Highly productive people have certain habits that other people donât. What are they doing that sets them apart? How are they getting so much done, and achieving their goals? We all want to be successful, but what are we doing wrong?
Here are a few habits you really need to avoid, if you want to get on track with being highly productive.
What was the name of the last book you read? Canât remember? Well maybe itâs time to build a new reading habit! You may think you donât have time to read. Or maybe you havenât enjoyed reading much in the past.
Author J.K. Rowling suggests,
âIf you donât like to read, you havenât found the right book.â
Finding a book that interests you can make all the difference in the world. And books arenât the only reading material. There are all kinds of magazines, booklets, newspapers, and ebooks. You can read a paper book or get an ipad to hold your book collection. Whatever works best for you is just fine! The main thing is to start reading!
Robert Frost once quipped that:
âThe brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.â
And while Robert of course meant it as a joke, he was right about one thing â the brain is a wonderful organ. Itâs one of the most complicated objects known to man, with 86 billion neurons and hundreds of billions of nerve fibers.
However, despite the delicate and complex nature of our brains, we often donât do much to make sure itâs functioning properly, or to make sure weâre setting it up for long term health. In fact, you may have some habits that, left unchecked, could have serious consequences. These habits could actually damage your cognitive ability and increase your chances of developing complications like Alzheimer’s or dementia later in life.
So, if you’re wondering whether youâre setting your brain up for a long, healthy life, here are ten habits that might be causing your wonderful organ harm – and one habit that might actually be doing it quite a bit of good:
Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you didnât falter on your goals? Imagine checking all the boxes off your to-do list, reading a book a week, maintaining your work-life balance, and leading a healthy life. Dreamy, isnât it?
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear explains that it is possible, but maybe not the way you imagine. He writes that:
“Success is the product of daily habits â not-once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”
According to James, building habits is a never ending process. It is not about the end-goal, but about the journey leading to it.
Are you a chronic procrastinator? Do you often have thoughts like âOh, itâll be fine if I save this for tomorrowâ or âThatâs so far away, I donât have to worry about it yetâ?
If you find yourself procrastinating regularly, youâre probably stuck in a habit of procrastination. Eliminating your procrastination will mean eliminating your habit. But completely eliminating a habit is a difficult thing to do. Instead, itâs much easier to replace an existing habit with a new one.
Of course, the best way to do this is to replace your procrastination habit with a âget things done!â habit. That way, everytime you would have gone to procrastinate, you now do something else instead – your work!
Here are a few different strategies you can use to replace the procrastination habit with a âget things doneâ habit and finally kick the stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.
New York Times bestselling author, John C. Maxwell, once said that:
âYouâll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.â
And while making big changes like moving across the country or getting a new job can alter your life in some ways, itâs really the simple things you do every day that add up to the most impact.
Once you understand how powerful your daily habits are, you can structure your routine in a positive and life-changing way. Through consistency and effort over time, youâll find that practicing daily habits has an immense impact. Here are a few simple habits you can incorporate into your day to truly change your life for the better:
