I’ve had some love/hate relationships with various fitness regimens over the years. At one point or another, I’ve been a yoga fanatic, avid runner, frequenter of boxing classes, and even a daily meditator. The one common trend across any goals I’ve had success with? Knowing that someone would notice if I wasn’t there. This person (usually my workout buddy) was my accountabilibuddy: we held each other accountable.
Having an accountabilibuddy has motivated me to do some crazy things, like getting up at 4:45 am to run with Back on My Feet. Every time, having that reliable accountabilibuddy has made me stick to my goals and surprised even me at how much I could achieve.
There's always a million reasons not to do something.
Almost any time when I didn’t have an accountabilibuddy, I found myself hitting the snooze button or finding any excuse not to work out. And you know what? I felt miserable afterwards. The truth is, whenever you come across something that’s not so fun like managing finances or doing laundry, you can probably convince yourself of any excuse not to do it - you’re busy, tired, you have that other thing you need to do. But how will you feel afterward?
The power of the verbal commitment
Every time I ended a workout, I would immediately start planning with workout buddies when I would see them next. This verbal commitment (coined “a verbal” by November Project) was much more for my benefit than theirs. There is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when you think someone else will notice if you don’t do what you say you’ll do. It feels yucky, like you’re letting them down. Even if in actuality they don’t care or don’t even notice you showed up, it doesn’t matter! It’s your perception of letting them down that is extremely motivating. And it lights a fire under your you-know-what.
Friends don’t let friends skip leg day
I’ve been fortunate to have some amazing accountabilibuddies over the years. Usually, it starts with a friend who has shared fitness interests, enjoys social exercise, who ACTUALLY texts back AND shows up. Clearly communicating and setting expectations is most essential. Don’t let logistics get in the way of your success - be clear on when you’ll be seeing each other, otherwise you risk something getting mixed up which starts to creep into the unspeakable: excuses. If the person flakes after a few times or takes forever to reply, find someone else. You need someone who will actually be there, or else you’ll start playing mind games with yourself when that alarm goes off at the crack of dawn, “Maybe X will sleep in too and won’t notice if I’m not there.” No! None of that.
Where to find your accountabilibuddy
An accountabilibuddy can be a friend, a spouse, a coworker, a coach - you name it! Wherever you can find a person that you can talk to and rely on could be where you find a good accountability partner. You just need to ask and say, “Hey! Could you check on me to make sure I do this thing?” and see what they say. I do not recommend using a computer or robot simply because most of them don’t have feelings (...yet) so there’s no real fear of letting them down, and motivation goes out the window. Pets are pretty good, especially if they’re joining you for the workout. However, I've found babies and pets to be pretty noncommittal, and they’re really bad at texting you back.
If you’re like me, you might be a bit wary of telling friends about your weird workout routines. Or maybe you have friends who aren’t so accountable themselves. Or perhaps you just want to do your activity alone and aren't looking for company. Well, that’s exactly why Supporti was made - it’s a virtual community of people who are all trying to do something, and are looking for someone to help make sure they do it.
Want to experience the powerful motivational power of mutual moral support? Try our app today and start saying goodbye to all those excuses.
