5 tips to unlearn unproductive habits and improve focus for success
No matter who you are or what you do for a living, unproductive habits are going to hamper your ability to grow and prosper. Your attention is the most valuable asset you have and wasting it on the wrong things is a surefire way to prevent yourself from being all that you can be.
Therefore, if you want to be as successful as possible in life, you need to unlearn habits that could be considered unproductive. This can include a variety of things and requires special techniques and strategies so that you don’t fall right back into your old ways.
So, if you want to be more successful in life and stop wasting time, here are 5 tips to unlearn your unproductive habits.
1. Stop wasting money
When you get your paycheck, it can seem like an opportunity to reward yourself for all of your hard work. We’re naturally conditioned to look at payday as party day.
Whether that means buying new clothes when you already have a complete wardrobe, spending excess money on fast food, going out to the bar and buying expensive, fancy drinks, or simply buying toys and accessories that you would have no problem living without, all wasteful spending is a problem.
“If you want to stop spending money, you need to have a desire to move forward and not just take one step forward and one step backward. You have to be willing to sacrifice a bit of temporary pleasure now in exchange for real joy and fulfillment down the road.”, Sam Willis, Financial writer and consultant for business owners who wants to sell a business.
2. Get off social
There’s a time and a place for social media. Limit the amount of time you spend scrolling through comments and browsing new pictures and accounts. If you spend a lot of time on Youtube or TikTok and listening to podcasts, you can cut that out as well.
Unless whatever you’re watching is directly related to you learning new valuable skills that can move you forward in life, you need to make a habit now of consuming as little mindless content as possible.
3. Not resting enough
Learn to create pockets of space each day where you can give your brain a rest and allow your batteries to recharge. Spend some time with friends, engage in fun physical activity, invest time in a side hobby that gives you joy and doesn’t feel like work. All of these are ways to recharge your batteries without overdoing it.
Just don’t take this as an invitation to gorge on junk food, overindulge in alcohol or other drugs, and or spend days on end binging Netflix. There’s a fine line between resting and wasting time, so learn how to walk it.
4. Perfectionism
Perfectionism impedes progress. Don’t wait to start something until all the conditions are right. Nobody is a complete master at anything they start doing. Embrace the idea that your first steps are going to be shaky and ugly. Because the following steps will look smoother and smoother until you really do reach a point where you can say you’ve reached mastery.
5. Let technology work for you
Don’t rely on your own, limited memory alone to keep track of everything you need to do. Download a reliable calendar app and/or habit tracker, and allow technology to serve you.
It’s not hard to succeed when you cut out certain habits
Success in whatever you do is relatively easy to attain. The mind and human will are powerful things, so as long as you focus them on what you really need to do and not what you want to do, you’re guaranteed to go a long way and end up in a place where you can say you are genuinely proud of yourself for what you’ve accomplished.
