The thing I struggle with the most when I start a project, is getting started. It's like trying to push a boulder that's standing still. Once you have the ball rolling, it's so much easier to keep going. So one of the things I've focused on over the past couple of years is finding ways to build some momentum when I begin working on something. And I've found a method that seems to work for me.
I was working my warehouse job at ULine, and we used to have to drive these giant, zamboni style floor scrubbers around for hours while we were preparing to move into a new warehouse. There was nothing to hit, outside of the 4 walls holding the building up, so it was the most braindead task imaginable. I spent most of the time reading comedian advice on my phone, as I had recently started doing stand up. One day, I stumbled across a conversation with Jerry Seinfeld, where he touched on a technique he uses, called "Don't Break the Chain".
He described a method he used when he started taking comedy seriously, in which he bought a giant wall calendar, and every day he worked on writing jokes, he put a giant red "X" on the calendar. After a few days, he had a chain forming, and then his entire objective was just to not break the chain. He actually makes fun of the simplicity of it now, but it's a great idea. And while I don't have a giant calendar covered in red marker on my wall, I've spun his idea off into one of my own.
When I started stand up, I began tracking every show I did in a spreadsheet. I use it to this day to keep track of how many sets I've done (lifetime, each year, and monthly), as well as keeping track of any money I've made and noting how much time I did on that particular show. It keeps me motivated to go to open mics and work, because I love coming home and entering the show into my sheet. I have visual confirmation of how hard I'm working, and it makes it makes it easy to set goals in regards to how much stage time I want to get in a time period.
It also makes it easier to see my progress. The further down the sheet I scroll, the more paying gigs I see, and the longer my sets get. I look at it kind of like "progress photos" for someone trying to lose weight or get in shape. If you can see the improvement month after month, it makes it so much easier to keep grinding. You build momentum.
I've started applying this strategy to other things I'm working on. Hence the numbered, daily blogs I post here. Every day I finish one, the number gets higher and the chain gets longer. I keep track of my workouts in a spreadsheet similar to my comedy sets one, and some days I get through a workout purely to get the satisfaction of entering it into my sheet.
Momentum is an insanely powerful motivator. By keeping track of the work I do, I can see the chain I'm building. and the momentum I build gets stronger every day. It makes me feel guilty about taking a day off, because I know I have to start the chain over again from #1. I think it would work for people trying to do almost anything; exercising, writing, quitting smoking. Start on day one, and then make it your goal to build the longest chain possible. And if you miss a day and break the chain, don't get mad at yourself, just set out to build a longer chain starting tomorrow.
Build that momentum!
Have a great Saturday, and thanks for reading!
Adam
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