9 Habits that kill your productivity

'Procrastination is the art of killing your dreams before they even start.'

Procrastination is one of the main reasons why we aren't as productive and efficient as we want to be. Delaying tasks until the last minute often leads to poor work or, even worse, not starting it all.
I used to be a master in procrastination, and I wrote a long article (see nine reasons why you procrastinate) about it and how I overcame it.

Good time management is essential for reaching your goals and targets. It is not only important to have all your work done efficiently, but it also provides you with a good balance between your personal and professional life.
With a decent time management strategy, you can have more work done in less time. You will be able to manage your to-do list without feeling stressed by it.

Good time management is something that you can quickly adapt. Here are some strategies that might guide you in the right direction:

Time blocking: plan a few hours a day where you will be fully focussed on your work. During this time, let nothing or nobody disturb you.

Use a calendar: it may sound stupid, but this helped me a lot: using a calendar for important stuff like deadlines, meetings, and appointments. This way, you will never forget them, and it also gives you a visual overview of how much time you have left and how you can fill in the free hours

Use productivity tools: I use Notion to keep track of everything I have to do. It gives me a good overview of what I have to do and helps me a lot with planning my day.

Another essential part of a solid time management strategy is good planning (see point 8). For me, having a planned day is the perfect start to a productive day.

Research shows that it takes an average of 23 minutes to regain focus after a distraction.
This shows how important it is to remove all distractions around you when you want to have something done.

Many times, I started something with full motivation, and then I got distracted. And then forgot about what I was doing and started something else.
We are surrounded by distractions: social media, friends, family, noise, etc. For me, the solution was to put my phone in another room and put on some background music. That way I am able to get in the right mood and be productive for a long time.

Social media is the biggest productivity killer there is. Nowadays, the algorithms of Instagram, TikTok, ... are so smart that they give you exactly what you want, keeping you hooked for hours.
I solved this brainless scrolling by banning my iPhone from my working space (ok, this is not a solution for people who need their phone to do their job).

Another productivity killer is WhatsApp or other instant messaging apps: checking every few minutes to see if there are new messages and replying to them.
Putting my phone in another location was the solution for me. And I did check incoming messages when I had a break. And then I realized that the world keeps turning around without you immediately answering a message.

Having a clean and organized workspace (physical and digital) is part of a decent productivity strategy.
It's nice working in an environment that is clean and organized. You will not waste any time searching for things, which will help you stay focused.
Golden tip: clean up your workspace at the end of your working day. Entering your office the day after invites you to start working in a good mood. Having to clean and organize your stuff early in the morning is very demotivating.

Have you ever thought, 'Why am I doing this?' or 'What is the use of all this work?".
That is why you need something to work for, something that motivates you. Not having clear or defined goals and targets will lead to reduced motivation.
Setting smart (read smart as: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals will give your work direction and purpose.

A study showed that employees with an unhealthy diet were 66% less productive than their colleagues who have a healthy and balanced diet.
I experienced that when I did eat too much sugar, I got a quick energy boost and, later on, a sugar dip, resulting in a loss in productivity.
This can easily be solved by having a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. And don't forget to stay hydrated by drinking at least 1.5 liters of water during the day.

Having your day planned brings clarity and prevents you from being overwhelmed.
If you plan your day ahead, you will be able to identify challenges and conflicts, and it will be easier for you to prioritize tasks, resulting in a more productive day.

I always plan my day in the evening before, so I know in the morning what will be ahead of me. In the evening, I take 5 to 10 minutes to overview what I have done and if I made any mistakes in my time blocking.
One additional tip I can give you: stick to your planning.

Taking on too many tasks or commitments can lead to decreased productivity and lower quality of work.
This simply because you don't have enough time and energy to focus on what really matters: the tasks that are important for you.

The most common cause of this overcommitment is you trying to please others or no daring to say 'no' when someone asks you something.
Before you accept a new task, evaluate your workload and see if it fits in your schedule. Politely declining tasks from other is no problem at all. They will understand it, and it is much better to refuse than to commit and not deliver (or deliver poorly done work).

Overcommitment can also be the result of poor planning and underestimating the time something will take.
You need to know your abilities and limits, so you can set realistic goals for a given timeframe.
The more experienced you get, the better you will get in making your planning.