Any entrepreneur or small business owner knows how important it is to be accountable. Are you accountable to yourself, accountable to your business and, at times, accountable to others? It is the same as simply being responsible and answerable.

You hear this term more and more often it seems. For those of you in business, being self-employed, if you were not accountable to not only yourself but your clients, you would have no business. But today, I want to talk about how you hold yourself accountable.

Let's say you have this big project you are working on and you want it to be complete sooner rather than later. You are really accountable to no one but yourself.

When you set up an environment of accountability for yourself and you follow through with your goals, you have greater satisfaction and you know you are doing your Great Work.

But here is the deal. Doing all this by yourself is not only lonesome but it is harder to keep going. It is easy to quit and promise yourself you will do it later. And oftentimes, later never comes and your project never gets done.

One of the ways to avoid this is to simply have an accountability partner. This can make a world of difference in how much you really do accomplish. The best accountability partners are the ones that encourage you to move forward, hold you accountable for a time frame you may have set for yourself. This is not about being judgmental, nor do they place blame or judgment. It is hard to just be accountable for yourself. As responsible as you may be, it can be a struggle.

And this does not just pertain to business. It could be something as easy as having an accountability partner to meet at the gym or for a run. I know I am much more apt to 'show up' if I know someone is waiting for me.

In your work environment, it is the same. Some people need someone who they check in with every day or a couple times a week, or just one time per week. I promise you, if you really want to get work done in a timely fashion, you need to have some way to keep yourself accountable.

Those of you who have known me for some time now, know that I keep a kitchen timer at my desk. I set it anywhere from 15 - 45 minutes. I know 15 minutes doesn't seem long. I also know if I am going to look at Facebook, I'd better set that timer at 15 minutes otherwise I can easily be there a really long time just poking around.

As a coach, one of the most important things I do is hold my clients accountable. It is just one of my jobs as a coach and the responsibility I have to my clients. It is also why I always have a coach. I need that piece too!

What do you do to hold yourself accountable? Is it working?