Translator: Eve Davis Reviewer: Marta Palacio
In 2015, I set a goal to go to the gym every day.
After I got used to it, I started feeling really good.
I went every day,
until one day, when I had a bit too much work,
and I started going less often.
At one point, I stopped going for so long
that I was even embarrassed to go back.
I start every year with this same phrase:
"This year, I will go to the gym."
For some reason, I still haven't done it.
And it's not just going to the gym.
At 12 years old, I started learning how to play the guitar.
I was very disciplined for the first few months.
But then, hanging out with friends, etc...
I left my guitar under the bed for a while,
to pick it back up in the near future.
And three years later, well, let's just say guitar is not my thing.
After these failures, I started to worry.
But after finding out that this happens to 92% of the population,
that they don't reach their personal goals,
I started to feel much better.
I learned that my problem has a name:
it's called procrastination.
Any procrastinators in the room?
Yes, quite a lot!
(Laughter)
Procrastination is the act of postponing activities that should be tended to,
and replacing them with enjoyable activities.
If you've got a job to do,
but first, you'd rather watch the latest episodes of your favorite show,
you're procrastinating.
If you use social media all day,
that counts, too.
I wanted to find out more about procrastination,
and I started to investigate.
In the last 18 months,
I've read over 100 articles and books,
interviews with hundreds of procrastinators.
I read all of - well no, sorry...
I checked out all the procrastination apps in the app store and tried them.
I even talked to psychologists.
After researching it,
I realized there was no simple solution to stop procrastinating.
But that same year, I would have a weekly call with my friend, Pierre,
where we would talk about our plans for the week.
These calls were always very informal.
But since I didn't want to tell my friend that I had done nothing during the week,
I started to get my act together.
The simple fact of knowing
that my friend would find out about my lack of productivity
helped me to stop procrastinating.
After a few months, I saw the impact that these conversations were having,
and I thought that a lot of other people could benefit from the practice.
I learned this concept has a name, too:
"accountability buddy" in English.
An accountability buddy is like a personal support,
someone who checks on your tasks.
You can share your goals with this person,
and they keep you motivated.
It's still a rather unknown concept.
In fact, there's no Spanish word for it.
I wanted to know if this concept of an accountability buddy
could be useful to more people,
and if what I'd done with Pierre could be easily replicated.
So we invited our friend Quentin to join our calls.
And in turn, he called his friends.
Julie, Thomas, and many more joined,
until we started a website,
where anybody could get an accountability buddy
and begin to achieve their goals.
In total, more than 80 people joined us.
There was Julian,
who tripled his number of followers in only six months;
Amelia, who got an internship in 13 days;
and Antonio, who learned a new coding language
and built his first interactive website.
Not everybody achieved their goals,
but the majority said that they never thought
that something so simple could have such a big impact on their productivity.
Personally, I still procrastinate occasionally.
I procrastinated preparing for this talk.
But this year has been the first one in my life
where I have achieved most of the goals that I'd set.
So, how can you get an accountability buddy?
The first step is choosing who it'll be.
It can be a friend, family member, partner
or even the stranger sitting next to you.
This person has to understand the importance of your goal
and has to accept being your accountability buddy, obviously.
The first message you send can be very simple.
You can send something like:
"Hi, I'm currently trying to reach a personal goal
that's very important in my life,
and I'd like to discuss it with you.
Could I call you later?"
You can copy the message if you want.
(Laughter)
Second,
each person defines their responsibilities:
How often will you call each other?
What's the goal's deadline?
Is there a reward for the accountability buddy
if you reach your goal?
Those are some of the questions to ask.
Out of the 80 people who participated in our program,
the most successful ones
were those who received more support from their accountability buddy.
That's why the accountability buddy should always consider themselves responsible
for both the failure and success of the other person.
And if they forget to call one week,
the accountability buddy is always responsible.
Third, you define the steps to reach your goal.
Which tasks will you focus on during this first week
to move forward with your goal?
And when will the second call be,
already part of the program,
so that your accountability buddy can review what you did until then?
With these three steps, now you know how to get an accountability buddy.
There are still a few minutes left before the next talk,
so the best moment to find your accountability buddy
is now.
Thank you.
(Applause)