We all find ourselves with unproductive habits, which can prevent us from reaching our full potential. Some of the most common unproductive habits to break include:
Phone Habits
Do you waste hours scrolling through social media or playing games? We must limit ourselves on how much time can be spent on the phone each day in order to break this habit. Once you hit that limit, put the phone away and focus on something else. If you are able, you can also leave the phone in another room when you need to focus on a particular task.
Disorganization
If your bedroom is a mess and your purse is overflowing, staying organized and on top of things will be nearly impossible. I want to encourage you to take some time to declutter your personal space and create a system that works for you to help you feel more in control and less stressed.
Binge Watching Shows
I can easily get sucked into a good TV show and watch episode after episode. You know this. But this it’s also a huge time waster. If you tend to binge watch, set a limit of one or two episodes per day or assign certain times that binging is allowed, like during inclement weather or when sick.
Procrastination
Procrastination is one of the most common unproductive habits and can be very damaging to your success. When you procrastinate, you end up putting off essential tasks, often leading to poor performance, missed deadlines, and overwhelm. It will help to find the underlying reason for procrastination.
Social Media Addiction
Social media connects you with friends and family, but it’s a significant waste of time for the most part. We need to focus on work or other essential tasks, instead of getting sucked into scrolling through newsfeeds or posting social media updates. It can also help to show how you limit yourself so your friends and family know a successful way to deal with this issue.
Poor Sleep Habits
Many (read: most) of us don’t get enough sleep which can lead to being tired and unproductive during the day. “They” say we need at least 8 to 12 hours of sleep each night to function at our best. The problem is that often we are so overscheduled it makes it hard to accomplish this. Take a look to see whether you are overscheduling yourself, and what could be reduced or eliminated.
Poor Diet
Eating unhealthy foods will make anyone feel sluggish and uninterested in being productive. A healthy diet is vital for both physical and mental wellbeing.
Lack of Exercise
Exercise releases extra energy and improves focus. However, many of us lead sedentary lifestyles and don’t get enough exercise which can make us feel tired and uninterested in being active. Create regular routines that encourage after-dinner walks and physical activity.
Breaking unproductive habits can be difficult. But we focus on our goals so that we can live the abundant life we are meant to live.
Characteristics of a Highly Productive Mindset
(aka the opposite of the unproductive habits to break)
Once you get beyond these unproductive habits to break, we can take a look at what the opposite looks like.
A person with a highly productive mindset possesses many characteristics that allow them to be successful in achieving their goals. Therefore, if you want to be productive, it’s a good idea to study what productive people have that you don’t have.
Highly productive mindsets have a clear vision of what they want to achieve, allowing them to focus on their goals despite distractions. They develop their goals by staying disciplined in their work habits and sticking to their schedule.
In fact, even when things are tough and are always looking for ways to improve their productivity without being busy. This requires always being willing to keep learning and growing, allowing them to improve their skills and knowledge continuously.
Read through these characteristics of highly productive people and don’t worry, you’ll soon become one after you’ve gotten over those unproductive habits to break.
- Clearly defined goals — They know exactly what they want to achieve, and they have a plan for how to get there. Productive people are not just going through the motions but are actively working towards their goals.
- Focused and disciplined — They can stay on task, focus on their goals, and stick to their plan, even when it gets difficult.
- They know their own principles, morals, and values — The fact that they ensure all goals align with their personal principles, morals, and values makes it much less likely they’ll give up.
- Organized and efficient– They use their time and resources wisely and don’t waste anything. They know how to prioritize and focus on the most important tasks.
- Learning and growing — They constantly try to improve themselves and their skills. They are open to new ideas and willing to change their approach if it helps them achieve their goal.
- Positive and optimistic — They believe in themselves and their ability to succeed. They are confident in their ability to overcome any obstacle.
- Resilient and able to overcome setbacks — They don’t give up when things get tough. They can recover from setbacks and learn from their mistakes.
- Grateful and appreciative of what they have — They are thankful for what they have and appreciate the people and things in their life. They realize that everything is a blessing, even the difficult times.
If you want to improve productivity in your life, focus on developing a mindset that encompasses all the above characteristics. Set clear and defined goals aligned with your values and then create a plan to achieve them. Make a real action plan to know what you need to do to reach your goals when you wake each morning.
Stay focused and disciplined and be willing to put in the hard but productive work required. Work on your organization skills to be efficient in your approach, and always keep learning and growing. Challenge yourself each step to ensure you’re doing things the best way you can.
The biggest factor?
Finally, remain optimistic, cultivate a positive mindset, and don’t give up when things get tough. If you can do all these things, you will achieve your goals in a very productive way without feeling overly busy and overwhelmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I be more productive?
Through efficient time management and building a better to-do list, you really can improve your productivity. I would love you to check out my email course, The Power of Speed, which will show you how to improve your time management skills, how to stop procrastinating, how to speed up your learning process, and ultimate how to achieve more in less time. Talk about productive!
Why am I unproductive?
There can be a lot of reasons we are unproductive – too many distractions, too many responsibilities or obligations, less-than-ideal habits about our sleep or our food or our exercise.