Top 5 Worst Habits You Do at Work (And How You Can Break Them).

Are you unhappy in your work? Do you feel uninspired and unproductive? You might be nurturing bad work habits.

Bad habits in the workplace are common, so you’re not alone if you have one. You need to change these bad habits because they can get you fired or get you ill.

See if you have one (or more!) of these 5 unhealthy work habits and find out how you can change them.

1. Neglecting Life Outside Work

Did you know that at least 70% of workers check their work emails even at home? You might think this is harmless, but even this small thing can make you more exhausted than normal. More exhaustion means more stress, and if you do this habitually, your chronic stress will cripple your mind and body.

Things that fall under this bad habit are:

• Letting your tasks at work spill over time that should’ve been spent with your family.
• Constantly stressing about your work even when you are with friends and family.
• Sacrificing vacation time to log in more hours.
• Dropping hobbies and extracurricular activities to focus more on your work.

So what can you do?

Compartmentalize your work and after-work activities. This means separating your professional life from your personal life. Start with these few simple solutions:

• Jot down unfinished tasks and leave them as your to-do list for the next day. This will help curb the impulse to take your work home with you.
• Create a separate PC/laptop and phone profiles for work and personal use. This includes email accounts, cloud drive accounts, even phone numbers. Seeing files of your unfinished work when you use your laptop or phone at home can give you the itch to continue working. Having separate accounts minimizes this urge because you’re less likely to see the setup you’re used to at the office.
• Set up an email and SMS autoresponder for when you’re past office hours. This is especially useful for telecommuters or freelancers who work from home. Clients can sometimes abuse the fact that your office is also your home and can email or call you even at ungodly hours. Turning off notifications after work hours and setting up autoresponders will also teach your clients to respect your personal time.

2. Disregarding Your Own Health

Your health is one of your greatest assets. If you get sick enough to take a leave of absence from work, how will you finish your tasks? You need to be in tip-top shape so you can do your job well.

1 out of 5 people in the workforce doesn’t get enough physical activity. As long as they can get through their nine-to-five, they think it’s okay to abuse their bodies.

Sitting the entire time at your desk and eating unhealthy food during lunch breaks can contribute to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and even colon cancer. If you’re one of them, better change that habit now.

Things that fall under this bad habit are:

• Eating fast-food all the time.
• Snacking on junk food throughout the day.
• Barely getting out of your seat throughout your shift.

So what can you do?

• Eat a salad or fresh fruit for lunch at least one day a week. This is a more achievable goal. If you tried banning fast food from your life, you’re more likely to lose your motivation. Adjust the days after you’ve gained momentum.
• Try a healthier alternative to your snacks. Instead of forbidding yourself from snacking, why not just have better snacks? If you love munching on chips, try plain or buttered popcorn. If you love chocolates, try cacao nibs. You can also make your own trail mix for a healthy crunchy snack.
• Skip sending emails and texts. Need to deliver a message? Get up from your seat and tell them in person. Not only will this force you to walk, but it will also hone your communication and interpersonal skills.

3. Harboring a Negative Attitude

One of the worst things you can do in your workplace is to be Debbie Downer. Not only does this reflect poorly of your work ethic, it also affects your coworkers’ morale.

Negativity in the workplace can manifest in a wide range of things. You can be the one who keeps opposing all the new ideas. You can be the one who keeps gossiping about your boss and coworkers, or the manager who loves to criticize your subordinates mercilessly.

Things that fall under this bad habit are:

• Gossiping or badmouthing coworkers and bosses.
• Complaining about everything.
• Blatantly disregarding company rules (such as dress codes).
• Antagonizing your coworkers.
• Being jealous of the accomplishments of others.
• Thinking that everything will go awry.
• Easy to get angry about every little thing.

So what can you do?

• Jot your thoughts down instead of voicing them. Are you angry at your boss? Do you think the new company rule is stupid? Instead of immediately airing them out (or gossiping about it with your coworkers), write it down in a personal notebook, or even in your smartphone.
• Remember your manners. Exercise saying “please,” “thank you,” “excuse me,” and all the wonderful things you’ve been taught at home and in school.
• Meditate for 10-15 minutes before you begin your workday. Meditation, breathing exercises and positive reinforcement will help you become more mindful of yourself and others. Doing these will also put you in a good mood early on.

4. Being Habitually Late and Procrastinating at Work

According to a study, the average employee can waste at least 2 hours of paid company time doing personal stuff a day. The company pays you every hour to be productive, and yet you waste it on non-job-related things. If you keep getting late and being unproductive, then the company’s just wasting their resources on you.

Things that fall under this bad habit are:

• Arriving late in the morning or returning from breaks.
• Putting off important or difficult tasks until the last minute.
• Working in the smallest increments and taking long “breaks” in between.
• Rushing and submitting half-baked projects or products.

So what can you do?

• Create (and follow) a task list. Organize and prioritize your tasks and start with the most important one. You might think doing the unnecessary tasks first will make the big tasks easier, but you’re just giving yourself less time to finish them. We have a great article that will teach you how to create your to-do list. You can read it here.
• Get help from a coworker. Do you always end up sleeping in? You can ask help from your early bird coworker to give you a wakeup call. It won’t be an inconvenience because they need to get up early for work, anyway.
• Reward your accomplishments. Having to tackle a long to-do list can be disheartening, so prepare to reward yourself with a snack or a short 5-minute stretch break after you finish a task.

5. Abusing Company Time and Privileges

This is the worst bad work habit that will surely get you fired. If procrastinating and putting off your work is bad, imagine how worse it must be to use the time the company’s paying you for by playing games or browsing social media.

Another example is when managers abuse their position. Making rude or inappropriate remarks and passing them off as jokes or display of power is a huge red flag. Shouting or belittling your subordinates for petty mistakes is a telling sign, too.

If you’re an employee or a manager with this bad habit, it’s either your coworkers will leave the company because of you or the company will kick you out.

Things that fall under this bad habit are:

• Using company time to play games or browse the net.
• Using the company wi-fi to download media from the internet.
• Taking too many “bathroom breaks” without actually having to go.
• Making your coworkers do chores that are beneath their position (having them fetch your coffee, buy you lunch).
• Napping while clocked in.

So what can you do?

• Put your phone on silent/work mode. If you still can’t resist the temptation, put your phone in a drawer that’s not within your immediate reach.
• Set up a dedicated work profile on your laptop or PC. In your work profile, remove all links and accounts related to your personal social media accounts.
• Allot time for net surfing or mobile gaming during your lunch break.
• Make yourself accountable. If you hold a higher position and you recognize that you have a habit of abusing your power, let your team know about your desire to change. They can call you out if you do the bad habit again. If you’re wary about telling your entire team, start by telling one trustworthy subordinate.

Final Words:

Do you have any of these 5 bad work habits? It’s not too late to turn things around. Be mindful of your actions and consistent with your solutions. You will change for the better in no time.