Keeping a consistent log going is difficult. The constraints of being on a boat cause some of that difficulty. However, most is due to a lack of discipline. After having Kelly I became interested in productivity; how someone can get more done with the time they have set aside for important tasks. I was producing live streams and working one-on-one with clients. One day I came across Jerry Seinfeld’s productivity tip, that I’ve used from time to time. It’s an effective little game that tricks you into doing what you want to do, but have been putting off.
The Seinfeld Productivity Tip: Creating a Chain
Seinfeld’s productivity tip first originated in an article published in Lifehacker . He told a young comic that the way to write better jokes is to write every day. To do that, hang an annual calendar on the wall. Whenever you write, mark off the date with an x using a red pen. His argument was that you will like to see the chain of red x’s.
“Your only job next is to not break the chain.”
Jerry Seinfeld
I get this concept — the idea that you’re simply creating a chain, not actually doing the thing you’ve built up in your head. It’s just a blog, an Instagram post, or a Youtube video, but I want to make things perfect. The thought is silly. However, it’s the internalized pressure of coming up with a creative take, getting good photos and videos, and finding the right music that can stop me before I even start. It’s the same pressure I feel in other areas of my life where consistency is beneficial.
“Skipping one day makes it easier to skip the next.”
Then, there are the weeks where I feel inspired and excited to sit down and make something, or to workout, or eat well again. When the inevitable hiccup comes in the routine and I “break the chain,” it’s so much harder to get going again!
Taking the Pressure Off of Creating
I want to apply pressure on myself only in getting that red x linking to the next. I have never hung a calendar on the wall, but I have used this principle in the last few years in completing The Artist’s Way, a 20,000 steps daily walking challenge, a month of daily videos, and in two years of sobriety and clean eating. The problem comes when when I skip a day. Getting started again really is so mentally challenging.
I’m behind in all of my videos, logs, posting photos, and preparing for next year’s school. Feeling behind alone is irritating. So, for today, I’m just going to make an x on my calendar and call it good. I’m getting the ball rolling. Hello August 1st!