Make your habit a social one

If “accountability partners” and habit trackers don’t work for you, it’s not your fault. Perhaps you’re trying to learn a language or train for your sport, or some other skill that takes a long time to develop. Having another person “holding you accountable” is a form of motivation that relies on your fear of disappointing others.

Make it a social thing instead. Find a way to do the thing you want to do, but do it with other people. They’re not holding you accountable (that’s your job), they’re just sharing the challenge, and you’re all bonding over that. Connecting with people energises you more than an accountability tool ever will. It’s a lot easier to turn up regularly to a thing if it’s full of people you like.

It’s probably why group fitness is so slutty (who, me?)—a room full of stupidly fit and hot people in their 20s and 30s, moving together in time, bonding over the shared pain and emotion of a HIIT class. But I’ll tell you about that another time :)