Do you find it difficult to stay committed to your goals, rushing in with a burst of initial enthusiasm only to ‘fall off the wagon’ and abandon them later? Whatever your specific objectives are, the true struggle is to stick to them day after day, month after month, and year after year. And, though there are a plethora of suggestions and tactics for sticking to your goals and forming new habits, I’ve found a method that is both very successful and incredibly simple – Don’t Break the Chain.
In this article:
- What is the Don’t Break the Chain method exactly?
- A brief history of the Don’t Break the Chain method
- Why is Don’t Break the Chain so effective in creating habits?
- How to employ the Don’t Break the Chain method?
What is the Don’t Break the Chain method exactly?
The Don’t Break the Chain or ‘Seinfeld Method’ is a productivity approach named after comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Surprisingly, he has denied any involvement in its conception.
The productivity technique requires you to commit to achieving a daily objective over a long period of time. You cross off each day that you achieve your daily goal on a calendar. You’ll eventually create a chain of x’s that spans days, weeks, or months.
This string of achievements becomes increasingly gratifying, discouraging you from breaking it. You can eventually form a long-term habit, such as daily journaling or morning stretching.
Every “x” on your calendar indicates a step closer to your ideal self. Every workout you schedule is an investment in becoming a better version of yourself. The nights spent studying in a row ensure your academic achievement in the future.
A brief history of the Don’t Break the Chain method
The Seinfeld Strategy is a simple yet effective method for sticking to routines and achieving goals. Don’t Break the Chain was first populaized in a Lifehacker post. This appears to be the infamous post in question. 🕵️🕵️
Years ago, when software developer Brad Isaac began performing stand-up at open mic nights, he received the best advice ever from Jerry Seinfeld, who was already a well-known American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer at the time.
According to reports, Seinfeld taught him that consistency was the key. Seinfeld, in particular, believed that writing something (for his comedy act) every day was the key to producing successful work.
The problem is that keeping consistent with anything like that is difficult—we get lazy and unmotivated at times. Also, there’s just life. That gets in the damn way sometimes!
In any case, Seinfeld recognized that writing consistently and producing exceptional material required more than good intentions. He was in desperate need of a system. Something to hold him accountable and inspire him to write every day, even if it was difficult.
The idea was to set one basic and precise aim for oneself and mark each day you achieve your objective with a huge red X on a 365-day calendar. You’ll have a great chain going after a few days. The goal is to avoid breaking the chain.
Who benefits from the Don’t Break the Chain Method?
The Don’t Break the Chain Method is very beneficial to people who:
- Like getting things done with a pen and paper. I’m looking at you Millenials! 👀👀
- Need a quick and easy way to boost productivity.
- Frequently create big daring goals but fail to achieve them and want to develop long-term beneficial habits.
- Get an inexplicable sense of accomplishment from ticking off items on a list.
- Take advantage of a little gamification to boost their productivity.
Why is Don’t Break the Chain so effective in creating habits?
You may be familiar with this three-day arc if you’ve ever set a goal:
The first day is simple. The first 24 hours of making a change are manageable if you’re motivated by a fresh start and committed to your objective. You bring your lunch to work and feel happy after eating a nutritious meal.
The second day is more difficult. You’re not acclimating to your new world as quickly as you’d want. Your hope wanes as the road ahead appears dismal. Your meal prep isn’t as tasty as it was the day before.
The third day is a disaster; you can’t recall why you chose your aim in the first place. Plus, you haven’t tried the new Mexican restaurant yet, and it’s beckoning you.
You ultimately slide back into poor patterns, whether it’s three days or three weeks, promising to do better on Monday. The cycle continues indefinitely. Many of us don’t allow ourselves enough time to make a new activity a habit. Having a set goal and visualizing it can help.
Researchers discovered that racers swim faster when swimming toward (rather than away from) the finish line, based on data from Olympic and Sectional swim competitions.
It’s because when we can see a goal — in this case, a finish line for competitive swimmers — we put in more effort to achieve it. This is referred to as the goal visualisation effect by experts.
Don’t Break the Chain offers a way to visualize your goals. Given below are some of the ways this technique benefits us.
It’s a piece of cake
You either achieve your daily target or don’t, either continuing your streak with an “x” or ending it. While there are apps for creating streaks, all you really need is a pen and a paper calendar.
It activates the reward system in your brain
Building a new habit is difficult and unrewarding, at least in the short term. Our initial motivation fades, and we return to activities that provide a quick dopamine boost, such as playing video games. Don’t Break the Chain is a game that uses the science of addictive game design.
Streaks are a science that video game makers and social media companies understand and employ to keep users playing their games and using their services. Hello Candy Crush!
You can use this logic to change your behavior for the better.
Let me give you some scientific backup to this. Losing $1,000 is a more potent motivator than getting $1,000, according to study, which is visualized above. ☝️ Loss aversion is a psychological phenomena that explains why people would rather prevent a loss than gain something new. This encourages kids to form behaviours that demand consistency, such as not breaking the chain. Once you form this habit, meeting your goals becomes easy-peasy!
You’re making real progress
Each day, adding a new “x” to your calendar is concrete and obvious. It’s all too common for progress to be difficult to track. Even if you put in a lot of effort, you might not be able to show it at the end of the day. This strategy gives you a clear indicator of daily success; either you did it, or you didn’t. There is no room for ambiguity.
The study conducted by Joseph C. Nunes and Xavier Drèze proves to be a great example for this. As part of the study, customers of a car wash were given cards with stamps for each car wash. After collecting eight stamps, customers could redeem a free sud session.
The problem is that some cards had spaces for eight stamps, while others had slots for ten stamps, with two locations previously inked.
Researchers, however, discovered that 34% of those with 10-stamp cards used their ninth free wash, compared to 19% of those with empty, eight-stamp cards. Customers who felt like they were making progress right away were more inclined to make progress toward their objective — even if it was just a free wash.
Or, you could just groove to this funky song. 🕺🕺 BUT DON’T BREAK THE CHAIN!
It forces you to concentrate on the present moment
All you have to do with Don’t Break the Chain is perform your daily habit. You are not required to consider tomorrow or a year from now. Instead, you only need to extend your streak by one day. You get short-term benefits for activities that pay off in the long run.
This approach concentrates on the current action you have complete control over rather than a long-term goal with numerous other variables at play. You have the option of focusing on inputs rather than outcomes.
You are able to harness the power of small victories
The path to success is paved in challenges, twist and turns! So, you might as well add success markers along the way! 🙃
Making small steps forward and achieving occasional success improves how we feel at work and in life. According to a survey of 12,000 people, participants felt more positive feelings on days when they achieved progress. Each “x” you put on your calendar after achieving your daily objective is a small victory that increases your happiness and confidence.
You have a more realistic outlook on your objectives
Setting goals isn’t exactly a rocket science, yet whole jobs are created just to manage this process (Project Mangers, Product Managers, Team Leaders). While it’s crucial to have a great overarching objective in mind, this productivity strategy challenges you to think a little and realistically on a daily basis. We frequently fail to achieve our objectives because they are too lofty.
We might be able to maintain it for a week or two, but when a habit needs too much energy, our old patterns take over. An “x” reflects how much we can reasonably do in a day to make our long-term goals a reality.
Because it delivers responsibility, positive reinforcement, memory improvement, ease of use, and physicality, the Seinfeld Strategy is effective.
How to employ the Don’t Break the Chain method?
To get started with the Don’t Break the Chain approach, follow these steps:
Make a routine out of your aim
Routines are little tasks that, when followed consistently, will help you achieve your goal. Create routines that are small enough to be done on a daily basis if at all practicable. The reason for this is that the more drive you have, the more likely you are to succeed, and each time you finish your program effectively, you will gain motivation. However, setting flexible routines might be advised if you prefer less repetition to your day.
Make a decision on what you want to achieve
Your objective is the result you aim to achieve. For example, I’d like to lose 20 pounds, publish a novel, avoid eating after 7:00 p.m. and improve my relationship with my children. Your goal should be as explicit and explicit as possible.
Make a schedule for yourself
A large wall calendar is advised by Seinfeld, but any physical calendar or tracker will suffice. Importantly, make sure the calendar “lives” as close as feasible to where you execute the activity. If you write on a regular basis, keep the calendar at your workstation.
The idea is that you want the calendar to be visible so that your goal and habit are always on your mind and that you are held accountable. It will also serve as a motivating force as you progress.
Make a big deal out of your accomplishments
This is going to seem silly, but I believe it is extremely important: Make your success marks as joyful, playful, and enjoyable as possible. Whatever you come up with, use your favorite color marker, including stickers, to fill in the day with an elaborate pattern rather than a plain X. Maybe even organize a virtual team escape room to celebrate a week of successful tasks accomplished. The more enjoyable it is, the more motivated you will be.
Don’t make the same mistake twice
When you find yourself missing a routine, be kind to yourself. Replace words like failed, messed up, and blown with kinder (and more realistic) phrases like missed or slipped up. Overly critical, judgemental self-talk after a miss can deplete your drive and increase the likelihood of further misses.
Instead, accept that it’s natural to forget things now and again and that the most important thing is to recommit to doing it well the next time.
Final thoughts on Don’t Break the Chain ⛓️⛓️
The Seinfeld Strategy is effective because it helps to shift the focus away from individual performances and toward the process. It doesn’t matter how you’re feeling, how inspired you are, or how wonderful your work is on any given day. Instead, it’s simply a matter of “not breaking the chain.” To put this method into action in your own life, simply grab a calendar and begin your chain!
