Habits that Will Prevent Your Success

There is a plethora of information out there touting all of the things you should be doing in order to succeed. But what about those pesky habits that will actually prevent you from succeeding? These are the unwritten rules that have nothing to do with office politics, a college degree or a past success, these are about YOU.

It is important to be able to recognize them when they happen to you so you can get rid of them or change them into positive habits.

Implementing those habits into your life that foster success and fulfillment and assist you towards greater self improvement, and get rid of those habits that keep you from realizing your goals.

Here are a few to watch out for:

• Living without a Filter
  We are constantly being bombarded with new information. In our technologically advanced society it comes at us from all angles – telephone, cell phone, e-mail, Internet, and television. There is so much information floating around out there, it is hard to know what to believe anymore. Focus your efforts in one area, and stick with one project at a time. Limit the amount of information you receive to prevent meltdown from being overloaded. Too much information can paralyze your mind and create indecision. Become an expert at digging up the gold nuggets of information you need and dumping the rest. 

• Having a Negative Attitude
  Your mind creates your reality, so if you perpetually have negative thoughts about something, it likely will come to fruition. Your mind will not want to disappoint you. 

Besides predisposing yourself to less than successful outcomes, keeping negative thoughts changes your entire outlook on life from one of hope and prosperity to one of depression and drudgery. Keep the faith and think in positive terms.

• Not Knowing how to Prioritize
  This one may be linked at times with procrastination, although some people do not realize they are working out of order. Tackle the most important responsibilities first. Anything that can wait until later should be put on the back burner. Write down your goals or assignments for the day, and prioritize them in the order they must be accomplished. Push things with the earliest deadlines or greatest importance to the top of the list, and drop the less pressing items to the bottom of the list. This will ensure you get the most important tasks accomplished during your day, and that you make the most of the time you have to work with. 

• Procrastination
  Tackle each job as it comes along, and take the most difficult ones first. By completing those things that are the toughest, the mind can relax and accomplish more. You will have a sense of satisfaction knowing you have achieved your goals for the day, and you will most likely find more time in your day once you stop devising excuses not to do something. 

• Closing Your Mind to New Possibilities
  Innovation seems to be the key to success these days. Our society is changing on a daily basis, especially when it comes to technology. Closing your mind to new possibilities is going to put you behind the learning curve and at the back of the pack when it comes time to go for that new promotion at work. Keep your mind flexible, be open to various options, and make it a point to always continue learning. Push yourself outside of your normal comfort zones and open yourself to opportunities that will give you a whole new perspective to a problem. We tend to live in our own little closed-off universe. Unless we make an effort to get out and go beyond the scope of our normal existence, we will continue to have a very narrow view of the world. 

Once you can recognize what your ineffective or preventive habits are and take steps to replace them with effective, organized habits, you will not only become significantly more productive but you will likely relieve yourself of many of the time constraints you find yourself working under right now. Ridding your bad habits makes you more valuable to employers, and will also alleviate some of the stress you feel every day. Everyone has the same number of hours in the day, but it is those who learn to optimize their time who achieve the greatest success.

Written by David B. Bohl of Slow Down Fast.