Productivity system: Don’t Break the Chain
Productivity
What is Don’t Break the Chain?
Don’t break the chain, also called “The Seinfeld Method”, is a productivity technique which mainly focuses on building habits. The main purpose of this method is to help you reach your goals by doing small steps every single day.
Sometimes our goals seem overwhelming, too complex or too difficult to achieve. The “Don’t Break the Chain” technique boils down a big goal into one small and easy thing that you can do every day, making it easy to execute, so to bring you little by little closer towards reaching your end goal. By doing one thing every day you’re basically creating a chain of successful streaks and your only job is to not break the chain.
How Don’t Break the Chain works
Think about a goal that you want to achieve. Now, think about a small thing that you could do every single day to bring you closer towards reaching that goal in the long run. For example, if your goal is to read more, then you could read 5 minutes every day; If your goal is to get fit, then you could complete a 10 minute workout every day etc.
It’s very important that you see your progress, and in order to do so, get yourself a yearly calendar and a big marker.
Each day, after you complete your task, mark the day with a big X.
Day after day, a chain of Xs will start to form and your only task is to keep going and not break the chain.
When to use Don’t Break the Chain
In general, this technique is perfect for everyone who wants to build healthy habits and who needs to see their progress, and since it doesn’t require any big planning, it is also great for those who often feel overwhelmed by complex tasks and have the need to keep things clear and simple.
It might also be beneficial for you if you often start improving things in your life but struggle to keep going for longer periods of time.
Although this technique has a big effect on the long run, it always just focuses on today. Complete today’s task, and the rest will follow.
Written by Sabine Staggl
