8 TIME-WASTING HABITS THAT DO NOT GET THINGS DONE ON TIME

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How do you describe a successful day? Well, for me, a successful day is one in which I simply get things done on time. The satisfaction that comes from ticking off that to-do list is rewarding.

You feel accomplished and productive.

But, yes, there are also days when I struggle to get things done. You may call it procrastination or laziness; nothing gets done.

You feel unproductive and guilty.

Like every other person, I want to be consistently productive and get things done and keep the stress of not getting things done at bay. A constant battle goes on between knowing what should be done and not doing what needs to be done.

Realization struck when I was contemplating how to tackle this challenge. I realized that I was subconsciously subscribing to habits that were unknowingly holding me back.

In this article, we’ll explore 8 common habits that steal our productivity without us even realizing it.

Table of Contents

1. Attempting to do too much

It is overwhelming when you have a long list of things to do. It’s a trap that many of us fall into when we want to get things done altogether.

You may want to exercise, clean, write, read a book, run some errands, spend time with family, watch that new show, visit a friend or simply attempt to write 50 pages of your book or read 10 articles in a single day.

You must be over-enthusiastic when you plan a multitude of tasks, but it’s important to be realistic and set goals keeping in mind the limited time frame.

I have fallen into this trap often when I attempt to read 4 to 5 academic articles in a day, which was not accomplished. But, yes, it managed to make me feel overwhelmed, guilty, and unproductive.

Just this simple habit of attempting to do too much can kill our productivity and hold us back.

2. Perfectionism

Getting things done with the mindset of ‘everything needs to be perfect’ is difficult.

When you focus on perfecting everything that you do in a day, it consumes more time and energy. While striving for perfection may seem like an admirable trait, it can sometimes affect our productivity.

You want every situation to be perfect to get things done. But you don’t get things done.

You spend time complaining about imperfections and delaying tasks to make them perfect.

We need to accept that not everything can be flawless, and it’s okay. It’s better to get things done rather than being stuck with it.

3. Giving in to impulsive choices

When we make choices that provide us with instant gratification, we are letting our focus switch from our long-term goals to short-term temporary pleasures.

Suppose you have made a goal to exercise every day for 30 minutes. But during that time, you want to watch one more episode of the show, or you keep mindlessly scrolling until it’s dinner time.

Trust me, I’ve been there. Sometimes, our choices and habits are on auto-pilot, and we keep binging on unhealthy impulsive choices.

This, for me, has been the most distractive habit that pulls me away from my goals.

But once you commit to changing that, you become mindful of your choices and what you do. This requires you to point out and name all those impulsive mindless habits as ‘unnecessary’.

I used to spend more than an hour a day mindlessly scrolling on social media. This was affecting my daily routine and productivity.

For more than a month, I have reduced the mindless scrolling from 1-2 hours a day to just 15 to 30 minutes a day. I have managed to be mindful of consuming content on social media.

It’s all about taking small steps for self-improvement every day.

4. Diversion

How many times do you get distracted from the task in hand and move on to do something else?

So, a couple of days back, I noticed myself straying from the task at hand. While I was uploading my pins on Pinterest, I was engrossed in the Home Feed for about more than 10 minutes.

I had completely diverged from the task and started doing something else. Even though I had my day planned and organized, but such a habit was taking a toll on getting things done on time.

It may be in the form of remembering another task while you’re into one and switching into it. This causes unnecessary breaks and a waste of time.

While as humans, it may not be possible to be dead focused on any task for a prolonged period of time, it is possible to be mindful and come back.

There’s a need to monitor yourself if you have to get things done on time. For me, self-talk brings me back, I repeat to myself, “This is not what you intend to do. Come back!” when I tend to diverge from the task.

Not everything that seems important is important.

5. Taking no breaks

Ironically, taking regular breaks is crucial for maintaining productivity.

Taking no breaks may seem ideal for a productive person, but it can lead to decreased efficiency.

I’ve had days when I was writing my MPhil dissertation for long hours throughout the day, and I would experience a block the other day. I was just stressed because of overworking due to the approaching deadline.

It’s a cycle indeed. Procrastination leads to delayed work and long working hours.

So, let’s remind ourselves to be kind to ourselves and take breaks. I mean, if we don’t give in to temptations, diverge from the task, or attempt to do everything, we will certainly get the most important task done on time.

The Pomodoro technique is one such technique that involves working for fixed intervals of 25 minutes and which is followed by a short break.

But do not let that break be for over an hour.

6. Lack of planning and organization

A lack of planning leads to a scattered approach to tasks, resulting in wasted time, increased stress, and a lack of clear direction. To overcome this, it’s essential to invest time in planning and organization.

This might help : Habits to help you stay organized.

Consider the time wasted searching for misplaced items, documents, or important information due to a lack of planning and organization.

You can adopt habits that will help you get organized to help you to get things done on time.

Figuring out the right routine that works for you may take some time, but you will do yourself a big favor if you adopt the habit of planning and organization.

Take the help of digital tools, break big tasks into manageable small tasks and see yourself succeed to get things done.

7. Overthinking

Constantly overthinking about the task and analyzing everything can ruin your progress.

Recognizing that mistakes are part of the learning process and that progress is more important than perfection can help alleviate the tendency to overthink.

Think about the times when you find yourself ruminating excessively on a decision or task, constantly analyzing and second-guessing yourself without making progress.

To break free from this cycle, it’s important to cultivate trust in our abilities and make conscious efforts to take action. Embracing a mindset of progress over perfection allows us to move forward, make decisions more efficiently, and utilize our time more effectively.

Here’s my post on all the Thinking Habits That Cause Stress

8 Saying yes to everything

This is yet, another trap that many of us fall into. It becomes really difficult to get rid of the people-pleasing part of us, that say yes to everything.

Learning to say no can be empowering. This doesn’t mean you say no to everything and everyone.

It’s all about setting the right balance and knowing when to say ‘no’. Boundaries are essential to honour your priorities and preserve your mental sanity.

Over the years, I’ve learned that saying no doesn’t make me an evil person. It is my way of taking care of myself. But, saying yes to everything makes me stressed and overwhelmed.

Sometimes, when we say yes to every demand and request, even when there’s so much on our plate, we’ll likely be stressed to get things done on time.

Say yes when you want to but also know when to say no.

So, when our only goal is to get things done, whatever it may be; a workout challenge, writing an assignment, or finishing the book we’re reading, we must be ready to eliminate those habits that unconsciously rob us of our precious time.

It’s essential to evaluate our habits especially when those habits come in the guise of productivity. We can be open to replacing habits that aren’t serving us with ones that promote our well-being and productivity.

And, when you do so, you’ll be glad you chose to do so.