Social media is bad. It is addictive and makes you crave external validation. I agree with that. But there is a caveat to the statement. You control your social media accounts and you can use your social network to your advantage.
I agree, too much social media is bad for your mental health. But if you carefully plan how you use your social media, it could be really useful for staying on top of your goals.
WHAT IS ACCOUNTABILITY?
Accountability makes us feel responsible; psychologically, we feel that we are going to be held responsible and punished if our acts cannot be justified, or rewarded if our actions are justified.
The more you feel accountable, the more you feel responsible, and the better you perform.
Now, feeling pressured because of accountability is a whole different tangent that I am hoping we can touch upon in the future. But today, let’s talk about the productive kind of accountability.
Imagine that your boss gives you a project that you need to finish with minimum oversight and then presents it to your Partner on your own. How accountable do you feel for the project?
Now, imagine the same project but your boss is micromanaging every single task and has told you that he will be presenting it to the Partner. The accountability comes down; psychologically you feel less responsible.
Similarly, you can use this idea to achieve your own goals and make progress towards them. Better than that, you could use your social network and friend group to help you achieve your goals!
WHY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY?
Social Media Accountability means using your social media to hold you accountable for your actions.
SOCIAL NETWORK KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED
If you have been following me, you will know that I am currently obsessed with Naval Ravikant. He made a really good point in his podcast that focus and motivation are not continuous. They come in sprints and then you rest.
I 100% agree with this.
There are weeks and months when I am on top of my shit, and being productive.
And then there are weeks when I am a gullible piece of shit lying on my bed inhaling medium-sized pizzas and binging on Netflix at such a pace that the black screen on my Netflix instead of reading, “Are you still watching?” says “are you okay? You should really stop”.
During those weeks, Thor from Endgame looks at me with pity.
And those are the weeks when your social network can come to your aid. They can help motivate you.
If you have updated your network and kept them in the loop, they will be there for you.
One of my friends, Jay Shah, talks about this in our podcast episode. He agrees to projects that he is undertaking even before thinking about how he will achieve them. Now because he has agreed to the project, he is motivated to complete it.
Once you agree about something and let someone else know that you are going to complete it, psychologically you feel responsible for getting it done. So on the days, you feel like shit, it is that accountability that helps you to get up and work on your stuff.
SOCIAL ENCOURAGEMENT (EXTERNAL VALIDATION BUT THE GOOD TYPE)
External validation can be toxic. If your decisions are based on the number of likes and comment your post gets on social media, then you probably need to reflect on your decisions.
But external validation, if it encourages you to stay productive, could be really helpful.
This was brought up by my friend, Prerak Sheth in our podcast episode. He talks to his Instagram followers about his weight-loss journey and how he has built a sustainable healthy lifestyle. Now because it is out there on his social media, he feels responsible to continue on that journey. And not just that, his friends/family/followers, check up on his progress and keep him motivated to continue.
More often than not, we think about what others will think if we post something or if they will judge us. It is the Great Mental Filter!
However, most of the time your friends will be encouraging of whatever you are doing and will give you feedback. At least your core friend group will be positive. And this can push you further.
But the first step is to let them know!
HOW TO BUILD SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY?
I found that the best way to stay accountable for achieving your goal is to build a process around the “thing” you’re trying to achieve while including social-media accountability built into the entire process.
Let me explain.
WHAT IS THE GOAL THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE?
Write down the goal that you want to achieve and make it quantitative. Quantifying the goal and writing it down, brings it out in the physical world. It’s out there, you can’t backtrack!
I have heard a lot of people talk about the result when they describe their goal. I feel that’s a very wrong way to do it. In this step, you’re not trying to achieve the result. I am talking about the goal you want to achieve.
For example, I want to start a blog to earn money is not a goal; I want to write daily so that I can put my thoughts down, and organize and share them more efficiently is the goal. Now don’t get me wrong, earning money could also be a goal but I find it to be a very toxic goal. We are here to build habits that can help you stay motivated, be happy, and allow you to help others! Money could be one of the outcomes of the process.
I find goals that bring value to others very motivating. Asking, “how will I be able to help others with this?” is always a good start.
For example, if you want to learn more about investing, start a newsletter where you could share your journey, and provide tips.
Whatever it may be, write it down!
FORM A ROUTINE TO ENFORCE YOUR GOAL
Good habits help you stay on track because they are consisting of important routines.
Habits are formed around triggers (could be good or bad). I won’t get into the details of habit-forming because it could be an entire book (you can buy Power of Habits from Amazon here).
You can form multiple routines in your habit, so one trigger could set a whole array of activities in motion.
Waking up, brushing your teeth, drinking coffee, and going to work are habits. One cue (i.e. waking up) triggers the whole routine.
Waking up, brushing your teeth, drinking tea, meditating, reading for 30 minutes, and going to work are also habits. But you see the difference? You are adding productive routines as part of your habit. Each routine will trigger the next one. As such, you can bounce from one routine to the next one without needing more motivation once you’re set.
And it’s all about motivation. As I said earlier, motivation in life comes in sprints. You have these bursts of motivation and then you are not so motivated.
But if you have built-in routines that you have formed, you will be able to achieve your goals without requiring that additional motivation daily.
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE RESCUE
There are only so many routines you can build to stay motivated and that’s when social media could help.
Even if you deny it, external validation goes along a long way. And I am not talking about the harmful, toxic validation where your world should fall apart if enough people don’t like your post. But the one where people encourage you to continue pursuing what you are doing.
Believe it or not, most of the time people are supporting what you are trying to achieve. I learned it first-hand with my Instagram page, blog, newsletter, and podcast. I get messages from my friends telling me how they found it useful, and inspiring, or if they started working on something. And THAT gives you a spurt of motivation to keep going!
How to be accountable via social media? If you have already decided on a goal and formed a routine, announce it to your network or tell your friends. Put it out there!
If you don’t feel comfortable telling all of your followers on Instagram, create a closed group, and post it there. If not that, post it on the Whatsapp group!
If you have decided to invest $5000 by the end of this year, let your close friends know! You have decided you will meditate daily, post a picture of the challenge on your account.
Once you have told your friends/followers, they will definitely check up on you.
KEEP THEM IN THE LOOP!
But this can’t be a one-time thing. Because that usually fails!
Back in 2017, I posted on Instagram that for the year my goal was to go for a daily run. My friends and colleagues all replied encouraging me but it lasted for 5 days.
I have realized that for social media accounts to work, you also need to be consistent with keeping them in the loop. You need to keep your social network updated about your progress.
You are almost forming a habit pattern with your social network for them to realize that something is missing if you haven’t provided an update for a long time.
Currently, I post articles around 2-3 times per month. If I haven’t posted for a while, a group of friends always reach out to me asking when the next article is coming out! And that is encouraging me to pursue my goal.
Another example, I have been posting daily on my Instagram account about mental models and books. I usually post something between 5-8 pm IST. One day, I scheduled the Instagram post for 10 pm and I got a message from my friend asking why I didn’t post that day!
I am trying to build social media accounts around routines that I have created so that I could better achieve my goals!
Finally, when I started my newsletter, I did want to share my learnings with a larger audience so that we could learn together. But additionally, it holds me accountable that I need to learn new things for the month, I need to read books, I have to post articles on the blog, and release podcast episodes!
I don’t feel pressured about it but feel it’s my responsibility to deliver. And that is motivating!
CONCLUSION (TL;DR)
Your social network can motivate you to achieve your goals and stay productive. They will encourage you when you are losing focus or lacking the motivation to pursue your goals.
This is called Social Media Accountability.
Use your social media, friend circle, or Whatsapp groups to hold you accountable for your goal. When you have decided to pursue a goal, let them know. Put it out there!
The important part is to keep them updated about your progress. As you form a routine, keep them in the loop and ask for feedback.
If you continue doing this, it forms a habit pattern with your friends and followers. This will consequently lead them to encourage you as you progress.
