Accountability partners vs. perfectionism

I love writing my JMT Speaks newsletter. (Sign up here if you don’t receive it — and I’ll send you my nifty guide on how to write better emails!) Suffice it to say, it's a highlight of my week. Sometimes it takes me 25 minutes. Sometimes it takes me an hour. However, I used to have this tiny problem: No matter how long it took, I couldn't leave it alone. I couldn't say, "It's done!" and move on with my life. I'd tinker with it night after night, driving myself nuts over inane things like whether semi-colons are too archaic. (They're not; I love 'em.)

Has that ever happened to you? You finish something, but you can't really accept that it's "done"? You think, "I'll just give it a quick glance." Forty-five minutes later, you've moved a comma and wasted your time. If this resonates, hello to my fellow perfectionists! We really need to work on that.

So I have a little secret to share. Here's what solved this problem for me and may work for you: get an accountability partner. I write the newsletter the same night every week. When it's done, I text a designated friend and simply say: "The newsletter's done and I'm not touching it!" It's simple but effective. I don't tinker! Instead, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

It's motivating to commit (in writing!) that I've put my proverbial pen down. And I won't go back on my word to her. All she does is say something like, "Great!" Her only assigned job is to stalk me if I don't check in to say, "It's done!" But I haven't had to because it WORKS. It's now a habit to write it, move on, and quiet that pesky perfectionist voice.

It also works because I purposefully selected someone who isn't going to let me off the hook. Your accountability partner can't tolerate excuses. Likewise, this person has to be someone who doesn't suffer fools. A person you won't even try an excuse with in the first place. This person's mission, if they choose to accept it, is to keep you in line. In other words: think twice about asking your significant other, mom, or best friend!

Do you use an accountability partner, whether for work-related tasks or to motivate yourself to exercise? (I've done that too - nothing like meeting a bunch of friends for a 6 a.m. exercise class to avoid hitting snooze!) Is your relationship reciprocal or a one-way street like my current arrangement? I'd love to hear what's worked (and not worked) for you.

Previous
Previous

Just because you’re good at it doesn’t mean you have to do it

Next
Next

“2016 Jenn” wouldn’t believe it