Start an Accountability Group

This post is for Five Minute Friday, a community of writers who use a one-word prompt to write for five minutes with no planning or editing. Today’s word is “accountability.”

Need accountability? Start an accountability group.

In June I wrote every day. I was able to publish six blog posts. Even with three kids home for the summer. Then July came.

For the first few days of July, we were out of town. I don’t usually write while I’m not at home, but this time off disrupted my routine enough to throw me off for all of July. I barely wrote and only published one blog post for the whole month.

It was summer, and I was tired. So I spent time “filling the well” by reading books from my summer book queue.

But for August, I knew I wanted to get back into the habit of writing daily. It’s harder than it sounds. It’s like running, though, the more you do it the easier it is to do it. I want to write but yet, there’s some hesitation—laziness—that stops me from picking up the notebook and pen.

So, for August, I started a writing accountability group. I was nervous. Would anyone else want to join? Would I be a good leader? How would it even work? I’ve been in accountability groups before that didn’t work. How exactly do you hold someone that you don’t know accountable anyway?

Well, 13 days in, it’s working. For me at least. 70 people joined, and I’m the leader. Which means I have 70 people watching me. If their leader quits in the middle of the month, so can they, right?

So far out of 13 days this month, I have written for 11. The two days I missed were during back to school week.

How it works:  Each day there is a daily reminder post with a fun question to answer. After each person has done their writing for the day she can come back and answer the question. Trust me, writers want to share their favorite books. So, go do the writing, then come back and tell us your favorite book on writing/creativity.

I don’t know how it’s going for most of the group, but for me it’s working. If you need accountability for a new habit or one to pick back up, ask a friend or two to join you. As the one who initiated it, you will feel more responsibility towards the group and working towards your habit or goal.

Here’s a reminder for you and me, fill in the blank with whatever your desired habit is:

“To write feels better than all the excuses.”
-Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones–

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