DobdobWhat an accountability partner does
An accountability partner, or accountability buddy, is someone who knows what you've promised to do and finds out whether you did it. That's it. They don't need to be a coach or an expert. They just need to be someone whose opinion you care about, so that letting them down stings a bit.
It works because it moves the question from "do I feel like it?" to "what will I tell them?". The second one is much harder to wriggle out of.
Why most accountability partnerships fizzle out
Ask anyone who has tried it. The first week goes well. Then the check-ins get later, the messages get shorter, and by week three you're both quietly pretending it never happened. The usual reasons:
- Somebody has to chase. Your partner has their own life. Asking "did you go?" every day gets old fast, and it can feel like nagging.
- It's easy to fib. "Yeah, went this morning" costs nothing to type.
- Nobody's keeping score. Without a record, a missed day here and there just disappears.
Your mate has a job and a life. I have neither. Let me do the chasing.
How Dobdob takes the awkward bit away
- You make the promisePick what, which days and the deadline. Read 10 pages by 10pm, weekdays.
- Your partner says yesAdd them by their @username or send a link. Nothing happens until they agree, and they can stop whenever they like.
- Dobdob does the checkingYou prove it in the app with a tap, a photo, a location, a screenshot or a health app. Nobody has to ask.
- They find out either wayFlop, and it lands in their Snitching inbox. Keep it, and they see that too.
Your accountability partner, your snitch in Dobdob terms, only ever sees the promise they're snitching on. Not your other promises, not your history. You can have as many snitches as you like, one per promise or the same person for everything.
Who should be your accountability buddy?
Pick someone who will actually enjoy hearing that you flopped. A slightly smug sibling is ideal. Your most supportive friend, the one who says "don't worry about it", is often the worst choice, because you won't worry about it. We wrote a whole guide on this: what an accountability partner is and how to pick one.
Dobdob is built around people you already know. It doesn't match you with strangers. If you don't have someone in mind, think wider than your closest mate: a colleague doing the same course, a cousin, someone from your gym.
Want a whole group?
Make a board. Everyone on it makes the same promise, there's a weekly table, worst first, and each week someone is crowned Flop of the Week. It's an accountability group without the spreadsheet. Good for gym lot, uni flats and family group chats. More on that in our gym accountability page.
Questions
What is an accountability buddy?
Someone who knows what you've promised to do and finds out whether you did it. In Dobdob they're called your snitch.
Does my accountability partner need the app?
Mostly, yes. Flops land in their Snitching inbox in the app. With Supergrass, a snitch on a UK mobile who isn't on Dobdob can get flops by text instead.
Can my partner stop?
Yes, any time. They also have to say yes before they hear anything at all.
Can I have more than one accountability partner?
Yes. You can have as many snitches as you like, and pick a different one for each promise.
Can we keep each other accountable?
Yes. Make a promise each and pick each other as snitches, or make a board together so you share one weekly table.
Does Dobdob find me a partner?
No. Dobdob is built around people you already know: you add them by @username or send them a link.