Day 527 - Accountability - as good as it's hyped out to be? - https://golifelog.com/posts/accountability-as-good-as-its-hyped-out-to-be-1654912939186
Here’s an interesting idea that’s counter to the mainstream:
"I’m always surprised when I see people seek accountability to force themselves to do something. I’ve been deliberately organizing my life to remove as much accountability from it as I can. I want to adapt and change my mind without feeling beholden to anyone." – @dvassallo
I think Daniel is talking about external accountability, like accountability groups. Like Lifelog perhaps.
That’s an interesting thought experiment to try: Indeed why seek external accountability at all? Why force yourself?
I’m familiar with the usual arguments - to develop a good habit. To get started. To achieve something wholesome/worthwhile (e.g. good health, diet etc).
But there’s something else to be said about being motivated only by external accountability.
It isn’t sustainable as a habit forming lever in the long term. Over time, we rebel against the gaze of the other. Or simply ignore. And thus back to old habits.
People in the accountability group can come and go. Some graduate, some drop off. Hence leaning on something which isn’t always there for you, isn’t always the same for you, will affect your motivation too. Factors outside of your control.
Ultimately, there’s a point about how only intrinsic motivation lasts.
If you don’t have a deep ‘why’, a deep satisfaction, a self-driving reason why you want to do it, you will never last as long as you want.
And even while intrinsic motivation is what sustains, what about the parallel concept called internal accountability? It’s easy to conflate the two.
Internal accountability is you setting a target and being accountable to yourself, where no one else is watching. It doesn’t always work out. Forcing yourself to do what you’re procrastinating on can end up being counterproductive. Procrastination is a signal, it’s data - we got to learn how to listen to it even though it’s often described as a distraction, an impediment to our goal. Sometimes procrastination tells us we don’t want to do it, or do it this way, and we need to either change the way to approach it or to re-examine our goal in the first place.
Intrinsic motivation ≠ internal accountability
So is accountability mostly useless then?
That makes me think. A lot.
Maybe it’s useful for short term. But long term, nope.
The issue is when a short term hack becomes a long term strategy.
"I’m always surprised when I see people seek accountability to force themselves to do something. I’ve been deliberately organizing my life to remove as much accountability from it as I can. I want to adapt and change my mind without feeling beholden to anyone." – @dvassallo
I think Daniel is talking about external accountability, like accountability groups. Like Lifelog perhaps.
That’s an interesting thought experiment to try: Indeed why seek external accountability at all? Why force yourself?
I’m familiar with the usual arguments - to develop a good habit. To get started. To achieve something wholesome/worthwhile (e.g. good health, diet etc).
But there’s something else to be said about being motivated only by external accountability.
It isn’t sustainable as a habit forming lever in the long term. Over time, we rebel against the gaze of the other. Or simply ignore. And thus back to old habits.
People in the accountability group can come and go. Some graduate, some drop off. Hence leaning on something which isn’t always there for you, isn’t always the same for you, will affect your motivation too. Factors outside of your control.
Ultimately, there’s a point about how only intrinsic motivation lasts.
If you don’t have a deep ‘why’, a deep satisfaction, a self-driving reason why you want to do it, you will never last as long as you want.
And even while intrinsic motivation is what sustains, what about the parallel concept called internal accountability? It’s easy to conflate the two.
Internal accountability is you setting a target and being accountable to yourself, where no one else is watching. It doesn’t always work out. Forcing yourself to do what you’re procrastinating on can end up being counterproductive. Procrastination is a signal, it’s data - we got to learn how to listen to it even though it’s often described as a distraction, an impediment to our goal. Sometimes procrastination tells us we don’t want to do it, or do it this way, and we need to either change the way to approach it or to re-examine our goal in the first place.
Intrinsic motivation ≠ internal accountability
So is accountability mostly useless then?
That makes me think. A lot.
Maybe it’s useful for short term. But long term, nope.
The issue is when a short term hack becomes a long term strategy.