Don't Break The Chain
Twelve Reasons Don't Break the Chain works
- Knowledge Stacking
- Break bad habits
- Establish a cornerstone habit
- Progress is success
- Focusing on the process not the goal
- It gets easier the further you go (the chain gets stronger)
- From seemingly impossible to possible (1-day-at-a-time)
- Setbacks are put into perspective
- Builds confidence.
- Provides a framework.
- Others want to support you when they see progress (when see your streak)
- Feeds our need to complete the incomplete.
What's one thing, if you did everyday, for the next 8 weeks, would transform your life, your business, or give you an overall advantage in something important to you?
Examples
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Write AND publish every day for 8 weeks = 56 posts.
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5 Minute Plank (build your core strength = eliminate back pain)
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Eat a 1 lb salad.
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No sugar
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Stay off carbs and sugar (Keto)
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Limit caffeine (Less than 3 cups/day)
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Invoice $1k/week or $200/day
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Practice ukulele 30 minutes/day
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Write a thank you note to express gratitude for someone
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Reconnect with a former client (by phone)
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Reconnect with a former client (by email)
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Got rid of one item
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Maintain a clean workspace (define)
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Purge old paperwork (define)
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Add one person to my LinkedIn network
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Meditate 20 mins/day
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TRE 3 days/week
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Create one Doodly per week
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Create one Canva per day
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Yoga 4 days/week
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Invest $10/day micro-investing
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OMAD (One-meal-a-day)
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No Alcohol after 5pm (for sleep) or 1 or less drinks/day.
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No purchases (except to replace what breaks or essentials (food & gas)).
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1 hour max for emails
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Note: Some goals like invest $10/day go hand in hand with the shopping ban goal. Seek goals that complement each other.
Be sure to choose an action within your control. I often remind clients that 'Marketing is an effort, sales is a result. We can control the effort, but not the result.' For me, 3 things/day is probably a limit. And you might be able to convince me that picking ONE thing to focus on for the next 8 weeks is better than 3. I can focus the next time after I complete the 8 weeks. That would still give me 6 opportunities to create change per year.
And then it hit me...
What you really need to be measuring are your starts. If a keto+ day (defined by less than 20g of carbs) is your goal, your DBTC should be what precedes that result. I've determined that in order to stick to keto, you need to spent 30-60 minutes prepping your keto fuel for the day. This is preceded by stocking your fridge with keto-friendly foods and following keto-tasty recipes.
The Impact Wall
At the top of the page I printed out is the title 'The Impact Wall.' This is a constant reminder that I've already determined that this is where I can make the greatest impact. Nothing is more important. I have a tendency to underestimate the time required to complete a task. I've also that while I can control my input into a goal, the output is largely outside my control.
Law of Attraction
Consider that DBTC is a constant reminder to think and have conversations about your one thing. The more attention you give it, the more likely doors are to open. Half the battle is knowing what we want!
Enabling by Directing
What would make DBTC (Don't Break The Chain) even better? To make that goal a slam dunk, you'd be given exactly what you need each day to complete it. Let's say you want to play the ukulele each day for the next 60 days. Can you create a lesson each day that you can follow? It's all about knowing WHAT to do when you sit down for a deliberate practice session in each day of your 8 weeks. This is why people fail. They need lessons for each of the 60 boxes. Can we use a perpetual repeating calendar? Just create the calendar and provide links to all of the lessons. This way, you can add the google calendar to your google calendar and the lesson will be there to remind you everyday. Remember - we don't find time to practice, we make time to practice.
Time frame
Can it be incremental? Assume a different duration? Weekly? Monthly? Hourly?
- Ex: to earn $100k
- To sell 1000 books in 60 days
- To contact 100 leads in 90 days?
- To interview 50 people in 12 months?
- OMAD: one meal a day
- ODAW: one drink a week
Resources & Apps
A round up of tools, apps, and reading to motivate you to integrate DBTC into your daily routine!