Using the Seinfeld Calendar to Create Content Everyday
Photo by | ellie |
I recently rebooted this blog and made a commitment to write a post everyday. I needed the initial momentum because I am someone who loses interest easily. After 12 straight days, I finally met with my first bloggers’ block. All of a sudden, I was totally void of ideas. Zilch. Nada.
Today, I am glad to announce that after a 3-day hiatus, I am shifting back into 5th gear again. And, the thing that kept me going is Seinfeld’s Calendar.
I first learn about the Seinfeld Calendar from a LifeHacker article. When the interview was done, Seinfeld’s hit TV comedy was still very new and he was still a touring comic. When asked how to become a better comic, he replied that “the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write everyday.”
Then, he shared his secret – a big 12-month-long calendar pasted on a prominent wall. Everyday Seinfeld did the task of writing jokes, he’d use a red marker and make a big cross on it.
After a few days, a chain of crosses emerged. The longer the chain, the more he grew to like it. After a couple of weeks, all he could think about is how not to break it.
Seinfeld intently exclaimed “don’t break the chain!”
I must have been reading the wrong self help books, because this really hit me with an bursting urge to shout ‘eureka!’
What I did next was to hunt down the Net for a web-based version of Seinfeld’s Calendar and found the following:
- On The Couch published a simple print-handly PDF of the calendar.
- DontBreakTheChain.com is a web-based version of it.
- Joe’s Goal is not exactly it, but I use it and find it quite effective (quite because I broke the chain for 3 days)
The thing is that there’s nothing out there that is exactly like what Seinfeld described. And on top of that, I have a few good ideas how to build upon the original idea to make the calendar even more effective. I am very tempted to design this and put it out on the web for everyone to use it.
For the time being, give Seinfeld’s Calendar a shot and watch this space for updates on the new and improved Seinfeld’s Calendar!