An accountability agreement records what each person will do, how they will check in, and what support they welcome. Start with one action, a realistic minimum and an agreed review date. Keep the agreement easy to revise.
Use this template after choosing an accountability partner. It is a practical group worksheet. App check-in, points and streak rules continue to follow the app's own behavior.
Copy the agreement
Our activity: Our reason for trying it: Start date and review date: Each person's daily minimum: What counts as completion: Where we will check in: Our check-in window and time zones: Reminders we welcome: What we will keep private: Our plan after a missed day: How either person can pause or leave:
Download the plain-text agreement. Fill it in together, then keep a copy wherever you already discuss the challenge.
A completed example
Mina and Lee want a small drawing practice. Each chooses five minutes with a sketchbook after their evening meal. A finished picture is optional; spending the agreed time drawing counts. They check in by the end of their own local day and review the round on Sunday.
Lee likes a short reminder the following morning. Mina prefers to ask for reminders herself. They share whether they practiced and may keep the drawings private. These are illustrative people and rules you can adapt.
Make support specific
Replace an open-ended promise to keep each other accountable with a concrete invitation: ask me how the reading went on Friday. Agree on whether you want encouragement, problem-solving or simply acknowledgment. Give each person room to change that preference.
A missed check-in can have many explanations. Use a neutral message such as: How is this week going, and would a smaller target help? Avoid requiring an explanation or personal evidence as the price of belonging to the group.
Separate the action from the update
Write down both the activity and how it will be recorded. Someone may complete an action and forget to post. Decide how your group discusses that situation, while following the recording options available in the tool you use. The fair challenge rules guide covers scoring choices.
Review and revise
After the first week, keep the parts that helped and change one source of friction. If the commitment stops fitting, agree on a pause or a different plan. A clear exit makes participation voluntary throughout the round.
Bring the daily action into a Quest with friends, and use the weekly review template for the conversation around it.