Even the most successful people can fall victim to their bad habits at work. Some might appear to be non-debilitating or even admirable traits, but all bad habits can catch up with you in the end. To become more productive and create a better work-life balance, it is crucial to identify what behaviors can bring you down.
To help you with your self-scout, we’ve identified a handful of common bad behaviors many workers are guilty of. By being aware of these habits and understanding just why they’re so harmful, you can enact necessary changes.
Not taking breaks
Working hard is obviously an admirable trait, but if you’re neglecting your health or other things that matter, it will lead to worse results down the road. Working through lunch can seem harmless, but your health and work will suffer if you’re making a habit of it.
The Muse’s Jaclyn Westlake mentions the concept of working through an unproductive spell or fighting to finish a deadline as a seemingly admirable trait. But pushing yourself through a rut can lead to poor-quality work or burnout. Recognize when you need a break and come back feeling refreshed. The final result will likely turn out much better.
Falling victim to too many distractions
But don’t go too far in the other direction by taking too many breaks. The modern workplace is filled with distractions, and both in-office and remote victims can fall victim. Taking breaks is good, but if you’re spending more time on your phone or social media than doing your job, you’ve got a different problem.
Overcoming procrastination can be a difficult battle, but there are easy ways to fight back. Scheduling regular breaks throughout the day can give you bursts of productivity with appropriate cooldown time. If you aren’t expecting any important calls, you can even leave your phone out of sight. Rize’s Macgill Davis suggests tackling the most difficult tasks early or habit stacking (building new habits on top of existing ones) as other methods to train yourself to avoid distractions.
“If your phone distracts you, put it in a desk drawer. If you’re distracted by email notifications on your work computer, consider shutting them off and only checking your email during certain times of the day.” –Indeed
Being too negative
Your mindset frames your experience at work. Every job and workplace has legitimate pain points. But if you find yourself dwelling solely on the negatives, you’ll create a toxic mindset that can be hard to crawl out of. In the end, you’ll become part of the problem instead of the solution.
The Forbes Coaches Council lists gossiping, complaining, making assumptions, hoarding information, dismissing thoughts, and rewarding bad behavior as common bad habits drenched in negativity. If you completely give in to negativity, you’ll find yourself developing poor communication habits, dismissing your colleague’s contributions, and perpetuating the negative aspects of your workplace that also frustrate you. Try to recognize what exactly about work makes you negative and try to solve the problem.
“When you’re at work, resist the urge to talk or act without thinking, and watch your body language to ensure you’re sending the message you want. Speak kindly and accept constructive criticism to improve your work performance, even under challenging situations.” –Macgill Davis, Rize
Not respecting others’ time
Even the most solitary job will see you interacting with others from time to time. Even the smallest infractions can alienate your workers and lead to negative feelings. One of the easiest ways to avoid this is to be respectful of others’ time.
Showing up on time and staying through the day is the bare minimum. We all have things come up, and most people know that, but if you’re consistently wasting others’ time, you won’t be very popular. But it doesn’t end there. Forbes Coaches Council says that holding unnecessary meetings or arbitrarily making them longer than they need to be, expecting instant communication outside of work hours, and disregarding others’ calendars are other common ways time is disrespected at work. Recognize that work is a team effort and everyone is juggling different things. Try to be empathetic.
“You’re late to work again. You’re consistently the last person to join the Zoom call. Five minutes here and there might not seem like a big deal to you, but everyone notices.” –Caileen Kehayas Holden, Career Contessa
Wrap up
These four categories contain a multitude of individual bad habits we can all be guilty of. Recognizing these problems is the first step toward making changes that can increase your productivity and satisfaction at work. Making changes doesn’t have to involve sweeping resolutions. Simply take a look at your behavior and look for key areas to make small improvements.
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