4 work habits you need to quit NOW

Photo courtesy of wikimedia

Ah, a new year is upon us! Now is a perfect time to assess our careers and decide what we can do to achieve more success in 2015. This might be deciding to quit some habits at work – habits that you think are benefiting your progress and are probably doing the opposite. Here are some common examples:

1. Making yourself available to work emails 24/7
You might think you’re being super-conscientious checking your work emails every 5 minutes or in your free time, but you need to find balance and set boundaries. Whenever I have longer work tasks to do during office hours, such as writing an article or putting together a report, I force myself not to check my email inbox until I’ve finished the task at hand. Take control of your free time too by banning yourself from checking work emails at certain times, such as all day Sunday. Switch your phone off and hide it. It will feel liberating.

2. Not taking all your vacation time
Stop feeling guilty about taking time off work. I’m still shocked that America is one of the few developed countries that doesn’t require employers to provide paid time off. Any paid vacation time is typically low compared to Europe, for example, where a law guarantees at least 20 paid vacation days a year. What’s even worse, is not all workers take their limited vacation time. You have to take some time off from the daily grind. Often when workers find themselves feeling like they want to quit or look for another job because they feel so bored/stressed/unmotivated – the best solution may actually be to simply take a break.

3. Eating lunch at your desk
I’m guilty of this one. Holding a sandwich in one hand while typing an email with the other. The email could really wait but I’m doing it anyway. We can get caught up in believing we are so utterly busy and that everything needs an answer/solution immediately. What’s even worse is skipping lunch all together (although, I’m far too greedy to ever be guilty of this one). It is important to question the urgency of what’s on your ‘to do’ list – some things can be left for later and that will enable you to eat your sandwich with two hands at the very least.

4. You’re too busy with work to exercise
Never, ever underestimate the physical, mental and emotional benefits of exercising on a regular basis. I didn’t realize the importance until my mid 20s and now I couldn’t imagine not working out on a regular basis. If you think you’re too busy with work to exercise, ask yourself if that is really true. Aim to schedule time to go to the gym on a weekly basis if possible, and commit to it. Even if you go for 30 minutes a time, that is still beneficial. If you exercise, you’ll feel more balanced and alert at work.

What are your work resolutions for 2015? Will you be quitting any bad work habits? Tweet us @tdsbiz with your views.