You’ve likely noticed that some people are far more successful when it comes to meeting their goals than others are. This is rarely a case of luck, and has far more to do with the daily habits that various people put into practice. The actions listed below are anathema to successful outcomes, yet most people do them on a daily basis. Take a look at them and determine how they might manifest in your day-to-day activities. If any of them seem familiar, you have a perfect opportunity to turn them around immediately.
1. Juggling more than one task at a time.
Many job postings you’ll come across will state that they’re looking for someone who can multitask efficiently, and a lot of people will pride themselves on their ability to juggle dozens of different tasks simultaneously. In reality, multitasking can be detrimental across the board. Research shows that it interferes with both short- and long-term memory, and according to psychologists, it can also intensify stress and lead to burnout.
Instead of trying to do several things at once, prioritize your tasks and then allow yourself to immerse in each one individually. While you’re at it, turn off your phone’s notifications, close social media windows, and eliminate anything else from your surroundings that might distract you.
2. Never asking for help when you need it.
Some people learned early on that asking for help was a weakness: they might have been mocked or punished for doing so, and have handled things on their own ever since. While self-sufficiency and capability are admirable traits, not asking for help when it’s needed can actually hamper success, rather than assisting with achieving it.
Case in point: I was once asked to do something at work that I had never done before, which involved updating older web page titles to be more engaging. This was when the internet was still quite young, and I had no idea that changing URLs with the updated titles would break all the links to those pages, both internal and external. By not asking for clarification and guidance beforehand, I ended up with significantly more work on my plate to change all those URLs back, while simultaneously navigating the wrath of my employers. This could all have been avoided if I’d simply asked for help to begin with. Lesson learned.
3. Procrastinating on the less enjoyable stuff.
For some people, putting seemingly unimportant things off for another day in favor of those that are more pleasant or exciting doesn’t seem like a big deal. After all, they’re on the “to-do” list and will be handled eventually, and it doesn’t really matter if they pile up and become a bigger issue. But Psychology Today tells us that, in reality, procrastinating about these lower-reward (or potentially daunting) tasks can be one of the greatest hindrances to overall success.
Think of this rather like building a house, and these boring or unwanted tasks are the foundational building blocks. If they aren’t taken care of in a timely fashion, nothing can be built upon them. If the laundry isn’t done, there will be no clean clothes to wear for work. Similarly, if cleaning chores aren’t taken care of, people in the house can get sick, which will require time to heal and set progress back even further. Chores and tasks might not be very exciting, but they need to be taken care of. Besides, it feels really good to check those tasks off the list, thus clearing your plate for all the things you’d rather be doing.
4. Self-sabotage.
There are countless ways that a person may sabotage their own efforts, so the form that self-sabotage may take will depend greatly on the individual. For example, someone who might be keen on getting back into shape might indulge in pastries to treat themselves for having worked out that day, even though doing so will undo their efforts. Similarly, an individual who decides that they’re going to focus and work on the book they’re writing will allow themselves to dive into rabbit holes online.
This often happens when a person feels intensely afraid of failure, particularly if they’ve been treated badly for it in the past. Very Well Mind advises that if they sabotage their own efforts, they’re less likely to be disappointed when they don’t meet their goals. Essentially, they’re hurting themselves before anyone else has a chance to hurt them.
5. Working too hard.
You’ll see a lot of people talking about how they work 20 hours a day, barely sleep, and neglect their social and family lives, behaving as though that’s a winning formula for success. Sure, that might earn them some extra money from all the effort they’re putting in, but the detriments of doing too much will far outweigh the successes here.
Let’s say you earn a high paycheque, finish that degree in record time, or create your magnum opus art piece, and then have nobody to share your success with because you’ve pushed them away with absence and neglect. Alternatively, you might burn yourself out so fiercely from overworking that you’re debilitated by chronic pain or a terminal illness. It’s great to show dedication, but moderation and work-life balance are even more important.
6. Talking yourself out of doing things.
Those who are averse to taking risks will often talk themselves out of taking them and insist that it’s for their own protection. Some might insist that they’re not skilled or smart enough to pursue the goal in question, while others will focus on the scarier aspects of it. As a result, they choose safety and comfort over potential risk and end up stagnating.
Another way that people talk themselves out of pursuing goals successfully is by comparing themselves to others. They might give up on learning an art form because they feel that their work will never be as good as someone else’s, or they might quit their fitness journey because their body will never look like that of an Instagram influencer. Comparison really is the thief of joy, here.
7. Jumping in without doing any research first.
This can take a number of different forms, ranging from making assumptions instead of gathering facts to taking action based on previous experience rather than acknowledging potential differences with the equipment (or circumstances) at hand. It’s always important to gather as much information about the task or the situation you’re about to navigate, instead of diving in and making mistakes.
You may feel that it’s a waste of time or a sign of cowardice to do research before a task, but try to envision it like doing recon before entering unfamiliar territory. It’s far better to get an idea of what you’re wading into and potential issues you might encounter so you can make plans and contingencies, instead of finding yourself in a tight spot with no recourse.
8. Creating unreasonable deadlines.
We get it: you’re driven and you want to achieve your goal as quickly as possible, but setting milestones and deadlines that are unreasonable isn’t going to get you there any faster. Not only will you wear yourself ragged trying to attain them, but when you inevitably end up missing that deadline, or just meeting it in a sub-par fashion, you’ll be immensely critical towards yourself for having fallen short of the mark.
Instead of going this route, create milestones that are reasonable and attainable and will allow you to have a healthy work-life balance. Then, create a work-back schedule and use a goal tracker to adhere to that will help you stay on target, and allot enough time for rest and replenishment instead of exhausting yourself.
9. Allowing others’ opinions to unduly influence your actions.
Many of us second-guess our intuition and then kick ourselves for that later. This is a lesson that needs to be learned and curbed as soon as possible. It’s fine to ask others for their opinions, but if you disagree with what they’ve said, or if their advice was unsolicited and unwanted, it’s vital that you stick to your own instincts and do what you feel is best.
Ultimately, you know what works and doesn’t work for you, as well as what simply feels “right” to you. It’s great to listen to different perspectives so you can both view and approach what you’re doing from different angles, but letting others influence your actions, especially if their opinions are overly critical and judgmental, can be one of the greatest detriments to your success.
Final thoughts…
Keep in mind that success is measured on an individual basis and that temporary setbacks do not equal defeat. If you feel that the success you’re pursuing has been derailed, the best thing you can do is take a bit of time to regroup, assess what went wrong, and then get back on track with a reworked action plan. This plan will take into account the success killers that you’ve been sabotaged by, as well as techniques for counteracting them when and if they arise. Every moment of every day is an opportunity to start again.
