Every couple months, you decide you’ll try again. It might not have worked last time, but this time I’m really determined. You head to the grocery store and fill your cart with colors: red peppers, green beans, yellow squash, apples, oranges… You lug all of your produce inside, and fill your fridge with the fresh foods. I’m off to a great start! For a few days, you cook delicious meals that center around those fruits and veggies you just bought. But soon enough, you neglect those that remain in your fridge. And you order takeout for every meal instead. I’ve done it again. How will I ever keep myself accountable for my goals and actually achieve them?
You might not realize it, but setting goals and working toward those goals is crucial to your overall happiness and wellbeing. When you don’t have goals to work toward or you aren’t moving in the direction of accomplishing them, you become more vulnerable to experiencing unwanted feelings: you might become restless, self-conscious, or even increasingly lonely. How is that? It all comes back to constant forward motion or moving with momentum and excelling in life.
A big piece to the puzzle of constant forward motion is taking significant steps toward the goals you’ve set. But if you’re constantly putting your goals on the backburner and failing to keep yourself accountable, you’ll never be able to complete that puzzle. Fortunately, an accountability coach at Thriveworks Counseling in Waltham, MA can help to solve this problem. They’ll make sure you’re getting things done, making significant strides toward achieving your goals (such as eating fresher, more nutritious food), and even staying on top of deadlines at work or chores at home. Accountability coaches are motivators and enforcers—they care about you and your successes. If you think you could benefit from working with an accountability coach, reach out to us at Thriveworks Counseling.
What Exactly Is an Accountability Coach?
An accountability coach is exactly as it sounds: it’s a life coach who keeps you accountable for what you’ve set out to do. The thing is that we often lack the motivation to get something done and we simply need a little nudge from time to time. That’s the functionality of an accountability coach: it’s someone that’ll push you to get it done (whatever “it” may be).
The dynamic between client and accountability coach varies—as it depends heavily on what you want out of this partnership. In any case, there are a few things that’ll make the partnership a success:
- Set a simple, yet specific process to follow. Do you want your accountability coach to simply give you a call every few days to check in and give you that nudge? Or do you want to meet with your accountability coach every week to talk in detail about your progress? Also, discuss specific dates for getting this or that done—you need to know exactly what it is you’re setting out to accomplish and when.
- Log your progress. Yes, your accountability coach is going to make sure you’re sticking to your goals and making progress, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. You should keep track of what you actually get done each day or week, in a journal, or spreadsheet… whatever suits you best. You can look back at this log to see
- Set clear consequences. Talk with your accountability coach about ramifications for failing to meet your daily, weekly, or monthly goals. This is probably the toughest part, but it’ll keep you further accountable and help you succeed!
Do I Need an Accountability Coach? How Can They Help Me?
This isn’t the blind leading the blind—accountability coaches are mental health professionals who have the necessary skills and expertise to help you accomplish your goals. In addition to keeping you accountable, they can offer supplementary guidance, such as tips for goal-setting. Here’s a S.M.A.R.T. plan for doing so:
- Specific: The goal should be clear and unambiguous, and you should be able to identify exactly what is expected of you.
- Measurable: How will you measure your progress? If your goal is not measurable, it’ll be hard to know whether or not you’re getting closer to achieving your goal!
- Attainable: Your goal must be realistic and achievable—not out of reach, but also not significantly below what you could potentially accomplish.
- Relevant: Also, choose a goal that matters to you. How does your goal fit into the grand scheme of your life? A relevant goal will empower you and better your life.
- Time-Bound: Finally, as mentioned earlier, map out some time constraints. Be clear about how much time you want to put into this goal and when you want to reach it.
Your accountability coach will walk you through these steps if you need help creating achievable goals. And their services don’t stop there. They can help you in more ways than one when it comes to keeping you accountable and working productively toward your goal.
Schedule an Appointment at Thriveworks Counseling in Waltham, MA
Could you use a motivator in your life? Someone that’ll make sure you’re steadily progressing toward your goals? Consider meeting with an accountability coach at Thriveworks Counseling in Waltham, MA. Our mental health professionals and providers are experts at what they do, and they’d love nothing more than to help you reach your goals. To schedule an appointment with an accountability coach today, or to hear more about this service, give us a call at (617) 395-5806. We look forward to hearing from you!
