On Accountability - Part 2

Part 2: Sticking to a plan

-As per usual, first things first, plans can change and, in fact, they should.

Sticking to plans can be extremely difficult and I think this can come from 2 factors, self-confidence and environment. If lacking self-confidence, you will be filled with doubt - comparing yourself to others, self-sabotaging and not looking far enough into the future to persist when small blips arise on your radar. If lacking an unstable or unsupportive environment, people can be hit with a schedule that is inconsistent, inconvenient and a home that is dysfunctional and limiting. Although not in this article, I would like to discuss the above factors in further detail in future posts.

So in saying all of this, let us get into the details:

Step 1: Actually write a plan. We often don’t make the time to even site with our thoughts, let a lone plan our actions based on them.

Step 2: Create a schedule. As I have often been told, schedules are not designed to be restrictive, they are designed to help you allocate your time more effectively so you can squeeze in more of what you want. For me, I think about my ideal day or week in different contexts - how can I get more in whilst also fitting in my work, commitments, sleep, food etc.

Step 3: As consistently as possible, stick to your plan and your schedule. I suggest doing this by completing the following.

a) Get the hardest things of your day done first.

b) Don’t give yourself an out (I leave my alarm down stairs so I am forced to get out of bed instead of turn it off, roll over and go back to sleep).

c) Try reduce the number of unimportant decisions you need to make - save your energy for the important stuff. I genuinely HATED eating breakfast, until I realised that even something small helped me, now I try limit my breakfast to less than 3 choices of things I know I will always want to eat so I don’t waste energy deciding on the plethora of options every morning.*

So, what’s the plan?

* This changes on weekends where I like to switch up my plans.