Recently, I was sitting around with my roommates talking about keeping our to-do-lists(something we all love to do) and realized the one thing that was missing in getting all these things done was having accountability. Of course, we were pretty good about doing at least half of the things on the list, but sometimes we avoided certain difficult tasks and kept putting them off, or we had trouble with some and needed help breaking through the barriers to our productivity.
Partially inspired by Bonnie Gillespie‘s article about Masterminding(which is definitely worth checking out!), we decided to create this group to help each other accomplish these things. Starting a month ago, five of us have been meeting once a week for about two hours to admin our way into this acting business and I have to say it has been very beneficial. (It so happens that all of us are actors, but I think this kind of group could be helpful with a variety of occupations and interests.)
What we do in our meeting:
- Share what we accomplished last week.
- Share what we will* accomplish this week. (Using the word “will” is important in stating our commitment to the task and not just “try.”)
- Share what we are thankful for.
How it helps:
- Deadlines– I am less likely to put something off if I know I have to answer to someone for it.
- Brainstorming– Sometimes a few of us have had a mental block about something we are trying to accomplish. Often we have been able to brainstorm around the problem and help each other break through.
- Encouragement– Even in the first month of the group, some of us have experience extreme frustration with where we are at. Having people who understand and can speak into that place is invaluable.
- Celebration– We also have had some great successes! Some of those were as simple as sending a postcard. Others are as big as booking a job. We are here to celebrate with each other in the small and big accomplishments. Today, just one month after starting, we had LOTS to celebrate!
I am so thankful for my admin group. I can wholeheartedly say that my productivity and hopeful spirit has thrived in the last month. I highly recommend it!
CHARISSA J. ADAMS 