How the Seinfeld Method Helped Me Be a Better Writer

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Making a resolution to write more next year is common among us writers, but also vague – what does “writing more” even mean, apart from being a nice addition to other New Year’s Eve greatest hits, such as “I’ll lose weight” or “I’ll exercise more”?

Do you count all your posts, scripts, eBooks from this year, and then compare them with last year? Does texting count? (No, it doesn’t).

Some posts, scripts, eBooks are longer, some shorter, so counting them won’t tell you much. Plus, these calculations will take away from the time you could actually be writing.

But, on the other hand, saying you want to “write every day”, is a specific enough goal to strive for – because you can easily measure it.

Wrote something on Monday? Check.

Wrote something on Tuesday and Wednesday? Check and check.

And, the best part is, you only need a calendar and a red pen to keep track of it – with the help of the Seinfeld method.

What is the Seinfeld method?

Well, the story about how the Seinfeld Method was invented goes as follows:

One night after his performance, the famed Jerry Seinfeld was approached by a young comedian asking about advice on how to succeed.

So, Seinfeld, in his endless wit, gave the following advice:

– To succeed at comedy, you need to tell better jokes

– To tell better jokes, you need to work on them every day

– Buy a ginormous calendar showing every day in a year, and use a red pen to put an X for all the days you write something new

– If you write a new joke every day, you’ll soon form a nice chain of all the days you’ve written a new joke

– Write every day – don’t break the chain!

Afterward, the young comedian, presumably, started following this advice, and gained at least a fraction of success Jerry Seinfeld enjoys – which would still have been a substantial success.

Now, did this really happen?

Well, I’d say that it doesn’t matter, because the described method actually works.

How the Seinfeld Method improved my writing

I’ve always been on the lookout for great time management tips – I use a time tracking app and I’ve tried most time management techniques. But, I must admit that I was skeptical about the Seinfeld Method when I first read about it.

Apart from the fact that I’ve never seen ginormous calendars sold anywhere, the idea seemed vague on its own. Writing every day is fine, but how do you know it’s meaningful enough so that you know you’ve improved your writing?

Well, the answer, as it turned out, is simple – although your writing may not start as meaningful, as you push forward, you’ll:

learn a lot about your writing abilities
Identify your weak areas, so you can work on them
figure out what really works for you
find your writing voice
learn something new about your niche

In essence, the Seinfeld method mirrors the famous saying: “Success is 99% hard-work and 1% talent” – the more you write, the better you get, and what better way to ensure you write more, than to write every day?

Before I came to these conclusions, I wrote every day, as an experiment – despite my suspicions, I’ve actually managed to find a giant calendar, and I’ve spent the last 10 months keeping my chain alive and well. So, here’s what I can report:

As time passes, the better (and more motivated) you are

This is the main draw of the Seinfeld Method – watching the chain of red Xs grow is great to motivate you to push forward and write something every day.

In my case, the writing usually involved working on blog posts, so I’ve made it my goal to:

jot down some detailed ideas
perform research and write a comprehensive outline
do some serious writing
finish a blog post

You’ll notice that I didn’t make it my goal to perform all these tasks in one day – and not because I didn’t manage to perform them all, from time to time, but because I didn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on me.

Setting the bar high is great, but setting it too high means you’re shooting for the stars without thinking about how demotivated and disappointed you’ll feel if you fall short.

So, each time I performed at least some of these tasks, I put in a red “X” for that day.

As time went by, I became faster at finding the right information for my posts (because previous experience taught me where and how to look), I found my winning formula for writing outlines, and I managed to write faster overall.

It starts to feel natural after some time

Making writing such a big part of my life was a challenge – I had to find time for writing every day, even on the days I was swamped with other errands, or didn’t feel like writing at all.

But, after about a month of pursuing at least one of my mentioned goals every day, it became a normal routine for me.

For example, it became a habit of mine to spend time from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. jotting down ideas, researching, and writing up outlines.

I’d then engage in serious writing after lunch, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tomorrow, I’d probably spend these hours finishing up the text and sending it out to be posted.

After two months, not engaging in these activities felt weird – they became a natural part of my day, so I was motivated to continue pursuing my routine.

Skipping a day doesn’t mean you’ve failed

One weak link doesn’t ruin a strong chain – at least when it comes to your writing ability.

So, don’t get discouraged if you leave a couple of random days per month, blank – you’ll still have worked on advancing your writing for the remaining time, and that’s an excellent score on its own.

For example, I’ve spent the last two weeks last month mildly (and later, badly) ill, so writing wasn’t something I managed to do every day. In total, I’ve spent 3 days in bed, doing absolutely nothing constructive, but watching Game of Thrones, and silly, old James Bond movies.

However, in the last couple of days, once my illness improved, I managed to finish and post 5 leftover blog posts, which was a great boost to my writing portfolio (and self-confidence).

Small wins help you achieve greater goals

In the end, determination and discipline to pursue small wins are what help you reach your goals – though I’ve worked on my writing a little every day, working on it continuously has improved my abilities.

I’ve written and posted a large number of blog posts, improved my research skills, expanded my knowledge on various subjects, and learned how to write faster, but with the same quality results.

Although this endeavor started off as an experiment, I’ll continue pursuing my red X quest not to break the chain.

Dear Jerry Seinfeld, whether you invented this method or not, thanks!

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