By Dee Jones
Did you know Jerry Seinfeld was a productivity hacker?
Or, at least, he popularized a productivity hack that’s both simple and effective.
When Seinfeld was a young comedian, he set one goal for himself. Write every day.
Now we know how these things sometimes go. We tell ourselves we’re going to do something every day. But, for some reason, it just doesn’t end up happening.
Well Seinfeld had a trick that helped him stick to his daily goal.
He got himself a yearly calendar (the kind where every day of the year is on one page) and hung it on his wall. And day he spent time writing, he marked that day on the calendar with a big, red X.
As Seinfeld explained, after a week or two of doing this, you’ll have a chain of X’s. And once you have a nice chain going, you won’t want to break it.
It really is pretty simple. Seeing that chain will fill you with a sense of satisfaction. You set a daily goal and actually managed to stick to it! And the proof is right there on your calendar.
Looking at your chain, seeing it grow every day, will make you feel so good you won’t want to break it. And that will motivate you to keep reaching your daily goal.
If you’re looking to form a new daily habit, here’s how you can use Seinfeld’s productivity hack to do it.
Seinfeld’s Productivity Hack, Step-by-Step
As with many of the best productivity hacks, this one is pretty straightforward.
Step 1: Choose the Habit You Want to Form.
Pick a task you want to turn into a daily habit, like:
- Flossing your teeth.
- Doing 10 stomach crunches.
- Writing in your journal.
- Taking a multi-vitamin.
- Practicing the piano for half an hour.
Step 2: Get a Calendar.
Try to get hold of a “year-at-a-glance” calendar like the one Seinfeld used. But, if you can’t, you can always use a simple wall calendar, at least for now.
You might be tempted to use a digital calendar on your computer or portable phone. But a physical wall calendar, one you don’t have to make a special effort to open up and look at, works better with this hack.
So hang a physical calendar in a highly visible place. Now, any time you walk into your kitchen or look up from your desk, you can see your chain and appreciate how it’s growing. And this will help to keep you motivated.
Step 3: Decide How You’ll Mark the Calendar.
If you want to follow Seinfeld’s lead, use a red marker to mark your calendar with bold, red X’s. Or, if you prefer, you can use some other color. Just make sure the color is bright and bold. You want to be able to see it from across the room.
An alternative to X’s is check-marks. If you’ve ever kept a to-do list, you know how satisfying it is to check off a box next to a completed a task. And using check-marks to check off days on your calendar can be just as satisfying.
Or maybe you were one of those kids who loved getting gold stars in school. In that case, buy yourself a supply of gold, tinfoil stars, and use them to mark the days on your calendar.
What If You Miss a Day?
The only drawback of this system is that you might miss a day. In fact, chances are good that you will miss a day at some point, and your chain will be broken.
The problem with this is that, once your chain is broken, it can be easy to shrug your shoulders and give up. “Oh, well,” you might say to yourself. “I tried but I blew it. It was fun while it lasted but, now, what’s the point?”
But, instead of giving up, get back on track by “gamifying” the system.
Count how many days you managed to go without breaking the chain. Then set a goal to beat your record. So if you managed to go 39 days without breaking the chain, you’re new goal can be to go at least 40 days without breaking the next chain.
If you’re like most of us, you have a competitive streak. Even people who wouldn’t describe themselves as competitive probably like to win. It’s human nature. And it’s something you can use to your advantage.
By creating a record or “high score” that you can beat, you’re giving yourself a chance to win. And your desire to “win” will motivate you not to break the next chain.
Using Seinfeld’s “don’t break the chain” technique is a great way to form a new habit. It’s simple, easy, and it works.
