Be More Productive with an Accountability Buddy (#2)

Research indicates that consistently sharing your progress with a buddy allows you to stay more committed to your goal

This article was co-authored by Aryaman Sinha

Credits: James Rotanson via Dribble.com

“Does your behavior change when someone is watching over you?”

This is a question we, at Atom, often ask ourselves. Specifically, we devote much time trying to understanding whether one is better able to build habits if he or she has a buddy cheering on the sidelines. Fortunately, an extensive body of research provides evidence to support the hypothesis and a queue of market players provide the empirics. To highlight one such research, the study by The University of Stanton points out that accountability is one of the best techniques of goal setting and delivery.

In fact, in the much-coveted circle of habit-builders, there is a specific term used to describe someone who helps another stay motivated and on-track for…well, anything — Accountability buddy. Reddit even has a community of over 10,000 members looking for buddies for motivation.

A buddy to make you more productive.

Sounds interesting, right?

But how does this work?

From the secondary research, we know that accountability creates a social pressure, driving behavioral changes within you. And this can be as magical as it can be daunting. David, who had earlier planned to complete a report in one week, completes it in only two days. How did that happen? Only because his manager specifically asked him to do so over the mail and cc’d the director. And why is David more productive when he has committed to a deadline given by his manager? Theory suggests that it’s the social pressure of delivery which makes one complete a task within specified deadlines even if the heart says otherwise. That’s the magic of accountability.

But it doesn’t always have to be this scary. There could be a friend, family member, or a helpful stranger instead of the manager watching over you. And instead of the dreadful report, you could simply complete the guitar lesson you have always wanted to complete or cook that dish you have always wanted to cook. Or you could have simply completed that small five-minute meditation session.

We realised, on research, that while accountability extricates the negative qualities of the person, it also instils a new sense of responsibility. Moreover, while the driving force of one working harder could be that feeling of being watched, there are several not-as-intuitive positives attached to it as well. To begin with, an accountability buddy can help you focus by tracking the progress of your tasks, by providing necessary guidance, and by ensuring that you adhere to those commitments. We explain the benefits further in greater detail below.

Performance

Imagine being constrained to an environment where most people wake up at 6 a.m., and immediately start their daily routine. Inevitably, even if you’re not an early starter, you will feel obliged to change your schedule due to the fear of missing out. This is a well-known phenomenon called the Hawthorne effect, which posits how performance and actions are governed by the observer effect, i.e. mere observation of a phenomenon inevitably changes that phenomenon. An accountability partner or buddy produces a performance pressure akin to one performing in front of an observer, and forces you to follow through commitments and creates firm deadlines for all important tasks. The end result? Better performance.

Support and Optimism

Humans are social animals. Since the beginning of anthropological research, it has been emphasised multiple times that humans feel better when they are able to share their emotions and state of mind with someone else. We share our emotions in the hope of empathy. This is reinforced when you are working with an accountability buddy. Sharing challenges, opportunities, and achievements related to your goal and finding empathy from your buddy act as a great source of motivation. It is hypothesised then that it is this combination of support and consequent optimism through an accountability buddy that improves one’s focus.

Learning and Risk Management

Accountability is a great tool for learning, and managing risk as well. For every goal that one seeks to achieve, it is important to decide on a modus operandi. The difference between achieving a goal and not achieving one can easily be the method one adopts. A buddy brings different perspectives, as well as indulges in a constructive exchange of ideas for mutual benefit. This ability to learn from the other’s perspectives can help one lower the risk of failure in a run to the finish line. Importantly, you feel more confident and motivated in your strategy when you have the agreement of someone who wants to help you out. This aids at both, the initial and the execution stages.

Feedback

Lastly, an accountability buddy ensures that you don’t stray away from the track through constant feedback. For example, a nutritionist checking up on your diet through an app would be able to spot when you get even a little off track and subsequently recommend changes. If you are ready to be completely honest with your buddy, the feedback can do wonders for your goals. You can learn about your strengths and weaknesses, and make your buddy aware of his or hers as well. This fosters a culture of shared success, and the search for this celebration is in itself a cause to work hard.

How do I get an Accountability buddy?

Today, there are several players in the mobile and desktop space who offer this match-making service. Some allow you to invite your friends and family members (StickK) as buddies, while others match you with strangers (Cojourn). Some match you for a short duration of less than one hour (Social Pomodoro), while others promise longer association (Supporti). And some allow you to communicate and work over a video call with your buddy (Focusmate), while others only allow simple texting (Habitshare).

There are plenty of other applications and variations within one would encounter while searching for an accountability buddy, but importantly, the idea across them remains the same — let someone watch over you, and be more productive.

How does Atom help you build habits using an Accountability Buddy?

After thorough research efforts and experimenting with different models of this feature, Atom has come up with a matching mechanism and a set of features that are bound to make you stick to your meditation schedule better. To make matters interesting, Atom uses several gamification principles to let you and your buddy compete or go on quests with each other, all while helping you achieve mindfulness one step at a time.

So, are you ready to be more productive? Fill this simple form to register for your accountability buddy.

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