If you want to become better than yesterday, you need to know how to form good habits.
However, like many people do, you might notice that the first few days are easy.
You feel super motivated starting a new workout plan, learning a new skill or playing an instrument.
But a week in to it, you find that life has started taking over again and your motivation
is nonexistent.
You skip one day, then another, and all of a sudden you find yourself giving up, or forgetting
about the habit altogether.
In today's video I'll give you a habit formation technique that's incredibly effective.
I've been using it for months now and you might have even heard of it before.
It's called the "don't break the chain" method.
This method was created by the legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
So the story goes like this:
An amateur comedian wanted to know how to become funnier.
So one day he found Jerry and asked him for advice.
Jerry told him about his unique technique he used himself, to became a funny comedian.
In his own words he said; the only way to become funnier, is to create better jokes.
And the way to create better jokes, is to write new jokes every single day.
It doesn't matter if the jokes are good or bad.
That's REALLY good advice, but how can someone stick to it every day?
Jerry said to get a big wall calendar and put it in a place where you can always see it.
Every time you finish writing, you get to put a big X over the day.
After a few days you'll have a chain.
By doing the habit every day your chain will grow longer.
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.
This technique can be applied to pretty much any habit and it's a simple way to make them
stick or get a steady routine going.
I've been using this technique for months and it's been very helpful with my piano practice.
I had trouble being consistent, and usually one day I would play for 4 full hours and
then not play for a full week.
But I've decided that I'd rather play every single day and be consistent.
So I gave myself a challenge to play for 30 minutes every single day, no matter what,
and thanks to this method it's now a regular habit.
Also, after the 30 minutes are up, most of the time I won't quit playing and I'll keep
on going.
Usually it's that mental resistance that keeps us from starting.
It's much harder to bring yourself to do something if you think it's going to take 2 hours or more.
But if you give yourself an easy time limit it's much easier to start.
Even if I don't feel like playing after the time is up, I did get at least half an hour
worth of practice done.
And although 30 minutes doesn't seem like much, it is obviously better than nothing
and it does add up over time.
Same goes with any habit.
It's much better to go to the gym for 20 minutes every day, than to go to the gym once per
week for 2 hours.
You're way more likely to burn out or injure yourself if you're not consistent.
Less is more, when it's done frequently.
This also works when studying.
Hitting the books for shorter amounts of time, but more often, is what's going to help you
remember more of whatever you learn.
By not breaking the chain, those small daily improvements slowly accumulate into large improvements.
However I recommend you start with no more than 2, maybe 3 habits at the same time, or
you're most likely going to become overwhelmed and give up.
The average time for something to become a habit is 66 days.
Some pursuits take less than than, while other take way longer, even up to a full year.
Different habits require different efforts, which require a different amount of time to
become fully subconscious or automatic.
This is why it's so important for you to be consistent and do them daily.
Since we live in a digital age and not everyone wants to use a big calendar to track their
habits, I propose a different solution.
And that is to use a phone app.
Specifically the one that allows you to track the chain.
If you're using an Iphone, I recommend an app called "Momentum".
It has a clean interface and is easy to use.
You simply tick off your habits and keep track of your chain.
The free version only allows you to track up to 3 habits though, but for most people
that's more than enough.
For the Android users I WOULD suggest an app called "Habithub".
This is the app I'm utilizing right now.
Also easy to use and it has a clear visual representation of the chain you're building.
With the free version you can track up to 5 habits at the same time.
What I like the most about it, is that it reminds you daily to check in your habits.
There are tons of other habit apps out there, but these two are my favorites.
It's up to you to choose the one you want to use.
You can always go back to the calendar if you want to.
Just remember: don't break the chain.
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