HOW TO STAY CONSISTENTLY PRODUCTIVE

 It has been one month into the year and at this point, you are either impressed with yourself or disappointed with how unproductive you’ve been. Some may even be caught in the middle, with some good days and some unproductive days…

One major key that aids consistency and productivity is ACCOUNTABILITY!

This might sound foreign to some, especially those who love to be independent, but for many, it resonates.

Here are three ways to stay accountable so you can remain consistently productive.

• Self-accountability: This is one of the most difficult yet fulfilling ways to be accountable! One of the best ways to achieve this is using a reward system. It’s important to set short and long-term goals, using a to-do list. Your rewards will be based on your achieving each or all of your goals. Rewards are usually unique to individuals. It could simply be watching an episode of a series you like, taking an hour to relax, getting yourself something you like or even treating yourself to a present, depending on how big the goal achieved was. I have a point-based system in which I reward myself with a chapter of a book, movie series, or Anime if I get 3 points, where 1 goal achieved, equals 1 point. I also lose points when I fail to achieve my goals. Some important goals earn me 3 points but cost me 5 points when not achieved. One thing I’ve seen as a benefit is that it sets my life in order and enables me to have a productive and fulfilling day. WARNING: This requires a lot of SELF DISCIPLINE!!!
• Accountability Partner: This is an easier and much more achievable form of accountability, in which you involve a friend, sibling, or any type of partner to keep you accountable. It can be one-sided, but it’s most effective if you are accountable to each other. You do not necessarily have to pursue the same goal, as the aim is to encourage each other by consistently checking with each other. For example, if I have a goal to finish writing a book in a week, my friend can check in each day to see if I have completed my daily writing goal in achieving this. WARNING: This requires TRUST AND VULNERABILITY
• Mentorship: This is the ultimate and most effective form of accountability. It means submitting to the authority of a person you respect and honour. It also means willingly giving yourself to obey the guidance of a person you deem fit to lead you. Our mentors are not necessarily our direct leaders, but people whose words and lives we value, admire, and wish to emulate. I believe the most wise, reasonable, and trustworthy people are those who submit themselves under the tutelage and guidance of mentors. They don’t believe they know everything but choose to gain wisdom from those who have more knowledge and experience than they do. They are happy to be corrected and remain accountable. A wise man once said, “Mentorship is experience without the pain.” PB. That is, you don’t have to go through what your mentors have gone through. You can learn from their pain and avoid their mistakes. Your mentors do not need to be in the same field as you do. Especially as a Christian, some have walked this journey of faith before you. Lean on them, learn from them and expect a life with less striving. There is so much to say on this topic of mentorship, but for now, I’ll only emphasize that mentors are most valuable in accountability, and life generally. WARNING: A mentor should be someone you TRUST, HONOUR and SUBMIT TO. It requires HUMILITY, as no human is perfect, but you must trust that they have your best interests at heart. It also requires a lot of VULNERABILITY, as you should be willing to trust your mentor with all the ‘gory’ details of your life.

Hopefully, you can try one, two or all of these and watch how your productivity becomes a consistent achievement!