Stop Procrastinating...!!!! Using the 'Seinfeld Strategy'
If it’s a deadline, email, phone call, blogging, or working out everyone has something they procrastinate about and always say, “I wish I could do better.” So, what is the “Seinfeld Strategy” and how does it work you are probably wondering. The advice that Jerry Seinfeld gave to Brad Issac (LifeHacker), who wanted to be a better comic, was simple, “Write everyday and don’t break the chain.”
More specifically this is what Seinfeld told him to do:
*Image Credit: Thomas Hawk*“Get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. Then get a big red magic marker. For each day that you complete your task of writing, put a big red X over that day.
Then 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.”
I actually read an article published by James Clear from The Huffington Post six months ago which referenced the same story and had his own take on the matter. I remember telling myself I needed to get back to writing as it has been an area I would like to improve on in my older/wiser years. Well, fast forward six months and I saw the same article written again by James Clear but for Entrepreneur.
That reminded me that I had this blog post started from back then and I never did complete it or follow the advice at that time.
However, this time when I read the article I was reflecting on how I have been using the “Seinfeld Strategy” by writing more and more each week (I finally started in January). Not everything I write gets the publish button pushed, but nevertheless there is writing being done so that I "don’t break the chain."