“Breaking the chain” by Darren Hardy

A young comic asked Jerry Seinfeld if he had any tips for him starting out as a comic.

What he told that young comic would benefit him for a lifetime.

I’ll pass it onto you now, as I know it will benefit you too–for a lifetime.

Seinfeld told the comic that the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes. And the way to create better jokes was to write every day. But his advice went further. He explained a technique that Jerry uses to keep himself motivated, even when he doesn’t feel like it. He explained the calendar system he uses to pressure himself to write.

Here’s How it works. He said, get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. Maybe somewhere your family can see or your office mates. The next step is to get a big red magic marker. He said for each day you complete the task of writing, put a big red X over that day. Seinfeld said, “After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. Jerry went on, he said, “You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to not break the chain."Don’t break the chain,” he said again for emphasis.Seinfeld understands that daily action yields greater benefits than sitting down and trying to knock out 300 jokes in one day.This calendar system works because it visually reinforces us to stick with that consistent daily action. Skipping one day makes it easier to skip the next. I’d rather have someone who will take action—even if small—every day as opposed to someone who swings hard once or twice a week. 

Use this technique yourself. What important behavior or habit do you want to create? It must be an important one that supports one of your biggest goals this year. Just pick one. (Not two, one.) Then go buy your wall calendar and a big, red magic marker and be sure to put a big, red X on the calendar for today. Then… don’t break the chain!

By Darren Hardy, Publisher of Success Magazine