Did you know that on average 40% of your daily actions are automatic? Amazing isn’t it and in many ways, this serves us best. Imagine having to remind ourselves to walk or re-learn how to drive a car every day? That is a lot of work.
There are other actions that seem to cause problems in our lives though, but the good thing is that we can change them. Here are 7 toxic habits you probably are unaware of that make you ineffective at home or at work.
#1. All Talk and No Work
“Ideas don’t make you rich. The correct execution of ideas does.”
Felix Dennis
It is very common to see that people who talk more than they act. People like these spend more time talking and fantasizing about their visions without taking active steps to bring them to life. Sometimes, it is even a means of escape from reality for us or even a good topic for a conversation.
Other times, we may have the intention of executing these plans but we just spend so much time overanalyzing. This then creates room for doubts, discouragement, and fear to set in. Consequently, it results in unproductivity.
#2. Misplacing Priorities
It’s a new year. A number of us may have set goals, updated our vision boards and bucket list. But how many of us have categorized them according to their level of importance. Most times, we really just scramble these things here and there, as long as they fit in our journal. We forget that we can’t do them all at once.
The danger of not prioritizing is that it can have us neglecting the most important things for the less important. This is detrimental to our personal advancement.
Setting priorities right enables productivity. Set goals for your goals. Which is more important to you at the moment? If you are able to implement this principle properly, we will notice an all round improved productivity. Even in the little things.
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#3. Lack Of Discipline
A paraphrase? Being easily distracted. It’s one thing to have goals, set a realistic time frame for execution according to priority, and even go-ahead to roll the wheels of execution. However, having the discipline to stay committed to these goals to the end is a different ball game entirely.
Easily identifiable forms of indiscipline include: always being distracted, inability to motivate yourself, procrastination, easily giving up, giving into laziness, lacking basic organization, etc. It’s a really long list but if you can identify what it could be for you and work toward eliminating it, your productivity will improve.
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#4. Excessive Pessimism
Our minds are about the most powerful tool for creation that we have access to. Any image we are able to create first in our mind already has the potency to come alive. More often than not, we only duplicate what we can picture in our minds. This is why our thoughts are very important. Simply put; you cannot give what you do not have. If we choose to focus our minds on the not so favorable parts of our journey so far, our results won’t be far fetched.
In the same vein, avoid a negative atmosphere. It could be the wrong set of friends, naysayers, people who plummet your self worth. Whatso ever it is, avoid it.
#5. A Sense Of Entitlement
“You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.”
― Abraham Lincoln
read this out loud: Nobody owes me anything! You may disagree with this expression and even rightfully so, but on the flipside of your counter-argument, you know this is the truth. Some of us go about feeling like humanity owes us its existence.
Yes, our families may be obliged to certain duties in our lives, but guess what? It’s still their choice to decide if they will go through with it or not. So instead of feeling so stuck up on what you think you are entitled to, get up and start taking the necessary steps for self-development.
You have to get to a place where you understand that you and only you are responsible for your success. Only then would you be able to come off your arrogant passivity and laziness. Hopefully, then, you’ll get more.
#6. A Flair for Lateness
Lack of punctuality. This proves a high level of indiscipline or worse off, contempt for the task at hand. In the long run, our inability to be punctual would cost us more than we can imagine.
Another form of this is waiting until the deadline to carry out tasks. The rush will most likely project in your delivery and impede on the quality of your execution. This is one of the worst toxic habits that leave you ineffective, do away with it.
#7. Indulging in toxic personal practices
This is the last point on our list of habits that leave you ineffective and it is simply aimed at those practices we have accommodated for so long, we forget that they are toxic to us and our personal advancement.
Some of these are lack of sleep, excessive sleep time, smoking, unhealthy choice of foods, making impulsive decisions, movie binging, unorganized multitasking, and so on.
Also Read 10 Things Confident People Do Differently
Final Thoughts
“To change habits, we must study the habits of successful role models.” – Jack Canfield
This article wouldn’t be complete if we don’t add that it is necessary to have a system of accountability. Having role models, mentors, and people we submit under their authority is very necessary. It helps keep us in check and ensures our success.
We hope you take time to actually evaluate yourself under the lens of this article and that it proves to be helpful for your required success.
Let us know what other toxic habits could make one ineffective. We would love to learn from you.