Don´t break the chain (The Seinfeld Method)
Perhaps this post´s title sound familiar to many of you. And yes, it´s the same guy. I´m talking about Jerry Seinfeld, an american stand-up comediant that went famous with his own tv show, aired between 1989 and 1998. I´m not going to speak about him or his show today (but you can know more in the Wikipedia if you want). Some time ago, I read an article about his particular productivity method that inspirated me, specially when the so- called “Force of Will” is weak in any of the projects that I´m working on.
The story goes like this: One day, just before one of his live performances, a fan and comediant wannabe, approached him to ask for advice on his new profession. Jerry told him: “The way to be a better comediant is to make good jokes, and the way to get them is to write every single day”. And he added: “I have a big yearly calendar in a easily spotted location, and a red magic marker. Whenever I write, I put a big red “X” on that day. If you keep doing this, in a few days you´ll have a chain. Just keep on and you´ll see it growing fast. Your unique task is not to break the chain”. “Don´t break the chain”, he repeated.
It´s deceptively simple, but I think this is the secret for success. To create an habit, you´ll have to repeat the action over and over again. If you keep doing this, it will become harder and harder to break it and the productivity will skyrocket.
I´ve been using it from some time now and it´s working! (I´m updating the blog more frequently…) I even found some web apps that allow having an online calendar and draw those prized “X” every day,
And you? What methods / tricks /tips do you recommend or use to create and/or maintain a positive habit?