We live in a world that thrives off of faster, better, stronger. All of us are striving to be our very best.
While it is invigorating to be chasing after your dreams, it can feel overwhelming when our bad habits get in the way of our own success.
Our lives become bombarded with “should do” lists that honestly sometimes we shouldn’t be doing.
Cutting out bad habits will help you free up more time, more mental capacity, and allows your good habits to dominate more of your day.
Collected for you below are the 5 most toxic habits to your success.
Cut these out of your life and you will be shocked at the difference cutting out five bad habits can make in your life.
1. Sleeping In
Now, I love to sleep just as much (if not more) than the average person, but sleeping in on a regular basis kills your productivity.
Not only does it waste hours of your personal time, but it also leaves your brain feeling lethargic and zaps your energy.
According to PBS.org, our bodies were made to wake up early and get to bed at a decent hour.
If we don’t, it affects our internal clocks making our bodies feel “off” and tired despite our extra hours of sleep.
If you need help getting up in the morning give yourself more motivation.
Motivation is the difference between snoozing your alarm clock or jumping out of bed on Christmas morning promptly at 6 AM.
Side Note I definitely sleep in every now and then.
Sometimes you really do need the break (you deserve it).
The difference though is that you make it the exception rather than the rule.
Additional reading;
- 5 Ways To Be More Productive Throughout Your Day
- How To Become A More Productive Person
- 5 Productivity Hacks When Working From Home
- How To Become More Productive
- 5 Techniques To Become A More Productive Boss
2. Not Planning Your Day
So many people fall into the trap that they don’t need to take the time and plan out their day.
Those are the same people who often find themselves saying, “Where did my day go?”
Appointments, people, meetings, and unexpected events can steal our whole day if you aren’t careful.
Taking the time to write down your main objectives for the day is critical.
Try using the 6:1 ratio. Most people can fit in 6 “events” that need to happen in 1 day.
These events can range from a meeting with your boss to getting the laundry done.
Plan on those 6 tasks by writing them down somewhere you will see it often throughout the day.
Sort your list by order of importance and get to work.
Additional reading;
- 5 Goal Oriented Habits Of Successful People
- How To Schedule Your Content For The Next 12 Months
- 5 Tools To Help You Stay Organized As An Entrepreneur
3. Criticizing Yourself
When you find yourself at the wrong address, when you have misplaced an important note, or can’t remember your new co-worker’s name…
Is the first thing that comes to your head a negative comment about yourself?
If so, unfortunately, you have formed a habit.
Most of the time we aren’t even aware we are doing it.
We go throughout our day saying things like, “That was dumb of me. I’m so stupid. I wish I was better at _____.”
The list can go on and on and I am positive you are aware of your brain’s personal favorite insults you have on retainer.
However, if you want to find true success in your everyday life you need to break this habit immediately.
Try stopping the pattern when you see it.
It will take a lot of self-awareness, practice, and patience most of all.
Correct yourself and consciously replace the negative thought with a positive one.
You will find those thoughts of “I just am not that smart” will turn into “I know I can do it if I try.”
Additional reading;
- How To Love Yourself From The Inside Out
- How To Go From Common To Confident With The 5 C’s
- 5 Ways To Boost Your Self-Confidence
- How To Rock Every Day With Confidence
- How To Feel Confident For Your Business Photo Shoot
4. Ignoring Your Body
Our bodies are wonderful machines that are programmed to tell you exactly what is going on inside — IF you will stop to listen.
Ask yourself: How often do I ignore signals coming from my body?
In my teenage years, I thought the harder the better.
I would push my body to the limits—lack of sleep, taking harder classes, trying to do everything while not taking a break.
Pushing ourselves is good, but only when you know your limits. And your body will tell you.
If you are feeling extra tired today, take a 20-minute power-nap and don’t beat yourself up for it.
If you don’t feel well one day, then take it easy.
So many people think that determination means pushing through their pain to the point of exhausting their bodies and its accompanying resources.
In the long run, it will only slow you down.
Listen to your body, take care of it and respect your boundaries.
Additional reading;
- 10 Ways To Prioritize Self-Care As A Busy Entrepreneur
- 5 Steps To Amplify Your Energy, Reduce Your Stress, And Maximize Your Productivity
- 5 Tips For Practicing Self-Care As An Entrepreneur
- How To Become The Happiest, Healthiest, And Most Inspiring Boss EVER!
5. Always Checking Your Phone
This habit needs to die if you want to develop the patterns of living that lead to success.
You probably think you don’t have a problem, but how many times during this post did you stop to look at what was dinging, vibrating, buzzing notifications on your phone?
Distraction is the number one enemy to success.
Our phones are amazing tools with unlimited information and unparalleled reach, but they need to be used at the right times.
To break this habit, start by consciously focusing on what you are trying to do and avoid looking at your phone every time it beeps.
If you find that difficult – turn it on airplane mode.
More often than not, that buzzing is some marketing promotion that you care nothing about.
When you are done with the task at hand, then you can check your phone.
This will take a lot of self-awareness; be aware of how often you go from looking at your phone to magically ending up on social media.
It’s a real problem and one that eats away your time if you’re not aware of it.
Additional reading;
- How Entrepreneurs Can Reach Peak Performance And Improve Mindfulness
- How To Break Out Of Your Comfort Zone
- How To Establish Good Work-Life Balance
- 5 Reasons Entrepreneurs Should Consider Therapy
- 5 Keys To Success For Women Entrepreneurs
So which habit was your weakness?
I know I have mine that I constantly fight to uproot out of my life!
Keep this list in mind and check in with yourself periodically to see if any have slipped into your daily routine.
Remember to tackle one at a time and don’t get discouraged!
Habits, good or bad, take time to form and time to change.
Allow yourself that time, but start today.
Abbigale Winslow is a life coach, speaker, and a marketing guru on a mission to help women crush their goals, align themselves for success, and increase their happiness in the process. With a strong background in marketing and advertising, Abbi J offers a unique perspective on how to help your business thrive.