Embracing the ‘Don’t Break the Chain’ Method

“If you find yourself struggling to get tasks done at work, you might be left wondering what you can do to improve your productivity. There are all kinds of tips about how you can be more productive at work but often we can find ourselves struggling to stay focused. If this sounds like you, why not embrace the ‘don’t break the chain’ method in your office work? This popular technique could help you to get more done during the day and become a more productive person at work. We explain the technique and give you some tips about how you can apply it to your working day.
What is the technique?
The technique was made popular by the American comedian and TV personality Jerry Seinfeld and is a simple one to follow. He decided to mark each day on the calendar with a red cross when he wrote new comedy material – and this became a pattern. Crossing off days on the calendar became rewarding and so he set about working on new material every day so that he didn’t break the chain. This method can be applied to your regular working day in order to help you be more productive – we’ll tell you how.
How can it help me be more productive?
Although it might not seem like crossing off days on a calendar will lead to you being more productive, it can actually help a lot. When seeing a series of good habits on a calendar, we’re offered a visual representation of our success. This can be hugely motivating! The method also gives each day a key goal, which is particularly useful if you find it difficult to plan your day properly and therefore become distracted.
Divide your tasks
Since you might not be working on the exact same project every day, we’ve outlined a different way you can use the method in your day-to-day work life. The most effective way to use this method is to tackle particular habits that you’re struggling to maintain – these should be things that have a large impact on your productivity. For example, you might want to develop a better way of managing your emails. Every day you stick to your email management method, you can put a red cross on the calendar.
Don’t break the chain and be productive
By following these tips and making sure that you complete the tasks you have set yourself every day, you could become much more productive in your role. Once you start to complete your goals, you might also find out that you can improve your workload and even get more done each day. As long as you manage your time well and don’t break the chain, you can get much more done in a working day.”