Rougly speaking, the closer the person you are accountable to is to your life and the project you are working on, the more your brain cares about achieving the promised. Stakes are much lesser when being accountable to a stranger vs say your boss or your best friend. It's always important to be accountable to someone who is very close to you or someone who is also involved in the project you are working on. If it is work where you are lacking accountability, try to set up standup meetings where you announce your plan to your team or your boss. That way you will much more likely get the task done, and you can't lie your way out of it since your colleagues know the project as well as you do. In personal life, it can be helpful to have your SO or a close friend as an accountability partner. It is also important that your partner keeps you accountable, and does not always forgive you for slacking and make it sound like it's no big deal.