The Seinfeld Method
For those living under a rock, Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comedians in recent generations. He wrote and produced Seinfeld, adding over a dozen new phrases to popular culture. Do any of these sound familiar?
No soup for you! What’s the deal with…? Yada Yada Yada…
These quotes are all from the iconic nine-season show that defined a large part of 90s TV. It’s still in circulation today and you can find it—you should find it—on Netflix.
So why am I plugging a thirty-year-old sitcom? Because Jerry Seinfeld is a brilliant writer, comedian and producer with a noteworthy creative method I’d like to tell you about.
He’s a notoriously hard worker—creating a method that brought him to the top of his field. His philosophy has three parts: He consciously fosters his love for his craft, deliberately practices every nuance to improve, and doesn’t break the chain.
The method is simple, focusing on consistent writing and creative work every day and visually charting the progress on a calendar.
To keep my creative momentum running and help me improve my skills, I decided to write every day in 2025.
I bought a small wall calendar and hung up in my office. On January 1st, I began my X-ing off days. After a few days went by, my primary aim was to keep the ball rolling.
February's here, and I've only missed four days of my chain since I started! Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
One, I need a very specific, scheduled writing time. It has to be outside of my daily life. Beyond the distractions of family, pets, and social media. My solution was to get my ass up before the crack of dawn and take advantage of the pre-dawn silence.
A fellow writer realized her only opportunity to write was between 6 and 8 a.m. I joined along and it worked. My writing streak was the longest one I'd ever had. I took over when her schedule changed. I started a daily Zoom accountability group I call The Early Bird Gets the Words.
Showing up and working on the WIP, keeping my toes in the water, has made me more productive. Not that I’m grinding out 5k a day; sometimes it’s just a sentence. Sometimes I just reread what I wrote the day before. The point is, I show up for me and my work. Where we put our time is what we value in life—writing everyday makes me more of a writer than any book I’ve ever published.
And who doesn’t love a streak? Some days, just putting an “X” on the calendar is all the motivation I have, but hey, I'll take it.
Snapchat fans will say snapstreaks are addictive—that uninterrupted back-and-forth messaging keeps you hooked. Especially when the days have built up and there’s a lot to lose. Imagine how horrifying it’d be to lose a fifty-day writing streak? My heart breaks thinking about it …
And forget writer’s block! Putting my brain knee-deep into the work each day keeps my subconscious engaging with the story problem. I wake up in the morning thinking about my project, ready to jump in. On the days I struggle, I simply reread and get myself in the mood. The work becomes more than just making words—it’s an interaction with my art. This change fosters a love for the story and the process.
“But I need a day off!” you may tell yourself. So do it. Define your streaks—only on workdays. Or commit to a lighter day of work. Athletes do this—workout hard several days a week, then on their “off days” they still do something to stay active.
Some days I’ll be knee-deep in my WIP and other days I’m blogging or doing book reviews. The point is, I’m dipping my toes in the pond, and being consistent.
I’m spending time every day in my creative art. And isn’t that the point?
Need accountability? Join me!
The Early Bird Gets the Words
Daily 6-8 a.m. on Zoom
Meeting: 775 9059 8246 Passcode: 179847
