08 BE LIKE SEINFELD AND “DON’T BREAK THE CHAIN” A technique popularized by workaholic Jerry Seinfeld, “don’t break the chain” is his motto for doing pretty much all of these steps, every day, and not allowing even one day to go by without accomplishing what you set out to accomplish. Here’s how it works: String together a whole year of dates on a wall. When you get everything set out for one day done, mark that day off with a big red X. After awhile, you’ll start to form a chain of X’ed out dates, which visually make a chain. Don’t break the chain! 09 HAVE AN OFFICE, OF ANY KIND Working from home can be difficult when where you work is also where you eat, where you sleep, where you play and where you relax. A growing number of people work from home, but they often mistake working from home with telecommuting. Telecommuting can be done from anywhere. And separating the space you use for work from the space you use for everything else can greatly increase productivity. If you don’t have the cash to rent an office or workspace, then libraries, coffee shops and parks can be great alternatives that will help you keep business and personal life apart and both more enjoyable. 10 THE JOURNEY IS LONG, SO SLOW DOWN The biggest impediment to productivity is unrealistic expectations. This is often a result of excessive guilt over not having been productive lately. Taking a couple days off ? Don’t try to cram in everything you “have to” do. Even if tasks seem tiny, remember to just work on one at a time.
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