By 4 Habits Keep You From Being Highly Productive
May 01, 2021
Productivity refers to being effective, efficient, and timely in completing tasks, whether they are self-assigned or related to work and responsibilities. Being highly productive is a skill and a trait that is quite difficult to master.
Many people joke about their lack of productivity as a result. But really, you know it’s no laughing matter.
If you are one of those people who finds it difficult to get things done, you may be doing some things that seem beneficial but jeopardize your ability to be efficient. Here are four habits to put aside in order to become very productive in life.
1. Overload
One of the main enemies of productivity is the overwhelmed. When you’re overloaded, you can’t focus as well on individual tasks. This is why so many people are puzzled as to their lack of productivity. They don’t realize that having a lot to do is often counterproductive to their motivation. Here are some ways you can be overloaded!
Have too many options
Having a lot of options sounds good on paper, but it can cause you fatigue trying to weigh them all and choose them. All that information can turn off your brain, completely ruining your attempts to be productive and degrading your positive thinking.
Use of many tools
Similar to having too many options, this sounds good on paper. If you work in a field that requires a large number of tools and methods, it’s easy to accidentally give yourself a million different methods to use for every little task. However, it is better to find few tools that do many uses compared to many tools that do few uses. The latter, after all, is how you end up with so much to keep track of in such inconvenient ways!
Multitasking
Many people are strangely proud of their ability to multitask. However, scientifically there are few positive effects of such behavior. It actually slows you down and hinders your productivity, and increasing speed increases the likelihood that the results will be of poor quality. Some tasks can be done simultaneously, like little things like making a drink while listening to voice messages. However, the tasks that require more attention should not be done at the same time.
Always saying yes
You can’t commit to everything, and you shouldn’t feel like you always have to say yes to people’s requests for help. You don’t owe them your efforts and it’s okay to reject some people. Don’t forget that you are showing others that you are always available and that you are opening up to being taken advantage of. be a yes-man.
Filling your calendar to the brim
Just because you can stick to a schedule doesn’t mean you have to be there. Squeezed tasks not only mean you have no leeway for unexpected events or changes, it also means you don’t have time to breathe or to be alone. That tires you out and can lead to unproductive burnout!
Trying to do it all alone
Being independent is great, but there is a point where it goes too far and you feel like you just have to trust yourself. Learning when to ask for help or, if you are in a leadership position, learning to delegate tasks allows for better productivity. It can be difficult to trust other people, but you can’t build that trust if you never give others a chance to demonstrate their capabilities.
2. He never plans or does not plan well
Planning is critical to all productivity. If your planning is done in a positive way, you will get positive results. And, of course, the reverse is also true. If you don’t plan well, your productivity will quickly deplete and you’ll end up wondering why you have all these plans and still can’t get things done. It is another counterproductive action that surprises many people that it does not work! Here are some ways you are not planning well:
Never plan ahead
It’s okay to enjoy being spontaneous, but some things need planning. Keep track of your deadlines, write lists of things you need to remember, and develop a plan for complex tasks. If you don’t, you may end up making a mistake and not doing what needs to be done. Research shows that this will have positive effects on your productivity!
Do not create a work routine
The human brain works best on a routine basis. It allows you to keep going every day doing things that you are used to and that you know well. If you want to adopt a productive mindset, you can get going with the same routine whenever it’s work time. positive for their ability to perform their tasks. So develop those pre-work habits!
Have a huge to-do list
Being overzealous about planning can get you motivated at first, but let’s face it – the chances of you actually doing all of that are pretty slim! As the day progresses, you will feel more scared and overwhelmed, and then your productivity will collapse. Worse still, you’ll feel bad about not getting things done and your positive thinking will only decrease further from there. Instead, keep a to-do list with a maximum of 5 tasks per day!
3. Get easily distracted
One of the pervasive ways productivity stagnates is through distraction. There are distractions pretty much everywhere, and if you give in to them even a little bit, you may have done nothing after spending what seems like little time on a random distraction. Here are some examples of distractions that can get in the way of your tasks:
· Mobile devices
A quick review of your smartphone it can lead to their interest being piqued by a social media notification, leading to an hour-long scrolling. Or it can get you stuck in a group chat that has been running for hours and isn’t slowing down in activity anytime soon. Don’t check your phone unless it’s relevant to work or you’re on a break, and that applies to all mobile devices! Keep them in silent mode if necessary!
Environmental noise
A noisy environment is hard to ignore. Try to create a quiet workspace or ask those around you to kindly respect your professional life. This is especially true if you don’t work in a traditional office environment or if you work from home.
· Emails
Checking emails is usually part of the job. But that doesn’t mean you should constantly obsess during the day. The temptation to check your emails leads to the desire to reply to them, which can effectively distract you from your current task.
Set one or two hours a day to check and respond to emails. Or if you get a lot of them, set time-based intervals for when you check them out. Then set a time to read and respond to them. Otherwise, please do not enter your inbox unless specifically prompted or relevant to your current task.
Household chores and duties
You probably have to balance work and home responsibilities, and it’s easy to use each other as distractions for each other! Set specific times for each form of accountability. You can do housework before or after work and keep the established and sacred work schedule. You should also find quiet corners to work as the tasks around you can also distract from your work flow.
Family obligation
No, this does not mean putting work before family! It really only applies if you work from home. Sometimes family members, especially children, may not understand that just because you are working from home means that you are still properly occupied professionally. It is tempting to give in to your children who ask you to play or your partner asks you to do something for them. Set limits clearly: Your work hours are specific hours, just like anyone who works in an office, and as soon as that time is up, you can do things with them.
4. Perfectionism
Perfectionism it is often framed as a trait that is nothing but positive. In reality, as a concept, it is completely flawed and even detrimental to your self-esteem and daily productivity. This is because:
Your standards are impossible
Literally no one is perfect! The drive for perfection is doomed from the start. It is good to maintain high standards and strive to perform well, but once those standards are not achievable, it simply leads to a blow to your self-esteem when you fail.
You are more indecisive
The need for perfectionism means that you may feel like you have to weigh all the possible pros and cons before making a decision, even when everything is reasonably balanced on the good and bad aspects. It’s good to take the time to consider things so you’re not impulsive, but there is a point where decision-making becomes more critical than pondering over them. The more time you spend making a decision, the less time you have to move to the next step or get back to your actual tasks.
Anything unexpected puts you off
Perfectionism often includes the need for control. But life won’t always go according to plan, and things you couldn’t predict will happen, and you’ll also encounter setbacks and mistakes. When you are too much of a perfectionist, you don’t know how to respond to unexpected events, which slows you down.
You literally spend too much time worrying about productivity
It is not productive to think too much about productivity! If you are a perfectionist, you can punish yourself for any perceived slowness, even for no reason. That makes it even harder for you to get things done and erodes your positive thinking.
So how can you overcome those aspects of perfectionism? Try:
- Learn to be comfortable with mistakes and failures.
- Finding lessons and silver lights in difficult situations
- Becoming a self-proclaimed finalist who wants to finish whatever you start to the best of your ability, even if it’s not perfect.
- Focus on the act of finishing something and pat yourself on the back for completing it
Final thoughts on some habits to let go of to be highly productive in life
Productivity is not easy to come by. But once you learn to kick the habits that hinder your ability to be highly productive, things will become more manageable. If you are significantly struggling with productivity to a point where daily tasks feel impossible, you should speak to a doctor for a professional opinion.
