Are you trying to develop a new habit? Maybe you want to become a better writer. Maybe you can’t get into the habit of balancing your checkbook. Maybe you’d really like to play an instrument, but just don’t have the attention span.
Jerry Seinfeld knows the secret, and it’s simpler than you think. "He said the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day."
That’s it? That’s the secret? Well, almost. How do you get into the habit of writing every day (or whatever else it is you want to become better at)?
Get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker.
He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. "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." He said again for emphasis.
Really all you need to do to develop a talent or habit is to do it. Do it every day, and don’t break the chain. It’s amazing what you’ll be able to accomplish when you don’t allow yourself to slack off.
Read the whole article about Seinfeld’s productivity secret at LifeHacker.
There’s even a web application that you can use to make your chain at Don’t Break the Chain.
