Founders’ Guide to Getting Sh!t Done
10 Accountability Tricks to Help You Do the Hard Thing
Work on the important things.
I said it last week.
The key to successful founders (and life!).
But — there’s so many distractions!!!!!!
Especially if:
The important thing is going to be hard, take a long time, you don’t know how to do it, or all of the above!
You’re a parent, spouse, pet owner, cool aunt aka have other life responsibilities
You’re like 99% of founders and have ADHD (a fictional stat but directionally accurate)
People ask you questions all day aka constant interruptions
Your creative brain keeps giving you more good ideas
Your office needs to be reorganized (me, anytime I have a hard project)
So how do you actually force yourself to do the hard thing?
Here’s 10 simple ways to create accountability and get-shit-done energy for the things that matter!
P.S. I’m assuming this important thing can’t be delegated and you’re not the bottleneck. But you should double check on that. 😉
1. Use procrastination to your advantage.
One of the most eye-opening and helpful blog posts of all time from John Perry.
If you’re a procrastinator, don’t fight it.
Trick your self and use procrastination to get stuff done!
tl;dr — when you’re avoiding the top priority, you get all the other stuff done. Then when you have a new top priority, you’ll get the previous top priority done.
2. Identify what you’ve been putting off.
I do a monthly audit with a few questions that I got from Sahil Bloom.
Recurring invite on the calendar. 15 minutes.
One of the questions is:
What am I actively putting off or dreading?
Sounds crazy but usually just naming the thing makes me realize:
a) Oh wow, that thing has been on my to-do list for 3 weeks and it’s not that hard so I should suck it up and do it and stop being a whiny baby.
OR
b) This isn’t really that important and I’m not going to do it so might as well stop pretending and move on with my life.
Either way, it’s a win!
3. Company goals with mid-quarter check-ins.
The ultimate accountability and getting shit done tool.
Setting goals is, of course, a key part of doing important things (even when you’re short on time). Gotta know what the end game is!
Then schedule **a mid-point check-in** ←the MAGIC ✨
Inevitably fires pop up and the day-to-day happens.
People (even founders) lose sight of strategic priorities.
With a pre-scheduled, halfway-point meeting (usually mid-quarter), you have time to course correct and re-focus!
4. Deep work time or 1 day/week no meetings
Even if you’re highly motivated and efficient, when your day is 10 minute chunk of “time confetti,” you won’t move the needle on important things.
I LOVE a company policy (you’re the boss) of 1 day/week of no internal meetings.
(Here’s how to have fewer meetings!)
The team has more time for deep work.
YOU have more time for deep work.
Everyone is happier and more productive!
5. Use an accountability buddy or group.
Entrepreneur’s Organization, Braintrust, group fitness, team sports, school, and 100s of other examples.
Create regular time (with friendly, supportive peer pressure) to foster improvement and accountability.
Rule #1 of racing: people run faster times when they have competition to push them.
Make the hard thing easier by joining or creating your own accountability group!
6. Pick 1 thing.
Here’s how to not get important things done: have 12 important things.
(Try this Priority Matrix to actually determine what’s important.)
I personally love and use a 3-item to-do list.
But sometimes even that is overwhelming.
Enter: ONE THING.
Pick one thing. Make it bite-sized even.
Do the one important thing day after day and all the sudden you moved a mountain without realizing it!
7. Set a defined time to work on it.
I love calendar blocks!
Need to get something important done?
Put it on the dang calendar!
You don’t miss meetings. So treat it like a meeting.
(Now you have to do it but at least you have time!)
Bonus: invite someone else to the calendar invite who will check in or work alongside you.
8. Keep it short — “I only have to spend 10 minutes.”
I use this for workouts, blogs, cleaning the kitchen, writing hard emails.
“I’ll just do 10 minutes.”
Jokes on me though because once I get started, I usually keep going!
Once in a blue moon, I’ll stop after 10 minutes. And it’s great. I’m glad I tried. I fulfilled the goal. I’ll revisit when I have more energy and momentum.
9. Add more constraints.
If you’re trying to get something done —OR— looking for a more creative output, you should give yourself more (even fabricated) constraints.
I am loving David Epstein’s new book Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better about how great creativity often comes from limitations not unlimited possibilities.
10. Make yourself the Directly Responsible Individual.
Give yourself some pressure.
Tell your teammates you’ll do it.
Your name, and only your name. (Two owners of a task or project and no one owns it.)
You might let yourself down, but YOU WON’T DISAPPOINT THE TEAM!!!!
This works especially well if you an Obliger (a la Four Tendencies) aka the ultimate team player and helper.
Share your tips! How do you get ‘er done, especially when the stakes are high and the work is hard?? What strategies or tips work for you?
Giving yourself grace or recognizing things can change is important too. I used to set quarterly goals with employees and only review at end but then did the midpoint check like you suggested, which allowed for better discussion about where they were or maybe what is more important now.