One of the key benefits I’ve seen of meeting with an accountability group is treating should do tasks into need to do. I used the group to help me launch progress on a writing project, but it has really forced me to take an inventory on the to-do list I’ve been putting off.

Trim Your To-Do List

When we first met, all of us had wildly different goals. Some professional, some personal, and others a combination of the two. This past week something very different happened. Most of the goals were centered around smaller maintenance tasks. Each of us gained momentum on the goals we had. I was writing and felt I had gotten over the toughest part which was finding the motivation to start. I took a look at what I was putting off.

My goal this week was to finish a book, ironically titled “Finish,” and another book my brother had gifted me this past weekend. I was nearly complete with Finish, but one distraction turned into an excuse turned into several days of not reading straight. Simply adding stakes to finishing the book led to me sitting down and reading the last few chapters in one night. I didn’t plan on the marathon to the end, but I just enjoyed it so much that I wanted to keep reading.

The benefit hasn’t only been to the goals I’ve declared for the week, but also the little things I’ve put off recently. For example, I paid some vehicle registration fees that have been sitting under the books I’ve been stacking up recognizing it as an important item on the to-do list. Trying to come up with a goal for the week has forced me to take inventory of my outstanding tasks, those I both do and don’t want to do.

Want-To-Do Lists

I joked with my friend Dan that “watching six hours of Twin Peaks” counts as progress towards a goal if that’s what your goal is. I said this because the very day before we met, I watched hours of Twin Peaks without moving from the couch. Watching the show has been on my watch list for a couple years now. I have a similar approach with movies and books. Some may consider reading books a chore, others a privilege, while I find myself somewhere in the middle.

Often, I find I need to create tasks for the things I want to do. I need to feel like I am accomplishing something in order to give myself permission to do so. There is no right or wrong answer to tasking out things we want to do. Some may feel it takes away the enjoyment, while I find myself in the opinion that tasks force me to actually do things I enjoy. Drop a comment below and let me know where you stand on this!

Next week will wrap up the “trial” of this group, but I do hope we will keep meeting. If so, they will likely have frequent mentions here keeping me accountable for whatever it is I may be doing. Remember to stop by next week to find out what I’ll be trying out next!