Jerry Seinfeld’s Productivity Secret

Image via Entertainment Press/Shutterstock

Productivity… sometimes this seems like a dirty word… even for the most driven entrepreneur. And with good reason, I might add. “Getting things done” means different things to each of us and our level of success in doing it each day can be hard to track and monitor. Productivity is also something that can elude us on a daily basis. From the never ending stream of emails and phone calls coming our direction, to the constant barrage of thoughts filling our minds, some days just don’t amount to much work getting done. But, the reality of it is that productivity is absolutely necessary.

In my never ending search for finding a better way to do nearly everything in life, I stumbled across Jerry Seinfeld’s method for being productive. While the concept is really quite simple, the results may just surprise you. What I love about it is the way that it takes the guesswork out of the equation. It is also versatile and can be used for nearly anything in your life. From going to the gym to making sales calls, this system lets you set a goal and track it each day with very little effort.

So, how does it work? Basically, Jerry Seinfeld decided that he wanted to write each day. In order to track his goal and keep himself accountable, he placed a year-at-glance calendar on his wall. For everyday that he wrote, he would mark the calendar day with a red “X.” As he wrote consistently everyday, a “chain” of red was formed. Then, the idea evolved into more of a challenge to never break the chain. On days when he might have otherwise blown off writing, he pushed himself to do it anyway in order to maintain the integrity… and running count… of the chain.

As an entrepreneur, one of my primary addictions is beating my own record at absolutely everything I do. Like killing myself at the gym, trying to do 5 minutes longer on the treadmill than yesterday, or pushing my sales at the end of the quarter to beat last year’s number. So, for me, a production system that feeds this insane addiction just might work. It seems to work for Jerry, anyway.

So quit sitting there cringing about being productive and just make a decision to do it. Grab you a calendar, a bright pen for Xing in the color of your choice, and get to work building your chain! Make a realistic goal to start with and then don’t stop until it is reached. Then, set your goal a little higher and keep going. Before you know it, you will have kicked productivity ass, so to speak!