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Creating everyday routines that increase your productivity requires the development of good habits. However, kicking bad habits is just as crucial!
You can change things around so that you are effectively using the hours in the day to work toward your objectives by breaking inefficient and toxic habits. Bad habits that are affecting your productivity will get harder to quit as you continue to practice them. Therefore, if you think you may be engaging in any of these bad habits that hinder productivity, I do advise trying to change them immediately.
In doing so, you will also have more time in your life without them, which means you will have more time to be more effective and work toward your goals. Let’s get started with the article so we can talk about the habits that kill your productivity and how to change them so you can actually learn to be productive.
Although it might seem overwhelming, it’s never too late to start and it’s crucial to break these bad habits!
5 Habits That Are Ruining Your Productivity
So here are these habits that you need to do to break to and live your most productive life. And then you can reach for your dreams!
1. Hitting The Snooze Button
While it may seem like hitting the snooze button in the morning will give you a little additional sleep before you begin your day, in reality, it actually has the opposite effect. That’s because your endocrine system starts to produce alertness hormones as soon as you wake up to prepare you for the day.
You’re slowing this down by going back to sleep. In addition, those extra nine minutes are insufficient for your body to get the deep sleep that it requires for restoration.
2. Not Making Daily To-Do List
You can see everything you need to achieve that day by using a daily to-do list. Additionally, it enables you to prioritize what needs to be done each day. One of the best tools you can use right away to increase your productivity is a daily to-do list.
If you don’t make a daily to-do list, you need to break the bad habit of beginning your day without a strategy and a to-do list. Making to-do lists is crucial if you want to start being more efficient. I suggest purchasing a straightforward to-do list notepad like this one to get you started.
On your desk, keeping a notepad with a daily to-do list can be helpful in breaking this productivity-ruining habit of not having to-do lists. Keep in mind that having things in plain sight is a great way to serve as a reminder to yourself so that you can develop new habits. Create new, more productive routines to increase your productivity.
3. Skipping Breakfast
Our bodies and minds are intricately intertwined, and providing our bodies with the fuel they require goes beyond simply getting enough sleep.
The most significant meal of the day is breakfast. You’ve probably gone 10 or 12 hours without eating by the time you wake up, which is how breakfast earned its name because it literally means “breaking the fast.” In order to concentrate and be productive throughout the day, your metabolism needs to be refueled and your blood sugar levels replenished at your first meal of the day.
Low blood sugar makes it much harder to concentrate and is associated with increased levels of fatigue, irritability, and impatience.
The key to a successful morning is striking a balance between lean protein and high-fiber carbs. Even though all carbohydrates increase your blood sugar levels, high-fiber carbohydrates like those found in fruits and whole grains do so more steadily than sugar and low-fiber carbohydrates like those found in refined grains.
4. Excessively Using Your Phone
Since most of us have access to the internet at work, it’s easy to get distracted by browsing social media or looking up the answer to a random question that just came to mind.
All of us have lost ourselves in the social media time vortex. You log onto Instagram for a brief moment to check for a few new pictures, and then two hours later you find yourself scrolling endlessly on Tik Tok. I’m not advocating against using social media… But watch how much time you waste on it!
Hours spent on social media is not time well spent. Instead, treat yourself by using social media during your downtime from work. Social media can be fantastic for expanding your company or maintaining relationships. Don’t let it run your day, though.
In general, using your phone can be a significant time waste that prevents you from being more effective. I advise establishing a timer on your phone if you have trouble controlling the use of your social media and phones in general. Don’t let yourself use your phone until the timer goes off.
5. Putting Off Your Work Til Later
People frequently finish simple tasks first thing in the morning to get the day started and save the more challenging work for later. This is a bad idea that frequently results in important jobs being completely neglected.
Willpower is a finite resource that dwindles over the course of the day. Given this, it’s best to complete your most challenging and crucial duties first thing in the morning.
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