Everyday we make countless choices that influence every part of our lives . What we often don’t realize is that
even making one wrong choice can ruin our productivity. Take a look at the
list below to see if you’re falling into bad habits that ruin your work day.
Tackling your easiest
tasks first
Do the hard stuff first. Some people call this strategy
"eating the frog," based on a quotation attributed to Mark Twain: "Eat a live frog
first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the
day."
Some researchers say willpower
decreases as the day goes on, so it makes sense to work on tasks that require
lots of focus and concentration in the morning. Others disagree that willpower is a finite
resource.
If nothing else, it makes practical
sense to start with the hardest tasks, since you never know what scheduling
conflicts will pop up later on.
Constantly checking your
email
The siren call of your inbox can be hard to resist. Yet research suggests that switching
between tasks -- say, doing research and checking for new email -- takes up to 40% longer than
doing one at a time. Even when you think you're being more productive
by multitasking, you're probably not.
One simple solution, from psychologist Ron Friedman, is to silence
your phone so you don't receive email alerts or to close your email tab while
you're working on something important. Designate specific times to check and
respond to email in batches.
Keeping your phone on
your desk at work
Turning your phone on "vibrate" isn't enough. Actually,
turning your phone off isn't
even enough. Research published in the Journal of the
Association for Consumer Research suggests that the mere presence of your cell
phone nearby can hurt your cognitive performance -- even if
you're unaware of its influence. The best solution appears to be keeping your
phone in another room entirely.
Staying seated all
day
Office jobs aren't exactly conducive to getting a lot of physical
activity. But you don't need to be up and about
for hours at a time. A growing body of research suggests that even if you get up and move around for a few minutes
several times a day, you're improving your overall health.
Recent research,
published in the Journal of the American Heart Association and cited by The New York Times, found that
people who were active for a total of about an hour a day had half the
mortality risk of people who didn't. And it didn't matter whether they were
active in 5-minute increments or in longer chunks.
Staring at a screen
for hours at a time
Staring at a computer all day can lead to "digital eye strain," resulting in symptoms
like dryness and blurriness, Business
Insider's Erin Brodwin reported. Enter the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20
minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds, Rahul Khurana,
the clinical spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmologists told Business
Insider's Kevin Loria.
Waiting until late
afternoon to take a break from work
Take that break mid-morning instead. A 2015 study published
in the Journal of Applied Psychology suggests that the more time that's passed
since the beginning of the workday, the less useful a break is. Breaks taken
earlier in the day are more likely to replenish resources, including energy,
concentration, and motivation.
Interestingly, that same study found
you don't necessarily have to engage in non-work-related activities during a
break. Just make sure you're doing something that you like to do and you choose
to do. In other words, making some headway on a work project you're excited
about could be even more restorative than browsing social media.
Staying up too late
Scientists have identified a common phenomenon they call "bedtime procrastination": "failing to
go to bed at the intended time, while no external circumstances prevent a
person from doing so."
For example, you keep watching one
episode after another of a not-that-interesting TV show.
This isn't just silly -- it can be
dangerous. As Business
Insider previously reported, in some cases sleep loss can be just as deadly as smoking.
Turn off the TV and get ready for bed.
You'll be grateful tomorrow, and years later.
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