Whipping time: The accountability exercise

Peter Crocker

Well, it’s past 10am on 11 December so the whip’s out! It’s time to see if the power of accountability has worked for the 39 brave souls who made a commitment to achieve one important task before the end of the year.

The theory is that by simply telling someone you’ll do something and when you will do it dramatically increases the chances of it happening.

If we’ve been true to our word then Simone has a new studio, Leela and Wendy have done seven presentations between them, Kathie’s renovated her office, Colin has his tax up to date, Jill has her new season on sale, Sue’s put her business up for sale and Olwen and Camille will have each written their first e-book. The rest of us have also re-launched a number of websites, blogged, written a bunch of articles, finished a book, done our Christmas shopping and much more... must be time for a holiday!

Now's the time to be honest, so add a comment below to let us know how you went. I’ve started with an update of my never-ending PC spring cleaning project.

If you didn’t quite get your task completed or you still have one specific thing you want to achieve this year, why not do what Leela suggested in her comment and send your deadline to at least three friends who will make your life hell if you don't do what you say you will.

Alternatively, you can follow Robert’s advice from a couple of weeks ago and let yourself off the hook by putting your task on the to-do list for next year.

I’d like to thank you for reading this year and for contributing comments full of wonderful wisdom and humour. Robert will be up next week with the last Soapbox for 2007.

I’ll see you again in the new year.

Until then, enjoy the slide into the silly season.

Love your work.

Peter Crocker is a director of Flying Solo responsible for the areas of marketing and advertising. He is a business copywriter specialising in websites, videos and marketing communications.

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After literally a few years of procrastination I found that once I started sorting out my old computer files it wasn't half as bad a task as I thought it was going to be. Confirmation that begun really is half done. Peter Crocker from Flying Solo | Read my articles
Well, that worked a treat NOT. The plan was to have everything off the floor and all the piles sorted. I have stuff everywhere, and I'm now under threat of bad things from my secretary.
BUT I have fully specced out the server upgrade requirements along with the consqequential stuff, which wasn't on the radar. Denise Maffey CA from Kumeu
Hi Guys,
Well i accomplished producing my first standup comedy venue in Brisbane, although it was only ever going to be a 2 - 4 week run for this year, i stuck it out. right now the private gigs are starting to come in, at the moment i am slowly going through stuff like sorting names and addresses on envelopes and getting rid of a lot of unwanted stuff. One of the most important things is that i have finally established myself as an entertainment producer.. over the festive season i am going away from Qld to recharge my batteries.
Well have a good christmas everyone
Darrell Darrell. P Dower ( Starflex Entertainment Group) from Brisbane
Hehe :D Colin 'nearly' got his tax up to date !! After I signed up for this heinous commitment I then misread the date and thought the deadline was 11th Nov - so I went like a cut cat and got most of my tax done, then realised I still had another month... Ummm with the pressure then off... welllll - it's 'nearly' done. Colin M Stott from an office tingling with ideas in Melbourne!
I have completed phase 1 of the promotional campaign for my new book !! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
Though the presentations were not made - the homework to do so uncovered the fact that the presentations should not be made until the new year. No one would have given a toss about my topics so near the end of the term. So, in a sense, I feel like I lived up to my commitment. The good news is that I have hit my sales forecasts for the past 4 months (and already for December). So I think I'd better forecast 2008 now and see if I can be as aggressive and as successful. Mmmmmm. Happy holidays everyone! WLC. Wendy Lloyd Curley - WLC Enterprises from Five Dock, NSW, Australia

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