The other five women in my group — all small business owners, independent contractors and entrepreneurs — check in on the forum throughout the morning as well. We give quick comments on each other’s goals or offer contacts or fast help if a tricky question or request comes up. Then, with my prioritized to-do list in hand (and a circle of people holding me responsible) I head out into the world.
Over the next five days my action plan is a constant reminder of what I should be doing to move my business forward. Many other tasks may come up or get slotted in (and often my priority items may consume only 20 percent or so of my actual time) but they can’t get left behind or continuously pushed to “next week.” Having my accountability group behind me not only increases my productivity, they also help me make smarter business moves.
On Friday afternoon, the real magic happens. I head to the forum again: did I do what I committed to doing? Often, the answer is yes — and if I nailed my goals, I get congratulations from my fellow members and earn “points” that turn into donations to charity. So, #winning. Plus, once I realize that I’ve done something good during the work week, I feel much better about taking some time off over the weekend — one of the hardest things to do as an entrepreneur!