13 Bad Habits That Are Killing Your Productivity

Who doesn’t want to be productive?

Pick any random person and s/he will have the incessant desire of making the best of it. But, when it comes to execution, a lot of them collapse.

You must’ve heard a lot about the various methods to boost productivity.

So, here, I would rather discuss about the reason that lessen the productivity of a person.

And that reason is BAD HABITS.

Knowingly and unknowingly they have become an inseparable part of our lives. They are indeed the biggest culprits that weaken the fruitfulness of our deeds.

Yes, this is how the chain goes.

Bad habits are the termites that devour our productivity. So, if the below mentioned habits are a part of your everyday life, show them the exit door, ASAP.

• Spanking the Snooze Button

THE MORNING ALARM!!

Ugh!!!

Isn’t this your reaction every time you hear these words?

Are you among those who spank the snooze button as soon as the morning alarm rings?

Nevermind, I am among them, too. 😉

Those few minutes of extra sleep become the most profound desire and the hardest temptation to resist. But, however enticing it seems, it does more harm than good to us. Those extra minutes tend to make us feel more tired than energetic during the entire day.

Each time we try to sleep again, our body begins to relax. It starts getting false indications that it has nothing to do and can again go to the resting condition.

Check out this video that explains how snoozing your morning alarm can screw your entire day.

So, hitting the snooze button is not the right means to get some extra rest. Rather, it disturbs the sleep pattern and lessens our productivity rate.

• Skipping the Break-fast

Asserting the importance of breakfast, many nutritionists explained that when we are sleeping, we are fasting. So, to fire up our energy meters, breakfasting is mandatory. That is why it is named so- B-R-E-A-K-F-A-S-T, which means ‘breaking the fast.’

So, if you are treating your morning meal in the same way, I request you to change it right now. Be mindful of the fact that this bad habit adversely affects your metabolism. The morning meal (breakfast) is necessary to break the night long starvation. It restocks your blood-sugar levels and makes you productive for the whole day.

However, along with the habit of having breakfast, it is imperative to focus on the food type as well. Try having a food rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. For instance- foods rich in vitamin B like oatmeal, bananas, pineapple, and avocados assist in improving your concentration power.

• The Morning Rush

Getting up late leaves you with no time for your morning chores. Every day, you rush out of the door to reach your office, school or college in time.

Well, if this is how you are doing it daily, then take a note that all this hustle shoots up adrenaline in your body, which can cause you to crash later on.

You get panicked, restless, and stressed, a long before your day actually begins. Consequently, the level of your productivity lessens and your performance graph begins to show a decline.

Beginning your day in the right way is significant. How you feel in the morning usually builds-up the mood for the whole day.

So, if you are, too, a frequent traveler of the ‘MORNING RUSH TRAIN,’ jump out of it ASAP. Try to wake up 20 to 30 minutes earlier than your present time, plan your day, and arrange the things you need in the morning, a night before. All this will give you a little spare time in the morning.

• Multitasking

Multitasking is not only problematic but also dangerous and damaging. A research conducted by Stanford University supports the fact that multitasking leads to lesser productivity.

Earl Miller a neuroscientist at MIT also asserts that our brains are “not wired to multitask well… when people think they’re multitasking, they’re actually just switching from one task to another very rapidly. And every time they do, there’s a cognitive cost.”

So, to increase your productivity, better concentrate on one task instead of handling assorted tasks.

• Dragging Feet from Tough Tasks

Oh! This one reminds me of one of my friends. How she used to say that she’ll begin her self-study sessions with easy to do things and will cover the tougher topics later. Despite this study habit, she, often, couldn’t get fruitful results.

 Can you guess why?

Source: click here

Well, we all have a limited amount of mental energy, and it reduces as we keep on completing tasks. Resultantly, our productivity declines with each task. So, keeping the tougher task for later will make the situation pernicious.

• Bad Food Habits and No Physical Activity

It’s not just about the mental aspects but also physical aspects. Your lifestyle has a direct impact on your productivity. And your lifestyle is decided by the food you eat and physical activities that you perform throughout your day.

The mouth-watering burgers, chilled cold-drink cans, and tempting pastries- show all of them the way out. You might be unaware but they are among the biggest productivity killers. Also, get involved in some physical activity and stick to it.

• Not Setting The Priorities

Having a zillion options is not always propitious. If you will have an eye on various projects, you’ll either end-up losing all of them or not be able to perform as per the expectations. The focus tends to fluctuate more when you have options. Not only this, they hamper your productivity.

 But, how to overcome this problem?

A priority list.

Yes, make a priority list for yourself and cling to it.

For instance- list 10 things that you want to finish within a month. Big or small, include all.

Now, mark 5 things that rank high in your priority meter. Write the preference score against each as per your priority.

Begin finishing them ASAP.

 You can also set the probable time to finish a particular task. Like 3 days for the first task, 2 for the second one, and so on.

Do the same with the other 5 things. And here you are with all the work done that too in time and probably with better outcomes.

• Inadequate Planning

Planning is an inevitable part of any task. Also, a perfect plan is significant to obtain the desirous result. But, what is not right is, wasting a lot of time on planning. Mere planning is of no use.

Besides, over-planning is as detrimental as under-planning. Inappropriate planning will lead to waste of time, unnecessary frustration, exertion, and reduced productivity.

Rather, go step-by-step and make changes as and when required. Divide the tasks into simpler and smaller segments and keep a scope for amendments.

Image Source: click here

• Yearning for Perfection

Being a perfectionist is good. But like the two sides of a coin, it can be prejudicial, too.

The perfectionist in you, probably, can be the reason for your reduced productivity. We become so blind and stubborn for perfection that we end up spending a lot of time on a particular task. Obviously, a lot more than required.

The obstinacy for perfection leads to procrastination.

A famous British philosopher and author Alain de Botton writes, “We begin to work only when the fear of doing nothing at all exceeds the fear of not doing it very well … And that can take time.” 

• Waiting for the Perfect Moment

What is your say on the idea of a perfect moment?

Is it something that comes knocking your door or is it something that has to be created?

Okay, let’s make it simpler.

Recall the time when you successfully finished your task. Let it be anything from completing a tough assignment to cleaning your room. Remember how content and accomplished you felt?

Why you did that task at that time? Was it because a fairy spanked your head, telling that this would be your perfect moment? Or you did that because you decided to?

So, instead of waiting, create your perfect moment and make the best out of it.

Said enough!

• Refuse to Learn New Skills

Learning never harmed anyone but ignorance did.

The constant learners are usually great achievers.  Persistently adding a new skill or technique to your personality will not only boost your knowledge, but also increase your productivity.

Though these skills don’t have to be necessarily complex, simple skills like using a photocopier, learning a few new words, or a new style of cooking a dish, will be helpful too.

“The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice.”

– Brian Herbert

12. Your Company Makes All the Difference

It is said that you become what you think and the kind of people you stay with.

Right?

Well, if I ask to list 3 things that you’ve learnt from your friends, parents, siblings, or any other person you are acquainted with. I am sure that none of you will go blank. And that’s the effect of our company on our lives.

Don’t worry if you have this tendency too. We all have it. It’s a human nature.

But yes, do worry about the type of people and skills you encounter with. Like if you hang-out with people who have low self-esteem, negative mindset, and unwilling attitudes, then you are ought to become one.

• Making Excuses

Image Source: click here

Yeah. Right, it was heart wrenching.

Raise your hand if you, too, console yourself this way for not doing the things you are supposed to do.

Not doing anything merely because something lame happened isn’t right. It’s all right if it happens once in a blue moon. Sometimes we are just not in the mood to do things. But, if this is an everyday scene, you better take a step back.

Take a note that baseless excuses are worse than procrastination.

This is among the worst habits that hinder your productivity.

Next time, when excuses pops up in your mind, whomp them and finish your task.