It can be easy to get lost in busy work schedules and forget to take care of yourself. In order to promote your success and maintain your mental and physical health, below are a few common things you might be doing every day that you should avoid.
8 Ways You Are Sabotaging Your Success Throughout The Day
1. You Aren’t Making The Most Of Your Mornings
The early morning, before you begin your workday, is the best time to prepare yourself mentally for the trials and tribulations that may come.
If you aren’t spending your mornings eating a hardy breakfast, stimulating your mind, or are just spending them in front of the TV, then you aren’t making the most of the time you are afforded.
How you spend your mornings can often shape how the rest of your day will go, so be sure to do whatever it is that motivates and inspires you to take on the rest of the day rather than lethargically hitting your snooze button too many times or wasting it on social media.
2. You Are Wasting Your Commute
Commutes are often the least favorite part of people’s work days, but that doesn’t mean they can be put to good use. You might have to spend an hour or more a day on public transit so rather than listening to music or reading a book, consider taking some of that time to mentally work through your to-do list for the day.
By doing this you can prepare yourself for what’s to come and you won’t feel bombarded by tasks when you sit down at your desk because you will have already organized your daily schedule to fit a routine that’s right for you and your success.
3. Your To Do List is Top Heavy
When you do prepare your to-do list for the day, be sure to avoid scheduling the largest projects for first thing in the morning. Putting a large amount of pressure on yourself when first entering the office can feel like you aren’t really getting anywhere with your work throughout the day.
By scheduling and completing small tasks early on, it’ll feel much more satisfying to check them off your list and will also leave you more time to focus on more important and time consuming assignments as soon as possible rather than never being able to get to the small, inconsequential ones that take less time to work through.
4. You Aren’t Keeping Your Documents Secure
It might seem sufficient to save all your important work documents on your computer’s hard drive throughout the day, but more often than not this leads to lost data and a lot more stress than necessary.
When it comes to maintaining the security of your company, be sure to store all pertinent documentation in a secure data room that helps to keep it safe and easy to access when necessary.
Not only will this save you a headache in the long run when company servers are breached, but it will also make it that much easier for you to stay connected and collaborative with your co-workers on major deals or projects.
5. You Aren’t Taking Breaks
Taking breaks throughout a busy day isn’t a luxury or lazy—it’s a necessity for maintaining mental clarity and focus. If you aren’t letting yourself step away from work and take a walk around the neighborhood or get something to eat, then you are sabotaging your success by simply working too much.
When you feel yourself getting stuck on a certain task or too hungry to focus, give yourself permission to drop what you are doing for a little while and get back to it rejuvenated and with a clearer perspective.
Forcing yourself to finish work when your mind isn’t fully into it can lead to avoidable mistakes that can create even more work in the long run.
6. You’re Neglecting Your Physical And Mental Health
It can be tempting to forgo a gym session or some quiet time all on your own to fit in some extra work, but it is only affecting your ability to stay focused and capable throughout the day. Both your body and your mind need some time spent on them and by not making that time you are only hurting yourself and your success.
Schedule a few workouts early in the week and stick to them for as long as possible, or call up your therapist when you feel like everyday life might be a bit too overwhelming to handle on your own. There is no shame in focusing on yourself whenever needed.
7. You’re Not Clocking Out
There will be days when you just have too much work to leave the office at your scheduled time, but when that isn’t the case you should take advantage of your off hours.
Overworking yourself and not being able to separate home time from ‘cleaning your inbox’ time will only lead to more stress than necessary and won’t allow you to relax and recuperate in order to take on the next workday.
8. You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep is the most important aspect of your success but is often neglected in favor of working longer hours or making up time with friends or family.
When it comes to feeling rejuvenated and capable, sleep is the best way to nourish your mind and heal your body after a long day so that you can wake up and do it all again the next.