Ever wonder how Jerry Seinfeld became such a great comedian? First, he made a daily habit of improving his jokes – then using a large wall calendar, he marked off each day with a big red “X” and in his words,

“After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. 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.”

Why the technique works…

Improving your health, building your business, or becoming a presentation guru doesn’t happen overnight, it happens one day at a time and the “Don’t Break the Chain” technique is ideal since it tracks your progress on a daily basis. Also, the technique provides additional motivation by allowing you to see and grow your chain of X’s.

What if I don’t want to spend money on a large wall calendar?

You’re in luck because you can either print out a free calendar from ePrintable.com, or you can create your own free online calendar at dontbreakthechain.com or SmarterFitter.com

If those options aren’t enough, feel free to download the Don’t Break The Chain Excel Spreadsheet that I created:

DontBreakTheChain.xls

To use the spreadsheet, simply double click a day to mark it. If you make a mistake, double click the day again to clear it – try doing that with a magic marker. NOTE: You must have macros enabled for the spreadsheet to function properly.

In conclusion…

Research has shown that it takes anywhere from 21 to 30 days to create a habit (the former being more widely cited), and this simple Seinfeldian technique can help you do just that and more. You can use this technique whenever you would like to start a habit or accomplish a goal through daily action, for example you can use it to refine your business plan, find new customers, learn a new language, get in shape, improve your public speaking, et cetera – so whether it’s for self-improvement or business improvement, be sure to give Seinfeld’s “Don’t Break the Chain” motivational technique a try!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

(via Lifehacker)

» This entry was filed under Advice and tagged with: Advice, Excel, Productivity