Self-doubt / ‘Imposter-Syndrome’
If you wait to start until you are fully ready, you will never start because you will never feel fully ready. Self-doubt is the number one thing that is killing your productivity because it is making you procrastinate.
By not feeling ready or confident you are delaying from taking action and getting the work done. Get out of your comfort zone and start getting things done because we all have to start somewhere.
Prioritizing Work Over Sleep
More than half of the employees sleep too little. When we are sleep deprived we are functioning in an impaired state. Thus, the neurons in our brain that are associated with memory, reasoning and emotion are functioning impaired. We are told to sleep 8 hours a night.
The last two hours of the 8 hours are where REM sleep occurs, this is crucial for learning, making and retaining memories. Make sure you are prioritizing sleep and aiming to get a solid 8 hours so you can reap the benefits of REM sleep and use that towards your productivity.
Multitasking
While we think we are being productive when we are multitasking, we are NOT! Ever wondered why you have to turn down the radio as you are looking for directions?
Our brains were simply not made to multi-task. When we focus on multiple things at once, our attention is too divided. Hence, we can only do one kind of activity very well or do multiple things mediocrely.
One such distraction is our constant urge to respond to emails. Whether it’s those important responses we are waiting for or our follow-ups with potential clients that we want to build a relationship with, everything should have its allocated time.
Consider taking advantage of the huge range of productivity tools that are available today. Specific to emails and networking, have a look at GetEmail.io – A tool that lets you pull out the email address of literally anybody in the world!
Eating Junk
Are you someone who never has time to prep or make your meals? Does your breakfast consist of sugary cereals, a bagel, or a doughnut with your Starbucks coffee? You are not alone.
The consumption of sugary and processed foods is one of the biggest contributors that kill our productivity. As we constantly spike our glucose levels throughout the day we are left feeling, tired, sluggish, foggy-brained, and simply unproductive.
The bigger our spikes the bigger our crash leaving us feeling wired but tired. Try having a balanced meal with complex carbohydrates, a good protein and fat source, and see how much more productive you are.
Perfectionism
Perfection does not exist and will kill your productivity because it is an illusion. It encourages us to procrastinate because we feel like whatever we are doing is not good enough creating an obstacle to reach our goals.
Some people know less than you but are doing great things, you need to let go of the fear of failing or messing up and just start. Don’t use perfectionism as an excuse just try your best, once you get closer to your goals you will have wished you started sooner.
Deep Work – A Thing Of The Past?
More and more research constantly alludes to the fact that we are losing our ability to do deep work. What is deep work?
According to Cal Newport (Author of the book ‘Deep Work’): “Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfilment that comes from craftsmanship.”
That means you focus on one task at a time, and eliminate your distractions. You only respond to emails when it’s your allocated time to do so. Not when your phone buzzes or beeps.
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