Who holds you accountable?

Even just a little addition of accountability can make a huge difference in the behavioral choices we make. What the heck makes that work? Given an unexpected gift of time and inspired by an agreement Ted has recently made with a buddy of his, Ted and Lisa dive into Monster Baby episode #66 to explore this very question. They start by musing on their initial lack of a topic (2:41) before Ted explains the Accountability Agreement he just stepped into (5:23). The pair consider why we normally have such a hard time sticking with behaviors we know are good for us (8:24) and acknowledge the therapeutic and amplifying effects of sharing stories (1157). Ted mentions how synching up schedules with a loved one can be motivating (16:00) and Lisa checks in with her mild preferences around having a baby (19:23). The two discuss accountability in improv and why it’s so important to keep communication channels clean (21:09) and that leads Lisa to want in on the experiment (28:08). Ted talks about accountability and mindfulness (or at least, and Buddhism) (33:50), including an analogy about washing potatoes (35:00). They close the podcast with a short consideration of community as part of Buddhist ethics (40:19) and, of course, the usual post-episode reflections in the Outro (42:42).

If there’s something in the episode that brings you particular joy—or raises a question—feel free to write us at [email protected].

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For more info or to order Ted’s Monster-Baby-inspired book, Playful Mindfulness, visit www.playfulmindfulness.info.