The Don’t break the chain method, also known as “The Seinfeld Method” after its founder, Jerry Seinfeld, is a method of productivity workflow that harnesses the power of small wins. Set yourself a daily goal and mark each day on the calendar when the habit is completed. Set a clear timeframe such as 14 or 30 days and work towards completing that habit every single day for that time. Every time you miss a day and don’t complete the habit, you break the chain and must start again from day one.
Being as specific as you can will increase the chances of being successful. The less you need to think about or decide before doing the habit, the more likely you’ll be to do it! You can use a method called habit stacking to help remind you. This is where you perform your new habit directly after something you already do, for example, “I will do 10 squats after each time I brush my teeth”
Set clear parameters of what counts as completing the habit. Quantify the habit with the length of time you will do it for or the quantity you need to do.
“Walk more” ---> “Walk 10,000 steps each day.”
“Read more” ---> “Read for 20 minutes every day.”
Determine The Following:
Which of the following options would you be more likely to achieve?
“I want to read more”
“I will read for 30 minutes every evening at 10pm after I get ready for bed. I will read the book “Atomic Habits” in bed before I go to sleep at 10:30pm.”
Good luck of your habit building journey!
You can download our 8 week habit builder worksheet to help you track your progress HERE.
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