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The Seinfeld Calendar

TheOldMole Feb 01 2008 05:00 PM

Sounds dumb, but it works. ]Years ago when Seinfeld was a new television show, Jerry Seinfeld was still a touring comic. At the time, I was hanging around clubs doing open mic nights and trying to learn the ropes. One night I was in the club where Seinfeld was working, and before he went on stage, I saw my chance. I had to ask Seinfeld if he had any tips for a young comic. What he told me was something that would benefit me a lifetime... He said the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day. But his advice was better than that. He had a gem of a leverage technique he used on himself and you can use it to motivate yourself—even when you don't feel like it. He revealed a unique calendar system he uses to pressure himself to write. Here's how it works. 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. "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." "Don't break the chain," he said again for emphasis. There are now Seinfeld Calendar websites -- I've been using one - http://dontbreakthechain.com/ And I've been actively writing on my novel for 22 straight days now -- today will be the 23rd. The thing is, it works. If it's a snow day and Arick's home from school, or Pat needs me to do things, and suddenly it's four o'clock in the afternoon, and I haven't done any of my own work, I would generally say fuck it, and put it off till the next day. Or too much school work, and papers to grade. Now I don't. I DO NOT want to break that chain. So I put in the time, and I get at least 2 or 3 pages.

DocTee Feb 01 2008 05:23 PM

I use the same for drinking (that is, a red X for a day without booze) and other vices.

TheOldMole Feb 01 2008 05:37 PM

It's an oddly tangible reward.

AG/DC Feb 01 2008 08:24 PM

The meaning of Fleetwood Mac comes through. Thanks. This is great.

Nymr83 Feb 01 2008 11:16 PM

DocTee wrote: I use the same for drinking (that is, a red X for a day without booze) and other vices. In college, the red X was for a day WITH booze, and let me tell you the weeks connected together all the time.

DocTee Feb 03 2008 09:26 PM

Understandably, the Super Bowl has placed a glaring hole in my "red-X sobriety". Had started the year with 11, then a one day slip folllowed by another 21 dry. Onward and upward.