The Chain Method was reportedly described by comedian Jerry Seinfeld to web developer and stand-up comedian, Brad Isaac.

Seinfeld used the Chain Method to motivate himself to find time to write new material every day.

Watching this video is worth 1 Management Courses CPD Point*
(See below for more details)

This video is part of course module number 1.6.2
Program 1: Managing Yourself
Course 6: Personal Productivity
Section 2: Time Management

Relevant videos in the same section as this video include:
==============================================
- The Power of Habits: Productivity through Effective Working
... https://youtu.be/kXmz_E8yUGw
- Organization: How to Enhance Your Productivity by Being Organized
... https://youtu.be/2eUYH0z2yiQ
- Planning, Preparation, and Follow-up: Effective Working for Better Productivity
... https://youtu.be/XZUCfd9xov0
- Milestones and Deadlines for Self-Motivation and Greater Productivity
... https://youtu.be/hH7w-Fwa_uU
- Overcome Overwhelm: Dealing with the Feeling of Being Overwhelmed
… https://youtu.be/Gp21qbsesbc
- Goal Setting: The Start of Your Time Management
… https://youtu.be/xgQk_Ozu2V4
- Time Management with The OATS Principle
… https://youtu.be/B_W9uhKviFU
- To Do List and 7 Other Lists You Should Use Instead
… https://youtu.be/ywiCVY6mSgE
- Prioritization: Understand Urgent & Important
… https://youtu.be/HX6ByEBuStU
- Prioritization with the Pareto Principle - the 80-20 Rule
… https://youtu.be/Q5GAH0yMzwk
- How to Clear a Backlog - The 4 Rs Method
… https://youtu.be/vx7Z3GSTvvc
- How Does the Autofocus Time Management Method Work?
… https://youtu.be/zcC9f7KZ2pQ


LESSON NOTES
=============
This technique can motivate you to stick with an ongoing task, create a new habit, or work towards a big goal.

It’s simple and needs no technology (although yes, you can get an app). All you do is mark an X on a calendar for every day that you do the thing you want to do. The rule is: ‘don’t break the chain.’

It works because it creates a habit by motivating you to want to write your
X. It’s motivating because of:
- the visual dominance of the X
- the tactile pleasure of writing it.

Process for your own chain of success
1. Decide on your goal (or goals – not too many)
2. Decide how much work to put in each day – and maybe the time of day you’ll do it
3. Put up a calendar in a prominent place
4. Each day you complete your task, draw a big red X across that day on your calendar
5. Don’t break the chain.
What if you have to miss a day, for holidays or sickness, for perhaps?
You don’t want to break the chain, but it’s not your fault. Allow yourself a blue X, or a tick


RECOMMENDED EXERCISE
======================
1. Test out the Chain method for yourself. Does it work for you? Use it for a week. (10 MC CPD Points)
2. Decide if it works for you and how to adapt it. (2 MC CPD Points)

DOWNLOADS
===========
Free Resources
- CPD Tools - https://gum.co/MC-CPD
Paid resources
- Management Courses Onboarding Kit - https://gum.co/MC-ObK ($3)

RECOMMENDED READING
=====================
I'll be as modest as I can. I'm something of an expert on effective working, personal productivity, & time management, with 4 best-selling books by 3 international publishers:
- The Time Management Pocketbook
... https://geni.us/gHa4
- How to Manage Your Time
... https://geni.us/Cpvp
- Powerhouse: Turbo Boost Your Effectiveness and Start Making a Serious Impact
... https://geni.us/H7GDizc
- The Yes/No Book: How to do less... and achieve more
... https://geni.us/yhF90n

And here are my picks from the thousands of other books on personal productivity, effective working, & time management:
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
... https://geni.us/Zulp
- The Power of Habit: Why we Do what we Do, and How to Change
... https://geni.us/vNtXd4
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
... https://geni.us/JxTY
- Eat that Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating
... https://geni.us/48Y1LlC

Management Courses Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Points
===========================================================
You can record your Management Courses CPD points on our free, downloadable CPD record log.
Download it here: https://gum.co/MC-CPD

Each video has two levels of MC CPD points. For this video:
- If you simply watched the video, record 1 MC CPD points
- If you also carried out all of the recommended exercises, score a total of 13 MC CPD points
___

Note:
Links to our book recommendations are affiliated through Amazon

#Productivity #TimeManagement #ChainMethod