Being productive 24/7 isn’t easy. Whether you’re a productivity junkie or in early days of your time management journey, we’ve all picked up a few habits that have gotten in the way. We’re rounding up the 5 habits that are killing your productivity (like majorly) – so keep reading to find out!
5 Habits that are Killing Your Productivity
Checking your phone on the regular
Have you ever picked up your phone for a very specific reason, and somewhere along the way you found yourself scrolling on Instagram, forgetting why you even picked up your phone in the first place?
Your phone can be super distracting — and for more reasons than social media. Between text messages, calls, push notifications, emails, and news pop-ups, there’s always something coming at you when you look at your phone.
Checking your phone on the regular is one of those habits that kill your productivity, but can be easily managed once you’re conscious of it.
A lot of times we subconsciously pick up our phone – out of habit, with no intended purpose. We pick it up in the middle of doing something, it intercepts our focus, and next thing we know we’ve spent hours on TikTok watching 12 year olds bust a move (yikes, we’ve actually come to that point, haven’t we?).
When you need to get something done, set a timer, put your phone away, and go to work. Allocate specific times that you’ll check your phone versus having it by your side 24/7. This is especially important if you’re doing something on a time crunch.
If for some reason you do still need your phone, turn off all push notifications, temporarily delete apps, and do whatever you need to do to keep the distractions to a minimum.
Over-planning
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” But, if you never get to executing on that plan, you won’t be in a good spot either. A common mishap that happens to every productivity junkie: over-planning.
Creating a plan and making a to do list is an important start to getting yourself organized. What you want to avoid though, is spending a ton of time upfront creating a plan, that you never actually get to. You’ve got a lot of things to do, and sometimes planning can be a way to procrastinate and put it all off.
If you’re someone that tends to over-plan, try the one-minute rule. A lot of times the things we put on our to do lists can be done in a matter of minutes, and it actually takes longer to “plan” for it, than to just get it done. You can check out our video on the one-minute rule below!
Focusing on non-priorities
Another habit that is seriously killing your productivity, is spending time on things that don’t add substantial value to your end goals. You don’t want to be busy, you want to be productive. That means, effectively managing your time to focus on things that align to your goals and vision in life. Every now and then that may include a mundane task, but that shouldn’t be all you do.
Here’s an example. If you’re a neat freak like me, chances are, you will find every reason to de-clutter, clean up, do that last dish in the sink, and more — just to maintain “a perfectly clean” household. What happens when you do this? You’re never actually focused on what you set out to do. You allow yourself to get distracted by irrelevant things like that single coffee mug in the sink, when in reality, your home is still super clean.
I had to teach myself to let these irrelevant tasks go. Otherwise, I could spend hours each day finding something new to organize or deep clean, never getting to the tasks and goals I’ve prioritized in my life. Now, I give myself X amount of time each day (I actually set a timer: 20 mins in the morning, 10 mins in the evening) to get chores and other administrative tasks done, so I can spend the rest of my time focusing on my actual priorities.
Perfection
Done is better than perfect. And if you’d classify yourself as a perfectionist – this can no doubt be a struggle! Perfectionism can really kill your productivity. This is where you begin obsessing with how you picture the end result, rather than achieving the end result.
This doesn’t mean you should lower all your standards and never achieve quality in what you’re setting out to do, but you need to pick and choose where you want to spend your effort. Not being a perfectionist doesn’t mean you have low standards. You can have high standards, and not be a perfectionist.
Spending your time perfecting something that won’t drive a lot of value of your life, isn’t the most practical way to spend your time. Focusing your efforts on creating high quality results on something that will drive a lot of value in your life – is so worth it.
You want to be flexible, not rigid, so that you can spend your time being productive. In turn, this allows you to do all the other things that require your focus.
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Always saying “yes”
Last of the habits that are killing your productivity: saying “yes” all the time.
Yes, I’ll come hang out with you for a bit.
Sure, I’ll watch that show with you.
Yup, I’ll work late to help finish the project.
Yes, yes yes, yes, yes.
Putting everyone else’s to do list before your own, is a habit that’ll kill your productivity real quick.
Learn to say no when you’re just not able or willing to do what’s asked of you. Not only will this give you more time in your day, but it’ll actually help manage your energy, as well. It’s not selfish for you to spend your time doing things that you need to get done. Remember that!
For more productivity resources, check out some of our latest articles below:
- The Secret to Managing Everything: Work, Life, Health, and More
- 5 Things to do (Besides Netflix) When You’re Bored
- 5 Ways to Transform Your Mindset in Quarantine
- Life Changing Hacks to do at the Start of Every Month
- How to Wake Up Earlier: Morning Motivation
