15 Habits That Are Productivity Destroyers, and You’re Likely Guilty of Some of Them
We all have habits we aren’t really proud of, and some of those affect our work days. If you find yourself struggling to be productive, check if you recognize any of these bad habits.
Mindfully American compiled this list based on bad habits our team shared coupled with recurring bad habits we found online.
1: Doomscrolling Dilemma
Newsflash: Your phone isn’t your best friend. Telling yourself that you’ll take a quick peek at Instagram, Facebook, and other social media apps is a slippery slope. Mindless scrolling stops productivity in its tracks.
2: Too Tired
Not catching enough Z’s every night can be detrimental to a productive routine. According to the Sleep Foundation, working while sleep-deprived can “significantly” impact job performance.
3: Bottom of the Bottle
Some people can handle drinking alcohol the night before they work; others can’t. Of course, the amount you drink can also affect how much or little drinking impacts your productivity.
4: Not So Productive
What do bad productivity habits look like for hyper-productive people, you ask? It can be in the form of making never-ending lists, improving organization strategies, and delving into new self-help techniques rather than digging in and getting a task done.
5: Perfect Practice
Practice most definitely doesn’t make perfect when it comes to being productive. Similar to hyper-productive people, those who practice a task too much end up stalling the inevitable jobs they need to get done.
6: Unsmart Habits
Not only can social media be harmful to productivity, but smartphones in general are often the culprit. Unless you use time management apps to silence calls, text messages, and other notifications during the hours when you need to be productive, such interruptions can seriously derail your productivity.
7: Sort It Out
You know what they say: You plan to fail if you fail to plan. Not making a realistic game plan for your work will halt your productivity. This is especially the case if you’re an all-or-nothing kind of person when it comes to getting work done.
8: Making Plans
Planning how you plan to be productive each day can be vital for people struggling to complete tasks. Not only is it helpful to write down what you intend to get done, but it’s also useful to allot certain times for each task. Just make sure to be reasonable with the time you give to the items on your list; failing to meet the times you set could make you give up on sticking with the remaining tasks.
9: Hit the Hay
Even if you tell yourself it’s just for a little bit, taking a break by laying in bed during the day can be a nightmare for productivity. That said, if you’re disciplined, a nap could actually improve your productivity; studies show that short naps can improve creativity and cognitive function.
10: Wake Up
When you first open your eyes in the morning, what you want probably differs from what you need if you’re looking for a productive day. Case in point? Avoid lying in bed scrolling through social media, as you could unintentionally devote too much time to it.
11: Make Priorities
Not being clear on your priorities is one of the worst ways to kick a bad habit and leave it behind for good. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the different possibilities for a project or idea. But choosing a few and committing to them fully instead of sitting with the “what ifs” is often a more productive way to approach them.
12: Chain Reaction
Self-sabotage is real; you can be your own worst enemy when it comes to preventing a productive workday. So, instead of allowing something that didn’t go right to throw off your entire day, try picking back up by being productive within the areas you can control.
13: Junk Food Problems
If you have an unproductive day, one of the worst things you can do is soothe yourself with unhealthy food and drinks afterward. A bonus? Your waistline will thank you.
14: Just Do It
It sounds counterintuitive, but productivity apps and journals can turn into a bad habit that does the opposite. If you have a large, long-term project, they could be worth it. Otherwise, the time it takes to set them up might not be productive-friendly for smaller tasks.
15: Under My Thumb
If your boss tells you that you need to be more productive, it’ll likely stop you in your tracks. And that just might be a good thing; some people don’t do well managing their time in remote work environments or as self-employed individuals.
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