5 Tips to Keep Yourself Accountable in the New Year

As we head into the new year, it’s important to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the future. This is always the time that I use to create a 12-18 month business plan, and I encourage you to do the same. But sometimes the biggest struggle isn’t creating the plan, but keeping yourself accountable so that you actually do what you say you will.

If you’ve ever failed to keep a New Year’s Resolution, you know what I’m talking about. You have this great plan, and you can envision exactly what it will look and feel like to achieve that goal. The year starts, and you jump head first into your plan.

For the first few weeks, you do great! But then something happens. You get a cold, you hit a snag in your plan, or you get worn out and need a small break. Suddenly, it’s been a whole month since you’ve done anything you said you were going to do, and it is nearly impossible to get back on track.

You may have the most detailed business plan ever, but if you don’t have a way to keep yourself accountable, you’ll most likely become derailed and your plan will fall to pieces.

So, here are five strategies to keep you accountable in the new year.

#1 Proclaim It to the World

Tell everyone your business plan for the new year. Say, “here are my goals, my strategies to rank advance, my plan for the team, etc.” Tell your friends, family, team, even the company!

When others know your plans, it will force you to do things when you aren’t going to feel like doing it. You will have an audience, and you will have that as reinforcement to keep you more disciplined than you might have been.

#2 Find a Workout Partner(s)

People who go exercise will often say that they are more consistent when they have a workout partner to go with. Now, I’m not saying that you will meet your business goals if you go exercise. But the concept of a workout partner works for your business plan too.

Find someone or multiple people in your business that will push you and hold you accountable to your business plan. They will be that person you will talk to all the time and bounce ideas off of them. They will give you feedback and get you up in the morning when things get tough.

And you can be that person for them too. It’s a two-way relationship. They help you stay on track, and you help them do the same.

#3 Create a Positive & Productive Environment Around You

This strategy goes along with finding a workout partner to keep you accountable. To stay on track, it’s best to create an environment that eliminates distractions and pushes you to excellence. And having those workout partners can help with that.

Find those friends who demand excellence from themselves and you. They can be in your business, company, upline, downline, or crossline. Just someone who you can build that relationship with and will help you create an environment that will cause you to do more.

#4 Come Up with Some Rewards

Figure out ways that you can reward yourself when you achieve certain goals in your business plan. Give yourself something to look forward to, something that will bring you pleasure.

It could be a vacation, a special night out with family or friends, a new outfit, or anything that would feel like a reward to you.

This will give you something tangible to strive for and keep you focused on working towards your goals.

#5 Create Penalties

What are we more motivated by—pleasure or pain? Pain. Pleasure is fun, but to avoid pain we’ll do more, we’ll act more. So, while rewards will help you stay accountable, creating penalties will also build strong incentive to stay on track.

If you don’t meet certain goals, have there be a penalty. Maybe you have to pick up the tab the next time you and your friends go out to eat. Or maybe you have to return that new purse you just bought.

You can even set up a penalty system with your workout partners. Have everyone pitch in a certain amount of money. And those who reach their goals by a certain point get to divide the pot between themselves.

A good business plan will help you launch your Network Marketing business towards success. But you need to set some strategies in place to keep yourself accountable. These five strategies will make sure you stay focused and working towards your goals.