Don’t Break the Chain and Stop Procrastinating!

I won’t be offended (or surprised) if you bookmark this blog post and read it later.

I’m sure there is a very important reason why you are going to give in to procrastination and read my scintillating blog post at some other time.

You probably have something much more pressing to do, such as:

  The laundry. You have been putting it off but now you have no choice, or your clothes may just get up and walk away on their own.

  Studying for that exam in ‘Rocks for Jocks’.

  You need to respond to that email from your Mom, it’s only been sitting there for 2 years, better late than never!

  Finally checking out that Seinfeld episode that you have been meaning to watch…

Wait, did I just say Seinfeld?

That reminds me, I have been meaning (yup, self-improvement bloggers are not immune to procrastination either) to tell you a story about Seinfeld related to don’t break the chain! The story I am about to tell you can help you overcome your procrastination predilection (apologies again – had another thesaurus for breakfast)

You are probably wondering what don’t break the chain means and what the hell Jerry Seinfeld can teach you about beating procrastination?

As it turns out, a lot.

The don’t break the chain story goes that an aspiring comedian, Brad Isaac, once asked Seinfeld if he had any advice for him.  Seinfeld told him that the only way to get better as a comedian was to improve at writing jokes.  And the only way to improve at writing jokes was to keep practicing writing new jokes every day, even if he didn’t feel like it.

Don’t Break the Chain!

This is where it gets interesting.

Seinfeld had a clever trick that he used to hold himself accountable.  At the start of every year, he would buy one of those big-assed calendars and put that bad boy up on a wall where he could see it every day.

Then for every day that he practiced his writing, he would put a big red X on that date to signify he had carried through and avoided the procrastination bug.

The idea was to put a big red X every day he practiced, so he wouldn’t ‘break the chain’ – hence this method has been dubbed don’t break the chain or Seinfeld’s productivity chain.

How Long Does It Take to Master Something?

There are different schools of thought on how long it takes to master a new skill or field.  Malcolm Gladwell in his famous book ‘Outliers’ said it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve true greatness in a given field, giving as examples, the Beatles, and Bill Gates.

A recent study done by Princeton University has tried to dispel Gladwell’s theory and has said that 10,000 hours isn’t accurate and that it really depends on the field.  Fields, where the rules of the game are more stable like tennis, are more conducive to many hours of deliberate practice. Whereas fields where the rules of the game are less stable, such as various professions are less conducive.

We won’t get into the specifics of learning or improving at a skill other than to say that to get better at ‘most’ things you need to be consistent, and to be consistent you need to take action every day.

What I think everyone will agree on is that procrastination will not get you to where you want to be.

Beating procrastination is all about taking consistent action to create habits.

How Long Do I Have to Do It For?

There have been many studies done on how long it takes to create a habit.

A study by Lally et al.¹ showed that on average it takes 66 days to form a habit. Their study showed that some people are able to do it in as little as 18 days, while it takes some as long as 254 days.  The idea is to keep doing whatever it is you need to do for at least 66 days or until it becomes automatic.

Where Can I Use Don’t Break the Chain in My Life?

There are many areas in your life where you are prone to procrastination where you need to take action every day, so you don’t break the chain, such as:

  Exercise
  Developing a new skill (writing, playing an instrument, playing a sport)
  Eating healthy
  Studying

That’s just to name a few.

Time to Go Shopping…

Alright, I gotta go to Staples and buy a big wall calendar and a red sharpie.  On second thought, maybe I will just go tomorrow!

Ok, ok…I’m going!

Until next time, don’t break the chain and as always…PYMFP!

Rick

Use It or Lose It:

How to use don’t break the chain in your life:

  Get clear on what you want to accomplish

  Come up with a time every day you will execute on it

  Get a big wall calendar and red marker – it has to be something you will see every day

  Mark a big red X once you complete your task every day.

  Keep it going and don’t break the chain

  Do it as long as you need to in order to create a habit

When to Use Don’t Break the Chain to Beat Procrastination

  In areas where you need to take action every day where you are prone to procrastination.

What Do You Think?

  Are there any other areas where you can use don’t break the chain??  Please share in the comments below…

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