Nobody’s perfect. (Hannah Montana said it so it must be true). And that’s why we all have some bad habits. Whether it’s a minor tendency to bite your nails or a routine inability to keep your room in your hostel in Chennai clean, there are some habits and behaviors that you’d love to break. And not just because they’re annoying or a waste of time, they could be affecting your productivity or even lead to someone (including yourself) getting hurt. And you might even notice yourself doing them. So, it’s a good thing we’re here to draw your attention towards these habits. Let’s stop the damage from going any further and help you be your best self at work or study. Here are the five worst habits that could seriously hamper your productivity, and what you should do to correct them.
You’re always late
When it comes to getting work done, there’s no such thing as fashionably late. So if you’re someone who struggles to stay on schedule, it’s time to rethink your routine. First, examine the cause for always running late. Is it really that you had too many meetings and were stuck in traffic? Or did you not value the other person’s time? Whatever the case may be, there’s a quick fix for this bad habit. Instead of being late to meetings, take your time when it comes to accepting a task or invitation. The extra time in the planning stage gives you space to organize your schedule and gives the other person time to look for alternatives as well. Only commit to things you truly have the time for. Another way to ensure you maximize your punctuality is by going over the tasks in your daily routine that always make you late and finding ways to allot them more time. And if you’re still late despite all that, remember to call ahead and apologize.
You’re disorganized
Take a look around your room and your desk. Are things in their proper places? Or do you have to hurriedly justify to every visitor that there’s a method to your madness? Look, we get it. It’s difficult to maintain Marie Kondo levels of organizations on a daily basis, but living in a totally unstructured and untidy environment is bound to take a toll on your productivity. You’ll find yourself missing deadlines, misplacing important documents, or even just feeling overwhelmed a lot more often if you’re surrounded by clutter. The easiest way to turn that clutter into coordination is by creating color-coded groups. The color coding will help you process things visually (which is probably what you were doing by strewing all your items everywhere) while the groups will ensure there is a system for where different things go. You can put your papers into folders according to their subjects or relevance, and get storage bins for larger objects that can easily be tucked into drawers or pushed under the bed. Trust us, you’ll be working a lot better when you’re in an organized space.
You procrastinate
If you’re someone who avoids a task for as long as possible, whether it’s an assignment to submit, a meeting to prepare for, even going to sleep at night, this habit is one that needs fixing. Because procrastination is great at helping you manage the anxiety you feel at the prospect of working on a task, but the result of that procrastination is always ten times worse. So, how do you hold yourself accountable? Well, the easiest thing you can do is this – take all the steps you need to do to get started with your task. For example, if you’ve been putting off writing the paper you need to submit for your class, get up, gather your materials and switch on your laptop. Chances are when you’ve taken the preparatory steps for a particular task, you’re more likely to see it through. Another easy trick to keep yourself on track is to rope in a friend or family member to work in the same place as you. Being around someone else who’s being productive is bound to make you want in on the action.
You can’t put down your phone
Okay, this one’s not your fault. Smartphones and apps are designed to keep you scrolling forever. But if you’re obsessed with your phone and unable to put it down so much so that it’s getting in the way of your productivity, it’s time to change. Your phone is not something that should kickstart extreme FOMO in you. So, if you want to break your phone fixation, there are some quick tricks you can try. First of all, turning off your notifications for any distracting apps can help you focus your attention on what’s really important. You could also set boundaries for yourself for certain phone-free times (like meals, especially). And if none of these options are working for you, consider some productivity apps like Forest which will ensure you can only use the apps on your phone during particular times of the day, as per your requirements. Say goodbye to distractions.
You’re a perfectionist
This may sound counterintuitive at first. How can being a perfectionist get in the way of your productivity? Well, if you’re constantly limiting yourself with unnecessarily high expectations, or being overly finicky about completing tasks, you’re probably not getting much done. So, how do you break this bad habit? Starting small can help, as this is all about changing your mindset. Train yourself to care less about outcomes of small chores like making the bed in your PG in Poonamallee. You’ll get into the habit of accepting imperfect results and realize there aren’t any dire consequences. Another thing you can do is set an alarm for a particular task you think you’ll obsess over. Challenge yourself to complete your work within that time limit instead of giving yourself endless opportunities to think and rethink your actions.
Finally, if you’ve been dealing with any of these bad habits (or all of them) affecting your productivity, you now have the knowledge and some tricks to try to break them. You can use these steps not just for the habits on our list but for a large variety of actions that could be harming you. So, embrace change and get yourself onto the path for a more productive life.