Humans are creatures of habit. The way we think and the things that we do on a daily basis have an impact on our mental health and productivity at work.
Kick these 5 habits today to achieve success at work and in life!
1. Making excuses and playing the blame game
Complaining about others and your surroundings as an excuse harms your performance and casts a negative impression on your competency in the eyes of bosses and other colleagues and the management at large. Saying things like, “This other project is holding me back” or “The project lead isn’t managing the situation” creates an obstacle and affects your efficiency and the ability to complete a task on time.
2. Catastrophizing the future
Never underestimate the power of your thoughts. If you overthink and make negative predictions even before starting a task, you are basically setting yourself up for failure. Saying things like, “I am going to mess this up” and “What if I don’t know what to do when things go wrong”, more often than not increases anxiety.
3. Yearning for approval and compliments
Getting into the habit of faking your true self only for compliments and to gain approval from your bosses or peers will backfire and even take a toll on you in the long run. Time spent thinking of ways to gain compliments or seeking reassurance from others reduces your ability to focus on the task at hand.
4. Putting yourself down
Negative self-talk is damaging as it prevents you from doing your best. Saying this like, “I am not good at this” or “I can never get anything right” brings you down fast.
5. Second-guessing yourself
Constantly doubting and questioning whether you said or did the right thing is mentally exhausting. While reflecting on past choices helps in making better decisions, overdoing it impairs your performance.
Related article – 4 Reminders To Stop Second Guessing Yourself