Reach Your Goals Faster: How to Find an Accountability Partner and Reach Your Goals

Setting goals can be so motivating and exciting — until you have to start actually working toward those goals, anyway. That can be intimidating and scary, unless you’ve got someone in your corner helping you stick to your plans.

While some people are super motivated self-starters who can lock in a goal and immediately kick into gear to make it happen, others need a little help getting started. That’s totally normal, and it’s the perfect time to enlist a friend or loved one to be your accountability buddy, or to play that role for someone in your life. 

Being an accountability partner is an important role in a relationship. It means that the other person trusts and respects you, and is willing to be vulnerable with you. Asking someone to be your partner is also important; you’re putting yourself out there and getting out of your comfort zone, which is always intimidating. Having someone in your corner to encourage and empower you.

How to ask someone to be your accountability buddy.

If you know you have trouble getting started or sticking to a routine or plan, it’s a great idea to reach out to a trusted friend or family member for help. Choose someone you communicate with regularly, since keeping in touch and regular check-ins are an essential part of the process.

If this is a huge, life-changing goal or something way out of your comfort zone, it’s a good idea to get together with your partner in real life if possible and tell them what this goal means to you. Invite them out for coffee or dinner and let them know what you’re doing. Then ask the big question: Would they be willing to be your accountability buddy? Give them a few examples of how they can best support you and what you expect from them so there are no hard feelings throughout your journey. And if they don’t think they can give you the time you need, try not to take it personally — it’s better to set expectations right away than to be disappointed later.

You could also consider asking your friends, family, coworkers, or social media network for support or referrals; some people may prefer working with an accountability partner they’re not super close with. 

How to be a supportive accountability buddy

If someone asked you to be their accountability partner, consider it a compliment! Uphold their trust and commitment by being easily available; for some, this could mean checking in every few days with quick text, while for others, it may be a weekly phone call or Zoom session. Set your cadence and format right away; you can always adjust it later!

Though it can be tempting to give in when your partner doesn’t want to do the work, your job is to hold them accountable! Remind them in a kind but firm way why they’ve committed to this and what’s on the other side of the finish line. Be empathetic and understanding, but remember your role. If you have ideas to make the process work better, share them when it feels right; maybe you need more frequent check-ins or get-togethers. If you find you’re not the right fit for your partner, have that conversation as soon as you can — because at the end of the day, you want them to succeed! And once they do, take time to celebrate, because achieving a goal is so much sweeter when you do it with the people who helped you get there.