[ronaldx]

"Don't Break The Chain" can be dangerous on its own.

Whenever I do break the chain, I feel unmotivated to start the chain again (especially if I've done a good job, because it seems overwhelming to pick it up again from the start of the chain).

I've had to move on from Don't Break The Chain to being positive about making consistent progress.

I would say Don't Break The Chain is great for a fixed-length, short-to-medium-term task, rather than instilling permanent habits.

[randlet]

You can make your chain more coarse than daily. For example, for me it's a lot easier to commit to doing something 5 days a week rather every single day so my chain links are measured in units of weeks rather than days. You don't need to beat yourself up about missing a day or two here and there.

[mhartl]

Agreed. The solution I like is http://beeminder.com/.