Jerry Seinfeld is well-known for not “breaking the chain.” He writes at least one joke per day. Always. Every day. He attributes a portion of his success to his ability to string together days, months, even years of consecutive days where he has written a joke.
One of Seinfeld’s protogés, Brad Issac says, “He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker. He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day.”
When it comes to productivity, consistency is paramount. However, most people set up their lives in a way that consistency is impossible and/or extremely difficult. People set their expectations so high that it becomes impossible to reach them on a daily basis. I have a secret to tell you:
Consistency should be the hardest part. Everything else surrounding it must be easy.
So, how do you set yourself up for productivity-consistency-world-domination-bad-assery? Well, I’m still working on perfecting it myself, but I think that we can all apply the lesson from Mr. Seinfeld to get a great start.
Do something SMALL every day
If you’re going to uphold long-term productivity, the most important thing to do is to choose one small thing that you plan to do every day. Jerry Seinfeld wrote ONE JOKE every day. Not a whole set. The more manageable the task is, the more likely you are to do it. The larger the thing you plan to accomplish, the sooner you’ll run out of physical and emotional gas.
Look at Seth Godin. He has been blogging every day since before some of you were born. Every. Single. Day. He has not broken the chain (and he’s kind of my hero). But, if you look at his blogs, they’re not novels. Yes, some are longer, but others are small snippets of wisdom that he could have written in 1/2 hour. And the long-term result? Worldwide recognition.
Your productivity goal could be emailing one prospective client per day, having one check-in conversation with an employee per day, or meditating for 5 minutes per day. Whatever it is, it should be small. Something you can do while the locusts are swarming, while your in-laws are visiting, while you have a splitting headache, or while all of the board members of your company are on-site at once. YOUR DAILY GOAL SHOULD BE EASY.
My aim this year, like the fantastic Seth Godin, is to write for two hours per day. 730 hours of writing in 2021. I usually write for one hour first thing in the morning and one hour at night before bedtime. Will I write more? Probably. But, for me, this is a small goal I can do consistently to achieve long-term success.
One joke. One call. One day. One blog. It all adds up. The smaller the aim, the longer you will be able to continue your chain of success, and the more productive you will be in the long term.
See your success
Like Jerry Seinfeld, I have a big old spreadsheet on my wall right next to my desk. (It’s not a calendar because I have a few things I want to check off (take asthma medicine, etc.). It is big, bright, yellow, and prominent. I look at it at least once per hour or two.
I have been doing the check-off-the-spreadsheet thing since September and I love it. It makes me feel accomplished when I see so many boxes checked. Additionally, I know that if I leave one of those stinking boxes without an X, it will stare me in the face for the rest of the month. (I had been replacing my spreadsheets every month, but starting this month, I think I’m going to leave them all on the wall).
I don’t think we ever stop enjoying gold stars. There’s a reason kids love getting them in school. They’re a visual reminder of the hard work we have put into a project. A completed project, a well-executed test, or a kind deed — these are all things that we don’t always get recognition for as adults.
Putting your wins on the wall can encourage you to complete more. And, it can remind you how far you’ve come. Sometimes I’m surprised when I look at my spreadsheet. “Wow, I’ve done a lot,” I exclaim. I’m one of those people who doesn’t focus too much on the past, so seeing the long lines of victories in my wake is a great way to bolster my courage for the future.
So, I encourage you to choose your one small thing to do every day, make yourself a calendar/spreadsheet to celebrate your wins, and . . . never break the chain. I dare you. I’m going to try to go for a whole year. Who’s coming with me?