Nobody wants to admit it, but the truth is that everything in life boils down to your habits. Succeeding at one thing or another is the long-term benefit of positive habits. Improvement and growth also result from good habits. Alternatively, gaining weight, for example, is the result of bad habits. The same can be said for rushing in the morning and leaving the house late.
Allowing bad habits to take over your life can result in lack of productivity. The more you do them, the harder they become to break. Don’t let inefficiency ruin your life when you have the potential to live a productive life. Being more productive in your day invites a sense of accomplishment and positivity. You’ll also have more time for other things in life that bring about happiness. Read about bad habits that ruin productivity below so that you can avoid them in the future.
Social Media Time
Living life through your screen can eat up a huge portion of your day. People fall down the rabbit hole that is social media, watching stories and videos, commenting on posts, or laughing at memes. All of a sudden, you look at the time and realize that you’ve been on social media for two hours. Spending lots of time in that realm is a big waste of time and often causes people to put off projects. It’s one of the biggest time-wasting activities out there. Learn how to unplug from your phone, or look at your screen time report to understand how much time you spend using those apps.
Wasting Your “Getting Ready” Hours
We’ve all had those mornings when things just don’t come together. That’s different than sitting mindlessly in front of the TV instead of getting dressed, making breakfast, and leaving the house on time. Put the phone away and keep the TV off in the morning because these devices inhibit your morning routine, which should get you excited and ready for the day. Consider a putting on a podcast, music, or audiobook while you get ready to stimulate the brain. You may find that these things promote creativity and put you in a better mood.
Failure To Prioritize A Bedtime Routine
A bedtime routine and sleep are two things that people overlook in regards to productivity. What you do before bed can set you up for success the next day. Perhaps you plan out your outfit the night before or quickly tidy up one area of your home in the evening. Everyone has different priorities at night, but it’s healthy to establish what they are and stick to carrying those out nightly. When you accomplish the things you need to do at night, you build upon your positive habits and increase productivity.
Not Taking Breaks
Everybody needs to take a break in order to recharge. Depleting your energy levels will sabotage your productivity. When you take breaks and allow yourself time to recuperate, you can come back to tasks with more energy and a clearer mind. Hitting the “off switch” is an integral step to avoiding a burnout. During your breaks, try to interact with others, step outside and soak up the sun, or take a walk. When you alternate between intense periods of focus and breaks, you’ll find that what you want to accomplish comes together more easily.
Saying Yes To Everything
If you want to ruin productivity in the best way possible, say yes to everything. When you commit to too many things that you don’t have time for, you’ll find that you are less productive. It’s more important to prioritize a select number of tasks that you can manage. Organize your tasks in order of priority, saving the simplest ones for later. Not only does this help you avoid a burnout, but it also helps to improve work performance. When you say yes to everything, you often put other tasks on the back burner or forget about things that have more priority.
Life Without A Planner
Some people swear by the use of a daily planner or digital counter, while others think they can manage everything in their head. The latter group tends to forget about important things they need to do. When you successfully plan things out, it’s easy to know how much time you need to allocate for certain tasks, outings, and more. Planners make it so you don’t forget things and they help you set habits that increase productivity. When you can properly divide your time, you’ll find that you can get more things done without losing track of the day.
