How to increase motivation in 2 minutes a day

In the West, such a method of increasing motivation as "accountability partnership" is quite popular. Its essence is as follows: you choose a person who is more responsible than yourself, and ask him to control you. And if something does not work out for you, you feel embarrassed in front of your friend and you get down to business with renewed vigor.

It is easy to score on responsibility to oneself, but to others we feel ashamed. And this is a good motivator. Benjamin Hardy, an organizational psychologist, explains how to create these partnerships and become more productive with them.

When most people hear the phrase “accountability partner,” they are jarred. It seems to them that it is unnecessary work to be accountable to someone. But this is not the case. A sense of responsibility is a prerequisite for making progress in life.

Working with an accountability partner is very simple, you will see for yourself. This takes less than two minutes a day. And I'll show you how to do it in a way that motivates you, not annoys you.

What gets in the way of working with an accountability partner

Wrongly chosen partner

The first mistake people make when looking for an accountability partner is to think that you need someone with the same goals, interests, and hobbies as yourself. But this is not the case. In fact, someone different from you is even better suited for this role.

The goal of accountability is not a shared interest, but a shared responsibility. And it doesn't really matter what your partner is trying to achieve. You may even never meet him in person. The only thing that matters is that he be responsible and ambitious, like you or even more. That's all.

Too rare reports

When you find a suitable partner for this task, you will need to cooperate with him somehow. And the best way to stay motivated is to report back daily.

If you want to go faster, go alone. If you want to go further, go with someone.

African proverb

If you only contact your partner once a week, there is a high risk that the habit will not stick and you will eventually give it up. To lose the fuse is to lose. Therefore, it is very important to inform your partner about your achievements on a daily basis. Thanks to this, you pick up the right rhythm, maintain motivation, push each other forward.

And remember: the goal of such a partnership is not friendship. Choose what you want: achieve planned results or be friends. Friends spare us, they are condescending and ready to forgive us for idleness. And the sole focus of your partnership should be responsibility.

Goals too ambitious

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear explains how to develop good habits. He cites the example of the story of one man who wanted to train himself to go to the gym every day. And to do this, that guy spent six weeks in the following way: he came to the gym, stayed there for only five minutes, and then left.

Surprisingly pointless waste of time, right? Why didn't he stay there for training since he came? Because to begin with, he wanted to develop the habit of just going there, and not setting records. Start small.

You can't perfect a habit that you don't have yet.

People pay too much attention to the result of their efforts, and not to the process itself. But you should not be motivated by the result, which is still far from it, but by the process.

So when you start working with an accountability partner, don't set yourself overly ambitious goals. Don't make your reports a cult. Your partnership should be simple, easy, and not time-consuming - no more than two minutes a day.

How to use the method correctly

Make short daily reports

Every morning, send your accountability partner a messenger message or email outlining your top three goals for the day. And at the end of the day, send another message describing what was done.

In addition to the report, you should also list three things you will do the next day, and when morning comes, duplicate that information. This is what my dialogue with the accountability partner looks like:

Report to each other every week

Every week on Sunday night, in addition to the Daily Three, share with each other the Big Three tasks for the next week. This is how it looks:

Share your plans and achievements monthly

True, this is not necessary. And don't overdo it: an accountability partnership should serve you, not you. Otherwise, it will start to tire and annoy and you will abandon it. This is what my monthly reports look like:

What is the bottom line

My accountability partner and I exchange a couple of messages every day. At the beginning of the day, we simply list our three goals for today, in the evening we report what we have done (if only two tasks are completed, the mark is "2/3"). And then we list three goals for tomorrow. This should be done to eliminate decision fatigue and not waste time setting goals in the morning.

Once a week, we share with each other three tasks that we have scheduled for the next seven days. At the end of the week, we report on how we dealt with these matters (for example, 3/3). Every month we share our ambitious achievements. In addition, during a 30- or 60-minute phone call, we discuss how the month has passed. And it's all.

Through this method, over the past month, I have overcome several bad habits and emotional barriers that have plagued me for years.

The main purpose of accountability is to teach you responsibility and to keep track of what you spend your life on. And if you want to achieve something in any area, you need to measure your progress. It forces you to focus: when you share your progress with someone, your motivation begins to skyrocket.