Do you keep procrastinating on sending your pitch or struggling to stick to short- or long-term writing goals? Maybe you meet your deadlines but can’t seem to find time to market your services or get some much-needed fresh air during the week. Like many freelancers, you may benefit from an accountability partner, or someone to help you commit to your journalism aims while you help them commit to theirs.
During our November Lunch and Learn, AHCJ freelance members discussed the benefits of an accountability partner, how to find a good match for you and potential challenges such a relationship can drum up.
What an accountability partner is and why to consider one
An accountability partnership can pretty much mean whatever the pair wants it to — so long as the setup is mutually beneficial and both parties take it equally seriously.
While there are some services that more formally match up accountability partners and structure their interactions, AHCJ members mostly talked about informal and self-defined relationships, typically with other journalists.
Two participants who were accountability partners for a stretch said they scheduled a recurring 30- to 60-minute phone call at 5:30 p.m. one Monday each month. They’d talk about assignments (or editors) they were struggling with, workshop pitch ideas and voice whatever they’d like to accomplish before their next call. They might also talk about the logistics (and emotions) of running a freelance business, like how to get paid on time or how long to wait before following up with an editor.
Importantly, the pair said, their chats were about more than venting. And, while the two are friends, they were clear that these particular calls remained on topic (no complaining about their kids or chatting about upcoming travel, for example.) “If I was getting advice about pitching and how to craft a pitch, that was really helpful,” one writer said. “She also gave editor information, so there was some networking advice as well.”
Other participants said accountability partners have helped them stay focused in real-time using a technique called body doubling, or working silently alongside someone else — often virtually — to keep motivated. Especially in those cases, accountability partners don’t even necessarily have to be in the same line of work.
In a lot of ways, accountability partners can help fill a void many freelancers are feeling acutely: a lack of communication and guidance from editors throughout the reporting and writing process. “Even newsrooms don’t have newsrooms anymore,” one participant said.
What to look for (and avoid) in an accountability partner
AHCJ doesn’t have a formal matching program, and creating one could be tough, freelance members said. So much of what makes a good match is personality and chemistry. Plus, if there was a meetup for people seeking accountability partners at AHCJ’s conference, it could be awkward to essentially turn someone down.
AHCJ members who’ve had various accountability partners said they’ve found their buddies more organically — and even then, it’s not always a success.
One Lunch and Learn participant, for example, appreciated a partner with a similar sense of humor; another said she had a frustrating experience when all the other person did was hound her about her goals via email. “The right person matters, as does knowing what’s motivating for you,” one participant said.
Another freelancer said finding someone whose schedule syncs up with yours can be key. She, for one, tends to work late into the night. She set up a Facebook group including friends and fellow writers, some of whom are also night owls. Then, before a big night of work, she’d post in the group what she planned to accomplish. The participant found that a group, rather than a single person, worked well since “I don’t know if I could find someone with my unique needs,” she said.
Still, not everyone wants or needs an accountability partner. I, for one, don’t want any more accountability — perhaps because not having people constantly check in on me is one aspect I love about freelancing. Plus, I know I’m what the writer and happiness expert Gretchen Rubin dubs a “rebel” in her “four tendencies” framework. Essentially, I resist both internal and external expectations, and do best when I can accomplish things in my own way.
However, people who are “obligers” — the most common “tendency,” according to Rubin — need outer accountability to meet internal expectations. For them, an accountability partner could make all the difference.
Find out which tendency you are by taking Rubin’s free quiz here. And, learn more about finding and keeping an accountability partner from my freelance health beat leader predecessor, Barbara Mantel, here.
