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Habits you need to cut out of your life to increase productivity

You’ve probably heard the saying that 80% of your success is determined by 20% of your activities. This means that 80% of your activities are either insignificant or a complete waste of time. You have two options if you want to improve your productivity: find more time in your day or eliminate those time-consuming activities.

Creating a productivity ritual — a pattern that allows you to keep a high level of energy throughout the day — can help you get the most out of your days. Remove activities that drain you (what I term “kryptonites”), which includes your poor habits, as part of developing your productivity routine.

Harmful habits are bad for you, whether you like it or not – intellectually, physically, emotionally, and even socially in some situations. While some negative behaviors are more difficult to break than others, the truth remains that you must do so. Here are a few things that everyone can eliminate from their lives for good.

1. Checking emails constantly

In 2013, 32% of employees in the United States said they responded to emails within 15 minutes of receiving them. Within 30 minutes, a further 23% had responded. Is faster, however, always better? Constantly checking email wastes a significant amount of time, but it is something that can be managed. Make it a habit to switch off your email program and notifications when working on a critical assignment, or devise a strategy for only checking your new messages twice a day. You’ll save time and accomplish a lot more.

2. Being in the company of people who do not appreciate you

Haven’t we all been in a similar circumstance before? Trying to please folks who don’t appreciate what we have to offer? Bending over backwards to help others but they never do the same for us?

While we contribute without expecting anything in return, we must put a boundary between ourselves and others who do not regard us since they harm our spirits. Stop spending time with those who don’t appreciate you and start spending time with those who do.

3. Inability to say no

When failing to say no means focusing on time-consuming tasks at the detriment of your productivity, it’s time to say no. Setting clear boundaries is vital, whether you need to say no to new professional projects or useless personal connections. During work hours, concentrate on finishing critical projects while surrendering to rejuvenating and revitalizing yourself during your personal time. There are a number of simple and efficient ways to say no without alienating your personal or professional network.

4. Smoking

Smoking is one of the leading preventable causes of death around the world. Approximately 500,000 deaths are attributed to smoking-related diseases each year in the United States alone. According to a recent study, up to one-third of China’s male population will have significantly shortened life spans as a result of smoking! Smokers lose an average of 13.2 and 14.5 years of life, respectively, depending on gender — that’s more than a decade of life.

Not only that, but smoking causes premature skin aging (wrinkles), tooth yellowing, bad breath, and, most importantly, puts the health of those around you, particularly your loved ones, in peril. Nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke are at risk for many of the health concerns linked with direct smoking, according to studies.

5. Failure to relinquish control

Many people are adamant about handling everything themselves, yet refusing to surrender control might backfire. It’s a waste of time to do things you’re not very good at. Instead, delegate these chores to others on your team, an assistant, or a virtual assistant, and concentrate on responsibilities and initiatives that are within your area of competence. Examine your schedule for minor activities such as email screening or research, as well as delegating duties that aren’t a good fit for your skills.

6. Working in a place filled with distractions

Do you work in a place where there are a lot of distractions? According to one research, workers are interrupted every 11 minutes. It’s no surprise that we don’t get anything done! Consider how many habits you have that invite people to interrupt you on a daily basis, from sending a quick text to checking your email while attempting to focus on something else.

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