{"id":10909,"date":"2012-07-12T22:53:12","date_gmt":"2012-07-13T06:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=10909"},"modified":"2013-09-19T09:24:20","modified_gmt":"2013-09-19T17:24:20","slug":"7-habits-highly-effective-people-dont-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/7-habits-highly-effective-people-dont-have\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Habits Highly Effective People DON\u2019T Have"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got too much to do and too little time to do it.<\/p>\n

But you have that one friend who seems to get everything done. She\u2019s busy but not ridiculously so, and isn\u2019t stressed or rushed. She seems to manage family, work, and hobbies with ease, and even gets a weekend away on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

How does she do it? Does she have a magic potion she\u2019s not sharing, or did she make some sort of productivity deal with the devil?<\/p>\n

Nope, it\u2019s more mundane than that.<\/p>\n

Whether you think so or not, you\u2019ve got habits that are bogging you down,<\/strong> making you less effective than your seemingly charmed friend, and leaving you with a To Do list that never ends.<\/p>\n

Where did those bad habits come from? You\u2019re not a bad person \u2013 you don\u2019t want<\/em> a never-ending To Do list, or to feel frazzled at the end of the day. You want to get stuff done.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just that you\u2019ve been doing things the same way for so long, you don\u2019t notice how bogged you are. That\u2019s the definition of a habit: \u201ca behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition.\u201d No mention of efficiency.<\/p>\n

But the beautiful thing about habits is you can change them.<\/strong> Ditch the old unproductive ones and get new powerful ones, and become one of those highly effective people.<\/p>\n

Here are seven habits your efficient friend doesn\u2019t<\/em> have, along with ways to get rid of them:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Multi-tasking<\/h1>\n

It might seem smart to do a few things at once, but the truth is you end up doing all of them poorly. There\u2019s a limit to what our brains can handle at one time, and multi-tasking only sets you up for inefficiency and stress.<\/p>\n

The fix:<\/strong> Do one thing at a time. (Duh.) It calms the mind, allows you to focus, and you\u2019ll do better work and enjoy the process more. Once you do that one thing, check it off the list and move on to the next. Simple.<\/p>\n

Spending your most productive time on tasks that aren\u2019t important<\/h1>\n

You\u2019re a morning person? <\/strong>Then you\u2019re wasting high-energy hours if you\u2019re cruising Facebook, organizing your sweater drawer, or calling a friend to chat before lunch.<\/p>\n

The fix:<\/strong> Every night make a To Do list for the next day, no more than two or three most important tasks. Know your productive time (morning, middle of the night, whenever), then schedule those things for those hours. After you\u2019ve cleared your To Do list for the day, catch up on non-essential tasks.<\/p>\n

Working at a messy desk<\/h1>\n

Even though you say, \u201cBut I know exactly where everything is!\u201d I\u2019m not buying it. Physical clutter = mental clutter, and mental clutter is no good for getting stuff done.<\/p>\n

The fix:<\/strong> Take two hours, tops, and make three piles: toss, pending, and deal. Then, guess what? Toss the first pile. Put the pending pile into a folder on your desk. (The strange part about that is some items will resolve themselves and you can move them to the toss pile. Yay!) Lastly, the deal pile has to be dealt with now, or moved to your To Do list and knocked out that way.<\/p>\n

Starting and stopping and starting again<\/h1>\n

Inconsistency is the enemy of productivity. And it\u2019s frustrating to have a task or project take way longer than it should.<\/p>\n

The fix:<\/strong> You don\u2019t need to be the smartest, most talented person in the room, but you do need to be persistent. Take regular, consistent action, even when it feels like you\u2019re not getting anywhere, day in, day out. You\u2019ll see results in time. (Think Thomas Edison: \u201cI have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Giving in to fear<\/h1>\n

Fear is normal; it means you\u2019re challenging yourself. Just because you\u2019re afraid of something doesn\u2019t mean you should avoid it. It might be the best thing for you.<\/p>\n

The fix:<\/strong> Give the thing you\u2019re afraid of the worst-case scenario test. Will it kill you? No? Good. Consider what could happen \u2013 realistically \u2013 if you do that thing. Imagine the scenario, and picture yourself dealing with it. Let me tell you a secret: the worst case probably won\u2019t happen. Let go of your fear and plunge in.<\/p>\n

Setting vague goals<\/h1>\n

You say you want to \u201cmake more money\u201d or \u201cbe healthier,\u201d but what do those goals mean? They\u2019re too vague to translate to any kind of purposeful action, which will have you mucking about forever.<\/p>\n

The fix:<\/strong> Set goals and make them SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Change \u201cmake more money\u201d to \u201cadd one new client a month,\u201d or \u201cbe healthier\u201d to \u201cwalk 30 minutes, five days a week for three months.\u201d Admire your progress.<\/p>\n

Blaming situations or others for why you can\u2019t reach your goals<\/h1>\n

Blaming is a losing game. Sure, you\u2019ve got an anemic bank account or a jerk of a boss, but at the end of the day it\u2019s your life. Whining keeps you stuck in \u201cpoor me\u201d limbo, far removed from your goals.<\/p>\n

The fix:<\/strong> Suck it up and take responsibility. You owe it to yourself and the world to make the most of your talents and step into your greatness. Own your past, present, and future. Quit wasting energy complaining and watch your productivity soar.<\/p>\n

Is there a habit you\u2019d add to this list? Let us know in the comments!<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hit the share button if you found something useful!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

DEONNE KAHLER writes at Life on the High Wire. Drop off your email address and get access to her free live training event, \u201cGame Changer: Add Spice and Satisfaction to Your Life in 10 Minutes a Day\u201d (plus a bonus!).<\/a> She\u2019ll teach you four steps you can take right now to start getting the creative, independent, hugely satisfying life you deserve.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You make lists, program your phone\u2019s calendar, stick post-it notes around the house but still \u2013 what needs doing isn\u2019t getting done.<\/p>\n

You and your friends sigh that it\u2019s just the way life is now. When did we get so busy? you wonder. You resign yourselves to feeling anxious and dissatisfied. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":10918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[9,17,6],"tags":[4631,66,4639,4629],"yoast_head":"\n7 Habits Highly Effective People DON\u2019T Have - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"But the beautiful thing about habits is you can change them. 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