The cost of having an Accountability Buddy, and what it costs you NOT to have one!

Here’s a question for you …

Does it make good economic sense to spend $50 to make $100?  Or to spend $1500 to finish a project that can earn you maybe 10 times that?

Silly question right? Of course it makes sense!

Another question for you.

  • What’s it costing you to NOT finish your must-do projects?
  • What’s it costing you in terms of lost sales, opportunities, credibility or self-worth?
  • How many major projects have been on your wish list for more than a year?
  • How many activities have you transferred from To-do list to To- do list?
  • How many key projects have you binned, because you know you’re never going to get around to doing them?

Procrastination is rife. Getting bounced around by other people’s priorities is an inevitable part of today’s workplace.  This all adds up to a lot of unfinished business… unfinished projects and unrealized dreams.

What does this cost you in terms of unrest, knowing you are just not getting to the things that are important to you?  What does it cost you in terms of frustration, trying to keep these ideas and projects alive, fitting them around your existing tasks?  What’s it costing you in terms of reputation, being known as the Gonna Guy instead of the Did-it Dude!

Consider Pete’s story.

He had it on his bucket list for 2 years to build a new pergola. And still he hadn’t done it. Why?  He initially said he didn’t have the time, that he had so much else on his plate.  He hedged that he couldn’t really afford it.

But he recognised that finishing the pergola really was important to him, and for his family.  He loved to entertain. He loved spending time at home with friends and family.  But he hated his backyard area.

We got Pete to consider how many family occasions he’s spent apologizing for the poor state of his backyard.  And how many beautiful afternoons he’s spent money entertaining the family out and about, because his backyard wasn’t finished.  We got him to find out how much more the raw materials cost now compared to 2 years ago.  And he volunteered that he’s now much busier than he was 2 years ago. Finally he admitted he was putting off building the pergola for no other reason than time had simply slipped past.

Procrastination has cost him.  In so many ways.

So here’s another question for you.  Are you a Procrastinator Pete?  Be honest!

What are your Bucket List projects that would make the difference in your world?

  • Perhaps it’s an adventure holiday?
  • Maybe it’s a new software system  that will make things so much faster in your business.
  • It could be implementing a new sales or marketing strategy.
  • It might be a home project.

Whatever your must do projects, they deserve to be done!

They’ve cost you enough already in wasted time, energy and frustration.  And  deferring them has most likely cost you financially as well.

What would it be worth to you to have someone help you get them finished, in the next 3 months? Ticked off and done!

An Accountability Partner can help you do just that.

Sure, there’s a cost attached.

  • You’ll need to invest around half an hour per week catching up with your Accountability Partner.
  • You’ll also need to invest the time required to action your commitments.
  • You may also need to pay a small fee for your Accountability Partner’s service in keeping you focused and moving forward with your goals.

But if they can help you finish a major project that brings in sales dollars, business improvements or other financial or emotional gains, surely it’s worth it!

It makes good economic and business sense to finish key projects. An Accountability Partner can save you the cost of outsourcing to someone else.  They can save you otherwise wasted time.   And they can save you a heck of a lot of frustration.

Why pay for an Accountability Buddy rather than setting up a private arrangement?

Because in a casual accountability arrangement, the following can happen:

  • Your Buddy starts strong, but quickly falls by the wayside as they get engrossed in their own priorities .
  • Conversations can ramble with no set structure, causing you to spend more time than is needed catching up with your buddy.  Before you know it, you’re avoiding the call because it’s costing you too much time, and you’re not really making any headway on the call.
  • Your buddy may feel they can’t be honest and straightforward with you, or push you when you need that little extra. Their avoidance approach ends up doing you no favours.
  • They may take you off track or cause you to doubt your ideas if they are not an experienced accountability facilitator.
  • They have no back-end support to provide you with resources or coaching if you require it.

A skilled Accountability Partner may charge you between $50-$200 per week depending on the level of care you select.  The Question you need to ask, is spending $650 over a 3 month period going to bring you wins and gains worth more to you than this?

We reckon it’s a small price to pay for you to achieve your big goals.

At AchieverNet, we provide an Accountability Partnering service where we help you to set your Must-Do projects and then achieve them.

What’s it worth to you to win?