Is someone holding your feet to the fire?

To get something difficult done, ask someone to hold your feet to the fire. It’s painful at the start but the results are astonishing.

A confession

A couple of years ago I conceded that I was no longer someone who exercised regularly.

Occasionally, sure, but regularly? No.

I’d gone from ‘marathon runner’ to ‘thinking about doing some yoga on Sundays’ and hadn’t even noticed the transition.

Now I exercise five times a week, every week.

This is how accountability changed my habits and deepened my connection with people who matter.

1. A suspiciously simple habit.

My accountability habit for exercise is suspiciously simple.

When I play netball, go for a swim or get out on my bike, I write it on my kitchen board. To count, it has to be 30 minutes of moving.

On Sunday night at 8pm I photograph the board and send the image to two people whose opinion of me influences how I behave.

I receive a digital pat on the back by return, wipe the board clean and start again.

I’ve done this for the last 125 weeks.

2. Accountability isn’t about the goal. It’s about connection.

I mistakenly believed that having a couple of people calling me out for being a bit rubbish was the motivating factor to start exercising again.

But as I settled into the routine, I noticed something which gave me a different lens through which to view my shift in behaviour.

The exercise habit gave me a reason to connect every week with two people I really care about, one of whom lives 300 miles away.

If I give up the habit, I risk weakening the connection.

So I stick to the habit.

3. What can change when you have real support.

Some time ago, by which I mean several years, I had an idea to create the service which became Jurilogical. I didn’t know how to do it, technically, and that became my excuse not to create it.

So I assembled a team of business owners – the grandly-named Boudicea Mastermind – to help me learn a new skillset and deliver the project.

We meet on a call every Monday morning at 7am and agree not to grant each other the wriggle room to put off tough business choices.

As a result, I delivered Jurilogical Phase One in 18 weeks. I don’t think I could have done it without the support and community of the Boudiceas.

Barristers, Isolation and Accountability

The existence of the Wellbeing at The Bar portal confirms an epidemic of isolation.

The higher up the hierarchy, the more likely barristers are to feel isolated from friends, family and colleagues.

Small group accountability can provide that kind of support and it’s there, ready-made, when the pressure is on.

It’s easy to organise and it’s free.

Book a call to ask me how. You will be astonished what you can accomplish when you feel connected.

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By Heidi Smith
Creator of Jurilogical.com