Are you struggling to stay productive throughout the day? Sometimes our productivity levels drop and it’s a human thing to feel unmotivated at times.
However, if you’ve been experiencing the reduced productivity levels for a long while, it might be an indication that you have habits that ruin your motivation. Here are 10 bad habits to quit in order to be more productive.
1. Checking your phone the moment you wake up
We regularly charge our phones, forgetting to recharge ourselves. Around 80% of people wake up and check their phones before having their breakfast. This habit steals your productivity.
Stop believing that checking your social media feed or email is more important than your breakfast. Rather than cluttering your mind with negative news, thoughts, and feelings, recharge your body first thing in the morning. Meditate, read a few pages of a positive or motivational book, have a healthy breakfast, and exercise.
You need to support your physical and mental health as it’s crucially important for your energy and productivity levels.
2. Having a negative attitude
Negativity steals your energy. When your energy levels are low, you’re less likely to be productive. Besides ruining your productivity, a negative attitude damages your health.
Stop perceiving people and situations in unpleasant ways. Change your reaction to your obstacles and problems. Pinpointing negative in everything and everyone is a really bad habit that you should recognize first and then quit it. Develop a positive attitude, instead.
Even the hardest problem is solved faster with a positive attitude.
3. Eating unhealthy
Unhealthy eating habits lead to decreased productivity along with poor health. What you put in your body plays a significant role in how you feel. The reduced ability to think clearly, lower energy levels, poor mental effectiveness, chronic fatigue, and mood swings are just a few consequences of eating unhealthy foods.
Never skip your meals and snack on healthy stuff like nuts or dried fruit. Any nutrient deficiency wreaks havoc on your body, triggering different conditions and diseases. As a result, you can’t work efficiently when your well-being suffers.
4. Not getting enough sleep
Sleep deprivation seems to be a norm these days, but there are tons of negative effects of it. First of all, a lack of sleep leads to premature aging. You might be in your early 30s, but feel like you’re in your late 60s.
Therefore, no matter how desperately you want to be productive, your deprived body screams otherwise. You might think that if you sleep less you’ll do more, but in reality, you sleep less and do less because you have no energy for doing more.
Aim to sleep at least 7 hours and be sure you go to bed till 11 pm. You will see your productivity up in no time.
5. Don't "wing it"
Most people do not create a plan for their life or or even the day.
You probably think nothing of it. You think you're extremely effective at just winging it. You complete plenty of tasks and don't have any issues...or so you think.
If you recorded yourself and watch so much time was actually wasted you'd be shocked. Time where you are just trying to figure out what you need to do. Or just not knowing what your next task is. Your just simply forgetting something all together.
6. Not moving your body
Sitting all day long without any hint of exercise is a road directly to nowhere. It’s hard to think clearly and stay productive when you’re locked inside the building and your body is as still as a rock. You might tell yourself, “I have no time or energy for exercise.”
That’s a wrong belief, though. You have time to walk more. You have the energy for doing a few stretches and sit-ups. All you need is a desire. Multiple studies have revealed that exercise helps to increase energy, enhance concentration, fight stress, prevent negative thinking and mental disorders, and improve productivity.
7. Multitasking
Multitasking might be effective when you’re doing your house chores, but it’s pernicious in the office. While you can do cooking and laundry at the same time, you can’t successfully accomplish two tasks or projects. Even if you do, you’ll need to re-check it twice or even re-do one of them because your boss might not like the outcome.
Most importantly, multitasking drains your energy and makes you less productive. Regardless of how busy you are, do one thing at a time. Give 100% of your focus to it and you’ll manage to complete this task successfully and much faster.
8. Gossiping
Your day can’t be productive if it involves gossiping. The time spent on gossiping is enormous. The worst part is, this office drama destroys our energy and productivity and triggers worries, negative emotions, and stress. It’s hard to work in the office and not to gossip, but try to stay away from this negative activity.
Take a stroll or meditate, instead. Your coworkers might not understand you – and even judge you – but who cares? Focus on your tasks, goals, projects, and whatever means to you.
The next time you want to gossip, ask yourself, “Why am I wasting my time on it?” Remember, you’re not paid to gossip.
9. Saying yes
Saying yes to every meeting or project or responsibility when you want to say no is another benefit that you should quit in order to be more productive.
Overscheduling yourself will lead to a burnout that will require a lot of recovery time. It’s okay to say no when you truly want to say it.
10. Trying to be perfect
Perfectionism is probably the biggest enemy of productivity after laziness. It breeds procrastination, fear, and doubts, and stop you from doing your tasks because you might think you won’t be able to do it perfectly.
Mistakes help us grow, so don’t be afraid to make them. If you want to be more productive, eliminate these 10 habits from your life for good. You will be happy you did
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