What system do you use for personal accountability?

[Donovon]

I wanted to bring this thread up to see what kind of organization and planning system you use to keep yourself accountable and make sure you get everything done you had planned for the day.

I currently have a large whiteboard with a weekly set of things to do and times of day that I should get them done. I'm finding that I want something that lets me keep track as time progresses, so I'm thinking of switching to an excel spreadsheet or google calendars, but I'm curious what other people use to manage their time and stay accountable.

I've also found I get the most done when I communicate my goals (not specific actions) to another person and are held accountable by them, even if they don't have any authority over me.

 

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[Gary]

I have found that over the years, the more complicated my system gets, the more tinkering I do and less doing. Therefore, either the night before or first thing in the morning, I just write the tasks I need to accomplish for that day into my Google calendar. I mark as DONE once complete and move on. Once a week I'll align those tasks with the short, medium and long-term goals I keep on a separate app.

You are dead-on about communicating your goals. My wife will sometimes roll her eyes, but occasionally while having Sunday afternoon cocktails, I'll break out the Goals app and share what's changed or completed or discarded. More so than ever now, I'll also share the bigger goals with random colleagues. It's amazing how many inventive ideas will come from those who know nothing about your industry. Humbles me everytime.