encouraged us to keep going (“make a ruckus”). He recommended we each get ourselves an accountability buddy so that our progress wouldn’t grind to a halt.

One of the Zoom squares raised his hand. He had glasses and a brown beard. The man asked, “Where do we get an accountability buddy?”

Seth: “There are 65 people right here. You could ask one of them.”

Beard man: “Jule, will you be my accountability buddy?”

Me (to myself):  What? I don’t even know you. How do you even know my name? Oh, because Seth talked to me at the beginning of the call. Okay, I’ll be polite, don’t want to embarrass you in public.

Me (aloud): Sure. (to myself): One call and we’re done.

After our first call, I thought, “This could be useful.” After our second, “I want to keep doing this, it’s helping.”

That was seven years ago.

Adam and I talk almost every Monday. We have the same standing agenda:

• Did you do your accountability from last week?
• What’s your accountability for this week?

We started with 15-minute calls (it’s enough time, really), but now we’re at 30 because we’ve become friends and there’s a lot to talk about (the war in Israel, where he lives; my mom’s dementia).

The kinds of things we hold ourselves accountable for vary, but usually it’s:

The next action that would make the biggest difference in accomplishing something we care about, that is also…

 

The action we are most likely to avoid and not do.

Sample accountabilities:

• I will do my back exercises at least 6 evenings.
• I will write the first draft of the flash non-fiction essay.
• I will take 12 minutes and 15 seconds every day to sit and do nothing (12 minutes is 27 seconds, 27 times).

Now, you may be wondering, where do I get an accountability buddy?

Well, I have an idea. This might work and it might not.

I’ve made an Instagram post where you can go into the comments and say something like, “Looking for an AB. I’m in Pacific time zone.” Then, you can DM to connect. When you have an AB, you can go back into Instagram and reply to your own message to say you’ve got one, to stop additional DMs.

It might work, it might not, but it’s worth trying. I figure the people who read these emails at least have that as common ground. Plus, this is a nice (and smart) crowd.

An accountability buddy keeps you honest.

Keeps you moving.

Keeps it real.

(When I’m going to do something that my introverted self doesn’t want to do, I will sometimes say to myself, in Elmer Fudd’s voice, “Be bwave, widdow wabbit!”)

Chewing the Cud of Good

Thankful for Adam.