We all may have slightly different definitions of what constitutes success, however, even with that being so, I think we can all agree that successful people are masters of productivity. With that being understood, we can also derive that some unproductive habits simply do not serve the successful.
The thing about habits is that when you begin to get a good look at your habits, a picture of who you are begins to form. If your habits are unsavory, then it’s highly likely that you are going to be unhappy with your life. Conversely, if you are someone who aligns yourself with beneficial habits, you will likely feel a greater sense of happiness, accomplishment, and even success.
Thankfully, even if your habits are more aligned with the unproductive habits I list below, just know that you can always flip the script, and turn things around for the better. A good starting place is by getting honest with yourself and understanding that even our smallest habits can make a major impact on our life in general.
1. Mindless social media scrolling.
It’s so easy to get distracted these days, as we all carry a device that we can easily get lost in at any time. While it’s perfectly okay to have a designated time to ‘get lost’ in your phone or in any technology of your choosing-when you allow yourself to run wild with it- you can lose so much time that otherwise could have been used on something that would benefit you.
2. Rushing through projects.
It might sound counterintuitive to say that rushing through a project is unproductive, but hear me out. When you rush through a project, there is a high chance that something will either be looked over or done wrong. Then, you either have to go back and fix the work or do it over entirely. Instead of rushing, mindfully pace yourself and maintain your focus on the details that matter.
3. Never allowing yourself downtime.
Another one that might sound counterintuitive, but the thing is- no matter how much you may want to be- you aren’t a machine. You need rest, or you will get burned out. Do you want to know what is unproductive? Having to take a week off, because you ran yourself into the ground, instead of allowing yourself small breaks along the way.
4. Not paying attention.
It can be easy to get lost in what you are doing and accidentally stop paying attention. We all tend to go on auto-pilot sometimes, but in those times, the likelihood of you missing something important or completely messing something up is much higher than if you paid attention.
5. Never ask for help. (Especially when you need it.)
It can be hard to ask for help, especially if you pride yourself on getting it all done, alone. However, it is not optimal to refuse help when you need it. Eventually, you will have to buckle down and ask for it- so instead of wasting your time and everyone else’s – go ahead and get the help you need.
6. Believing you have no more to learn.
When you become a master of something, you might assume that it’s okay to stop learning. You know it all right? The thing is- there is no way to ever know everything about anything. There is always more to discover. Don’t sell yourself short.
7. Pointless meetings.
How much of your time goes to meetings and client meetups that were otherwise pointless? too often, we make a meeting out of something that could have just been an email or a phone call.
8. Living in clutter.
When your environment is in complete chaos- it will put you behind, big time. Think about it: if your important paperwork is buried underneath ten Amazon packages and yesterday’s coffee, you are going to end up wasting a lot of time trying to find your bearings.
9. Choosing perfection over completion.
Perfection isn’t possible. Even if a certain level of it is- there is a high chance that if you are always trying to perfect every angle of every project- that a lot of time is going to be wasted. Remember, completion is often better than striving for perfection.
10. Comparing yourself to others.
If you spend a lot of time worrying about what others have achieved and accomplished instead of placing that energy into your accomplishments, you are going to end up wasting so much precious time. Not only that, but it’s downright horrible for your mental health. Focus on you, not everyone else.