10 Things Highly Productive People Don’t Do
If you’re trying to be more productive, most likely you are searching the web for productivity tips. Tips that add up to the pile of productivity techniques you’ve already collected. It seems like there is never-ending information when it comes down to being more productive.
In this post, I want to adopt a different approach. Instead of telling you the best productivity tips to adopt, I will clear out some clutter.
What I’ll do, instead, is provide you with the must-not-do of productivity based on the 10 things highly productive people never do.
Sometimes, the best way to move forward is not by doing more, but by lightening the load.
Are you ready? Then, let’s get started!
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1. PROCRASTINATE
Pretty cliché – but it’s the truth.
The number one thing highly productive people don’t do is…guess what? Procrastinate.
What is procrastination? Verywell Mind gives this definition:
Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute, or past their deadline.
Now, the “why” you procrastinate is more important than what you procrastinate on.
You see, there are a number of reasons why you might procrastinate. To name a few:
- Fear of failure
- Low self-esteem
- Fear of judgment
- Poor organizational skills
Understanding the root of your procrastination is the first step toward resolving it.
Once you recognize your own self-sabotaging mechanism, you’re able to develop a coping strategy.
Does procrastination solve any problem? NO! Actually, it creates even more.
The task or project you need to work on won’t magically disappear – they will be there until you don’t tackle them! And when you finally feel ready to work on them, they will have grown stronger and will be paired up with urgent deadlines or disappointed people.
So, every time you procrastinate on something, you’re not doing anyone (especially yourself) a favor.
One of the best tricks to overcome procrastination is to break big goals into smaller steps, that can be further broken down into baby steps. Then, take one baby step. Slowly but steadily, you will get there.
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. GET EASILY DISTRACTED
When was the last time you worked on your projects without being bothered by any interruptions? Yes, if you cannot even recall when it was, it means it’s been too long.
Yet you wonder why you’re not productive. Mmh, what could it be?
Not surprisingly, all of the most highly productive people don’t deal with the problem of distractions because they cut the problem at the root: they eliminate distractions in the first place.
If you want to produce high-quality work and be the most productive, here are some small adjustments you should adopt:
- Turn off your social media notifications
- Follow the least amount of people on social (if they don’t bring any value or don’t make you feel good, why are you still following them?)
- Phone on “Do Not Disturb” when you’re working
- Tell people when they can reach out to you and – most importantly – when they can NOT
- Place your phone in another room when you’re working
Only by making some of these tweaks in your routine, you’ll be able to see the effect they have on your productivity level.
Remember: you’re the one in control of your time.
3. KILL TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Bored? You can grab your phone to scroll through TikToks.
Tired from working? Netflix is the answer!
Do you have a five-minute break from work? A quick scroll on Instagram won’t hurt you.
Social media are addicting and, guess what? We are all addicted! (If you think you’re not, I invite you to take a look at your daily screen time, you might be shocked!)
You don’t necessarily have to delete all apps from your phone – unless you want to.
But, if there’s one small habit that productive people don’t do and you should consider adopting is: stop killing time on social media.
When you have spare time, rather than wasting it looking at what others are doing, decide to do something for yourself.
Create instead of consuming.
Be present instead of mindlessly scrolling.
Be social in real life rather than on social media.
Break the cycle: break your social media addiction one baby step at a time. It can go a long way down.
4. NUMB THE PAIN
There are so many ways to escape reality and numb the pain.
Some people use social media. Others alcohol. Other people cope with emotional eating. Some people watch movies and show’ marathons. Others get high every weekend. Some others use online shopping. Or, there are those who book trips and count down the days until the next vacation.
Rather than act to change a reality we don’t like, we do a mental countdown until the moment we can finally escape from it.
The problem with this is that:
“Nothing changes if nothing changes.”
– Albert Einstein
Instead of numbing out the pain, escaping from reality, and drowning your emotions and thoughts, you should dig deeper.
Whenever you have an unusual thought, or a strange feeling, or the sensation that something isn’t right, why don’t you try to sit down with it?
Sit down with your uncomfortable sensations. Talk about your negative emotions. Write about your intrusive thoughts.
Observe what’s going on inside you when a lot is going on on the outside.
Start understanding where the discomfort comes from, rather than pretend it doesn’t exist.
5. COME UP WITH EXCUSES
It’s never easy to decline friends’ invitations.
You might feel guilty about not having feelings toward the person you’ve just started dating.
It will feel scary to say ‘no’ to your boss.
There’s a BUT (you knew it was coming). But, if there is one thing that highly productive people don’t do is to come up with excuses only to get out with something the easy way.
Yes, it might feel “easier” to get out of an uncomfortable situation by making up an excuse. It is for sure easier at the moment. But in the long-term?
I mean, if you never say the truth – other people will keep asking you the same thing over and over again -, you will actually never break free.
What might seem a good idea in the short run, might end up doing more harm than good.
Find the courage to tell people what you think and how you feel without having to clutch at straws to find a good excuse.
Sometimes things are just what they are. It is better to know the harsh truth, rather than keep feeding a pretty lie.
6. DO THINGS TO PLEASE OTHERS
One of the worst energy-suckers that highly productive people stay away from is people-pleasing.
Why would you say ‘yes‘ to something that doesn’t feel aligned with you?
What is it that you’re saying ‘no‘ to any time you say ‘yes‘ to something you didn’t want to commit to in the first place?
It’s uncomfortable to say ‘no‘ to people, especially to your close ones. But, it’s one of the highest forms of self-respect.
Whenever you’re turning down an offer, you’re reinforcing your priorities. You’re mentally training yourself to do the things that matter to you, not what others want you to do.
It’s a form of self-love in the sense that you recognize how valuable your time and energy are. You recognize how valuable you are!
It’s not easy to say ‘no’, especially at first. But you can do it.
Start saying no at times, not always. See how that feels.
Your time is YOURS. You should be the one deciding how you want to spend it.
Never allow anybody else to tell you what you should be doing. What matters is that you do what you truly want to do.
7. LOSE SIGHT OF GOALS
It’s easy to chase your dreams when life is good. It’s harder to work on your goals when life gets in the way.
It’s what happened even with this blog. If you want to know more about my story as a blogger, you can read “How I made my return back to blogging”.
The thing is that you might lose sight of your goals but, if something is truly important to you, it will always find its way back to you.
It’s ok to get side-tracked. It’s totally fine to take a break from the game.
Quitting, though? That’s not worth it.
Not surprisingly, one of the most common reasons why people quit and don’t achieve their goals is that, when they’re already in the midst of the storm, they forget about their “why”.
Your “why” is the compass for any of your goals. It entails the direction you must follow if you want to reach your North Star.
For any dream you have, what is the “why” behind it?
Find it. Write it down. Say it out loud. Visualize it. Feel it. And, most importantly, don’t forget about it.
Your “why” is the fuel that will keep you going even when the easiest thing would be to quit.
8. GIVE UP EASILY
For highly productive people, setbacks are not a bad thing. Rather, they are a sign that something needs to be re-directed.
By using setbacks to your advantage, you will never really fail. Rather, you will learn. A lot.
Take blogging for example: there are many mistakes you could make in your blogging journey. You will definitely need lots of patience because – we all know it – results won’t come overnight.
That’s not only for blogging, though. That can be applied to any goals of yours.
It takes time, consistency, and effort to see results and create long-lasting changes.
Does that mean that you should give up on your goals and dreams, only because they take time? Absolutely not!
If something is truly important to you, you will be willing to do it without getting anything in return.
Beginner bloggers keep writing and promoting their content, even if they get no tangible results from it yet.
Farmers keep watering their seeds, even if they haven’t sprouted yet.
People launch a business and invest in it, even if there’s no turnover yet.
When you have something that is important to you, you hold on to it and give it all you have to make it happen. Even when all the odds seem against you, you keep fighting for it to come true.
It all comes down to how badly you want it.
9. COMPARE TO OTHERS
In a world dominated by social media, it is so easy to fall into the “Comparison Trap”.
The problem? You are comparing your lowest with somebody else’s highs.
When you’re having a bad day, do you share it on Instagram? Do you post a selfie while crying and feeling at your worst? Chances are that you don’t.
Social media don’t provide a real snapshot of what’s someone else’s life. It only gives you a picture of what others want you to see.
Comparing yourself with others is one of the worst things you could do – and that’s why highly productive people don’t waste their time falling for the comparison trap!
Rather than comparing themselves with others, they compare who they are today to who they were yesterday.
You’re not competing with anyone, but yourself.
Every day, you should aim to get 1% better than you were the day before (as suggested by James Clear in “Atomic Habits”).
Life is not a race. Others are not your rivals.
It’s just YOU vs. YOU.
10. LIVE IN THE PAST OR FUTURE
What only ever exists is this moment right here. Anything else is what your mind has created.
Overthinking about the past won’t change how things went. Stressing over the future won’t make it better.
Why spend time and energy on something you can’t change when the only thing you have power over is this exact moment?
Right here, right now.
This is where you can create change.
The actions you take today will have an impact on your future. So, how do you want your future to look like?
Let go of both the past and the future to focus on the only thing that matters: the present.
Have you ever wondered why you feel nostalgic when looking at old pictures? Most of the time, you might be thinking “Those were the good old times”. Most likely, though, when you were living that moment you were complaining as well, not imagining that you would have looked back at it with awe.
Realize that the present moment is the only thing you should put your focus and energy to.
This moment.
You are right here, right now.
If you want to be more productive, instead of taking on more productivity tips, read the list above carefully. What things are you currently doing?
Let go of what’s not serving you. Letting go of those 10 things is a good starting point.
I love your content!!! it truly helped me thanks!
Thank you 🙂