“You cannot change your future; but, you can change your habits, and surely your habits…will change your future.” -Dr. Abdul Kalam
Do you spend hours every day working on something yet never seem to get anything done? Does it take you too much time to complete any tasks, even simple ones? Do you find it more difficult to complete your work in a timely fashion? Have you considered maybe you have bad productivity habits that are sabotaging your productivity?
Being productive is a habit. Procrastinating is a habit as well. When it comes to productivity, the habits you’ve created can have a tremendous effect on it.
You might have been told the key to success was to hustle and work harder than everyone else. It’s not necessarily the truth though. Being busy is not the same as being productive. Successful people work smarter to get more done.
They’ve learned to identify and break bad productivity habits. Successful and productive people create good productivity habits to propel them to where they want to be. They utilize the tools, resources and time to their advantage.
How do habits affect productivity? Maybe it’s a question you have, and lets look at it by looking at two different people.
One is a highly successful manager who spends time with their family and enjoys hobbies and other activities regularly. This person has developed some basic good habits like being organized and developing routines they follow each day. They focus on one task and use available resources when needed.
The second is a struggling manager who rarely sees their family, doesn’t have time for sports or other activities and rarely takes time off from work. This person multitasks by trying to fit all their projects and tasks into one day. They have messy, unorganized desks and often keep notes on sticky notes. They rarely do the same routine daily.
They both have the same amount of time. They have the same type of work. And the same opportunities to be productive each day. So, what’s the difference? The first one has learned the benefits of using good productivity habits while the second one has developed bad productivity habits that keep them busy but unproductive.
So what then are the benefits of developing and using good productivity habits?
- You are less overwhelmed by everything in life. Your financial, social, personal and spiritual life all are benefits when you are less stressed.
- They help you reach your goals. Whether your goals are growing in your career, writing a book, or buying a house, having good productivity habits helps you reach them.
- They enable you to be more effective and efficient in everything you do.
- They give you a better quality of life in every area.
- They give you more time to do things you want to do.