10 Things to STOP doing to be more productive.

In this article, you will learn the 10 things that you need to stop doing in order to be more productive.

10 Things to STOP doing to be more productive.

To be more productive is all about how to make the most of the finite resource that you have and that is time.  In order for you to be productive, you must be brutal with what you are NOT going to do.  To be more productive does not mean:

• You sacrifice sleep which gives you more working hours. 
• You neglect all aspects of your life such as relationships and taking care of yourself.
• You have to do everything that you think you need to do or what other people expect of you.

In order for you to live a balance and productive life, you will need to stop these 10 things:

1. Stop trying to be a people pleaser.  Yes, that’s right, trying to please others is one of the biggest reasons why people take on more than they should as well as putting on undue pressure on yourself. 
2. Stop the “Help-trap cycle”.  It is hard to say No to a friend especially when he or she is asking you to help out however, you will need to weigh up what sort of help he is asking for.  Of course, if it is an emergency or a real need for help, then by all means, help.  However, there is a help-trap that we must be aware off and that is the trap where it is because of his or her procrastination or not taking action earlier that has resulted in the current situation.  The trap here is not the one-time help, but one where it creates a cycle of help-trap.  You are not helping the person by always bailing him out.
3. Stop “I am the only person that can do this” mentality.  This mindset creates a controlling behaviour which prevents you from delegating and asking for help.  Taking on everything because you think that you are the only one that can do a good job is not just a lie but also one that traps into this cycle of having to do everything.
4. Stop FOMO.  Fear of missing out is very real and fear is one of the main drivers for most of our thoughts and behaviour.  The reason why we feel we need to be busy is because if everyone around is busy, there must something wrong with me if I am not as busy as everyone else.  That must mean that I am missing out on something that everyone else seems to be having.  Taking on more or pretending to be busy is NOT being productive.
5. Stop doing what is NOT working, change it up.  To be stagnant is one of the worst positions to be in.  I am reminded of what a manager once told me, Standing Still is the most tiring and worst position to be in.  If your current routine or habit is not giving you what you want, then change it.  Learn from others, get new ideas and try out different methods or techniques.  Change it up if you are already using a certain technique.  Don’t feel that you need to stick one method forever.  For example, I change my routine all the time.  I try different techniques such as bullet journal and when I got bored with that, I tried out Pomodoro and I would mix certain methods and techniques for what suits me.  Productivity tools can be changed too if it is not working for you.  For example, I tried using Notion because I heard so many good things about it especially how it is able to help with productivity.  I tried it for 3 months but after that I just found myself going back to Microsoft Outlook and pen and paper for listing down key activities that I need to focus on the week.
6. Stop “Not taking a break”.  Take breaks frequently as this will help keep your energy level up as well as giving you some time to recharge.  Energy management is more important than time management.  The ability for you to produce your best work is entirely dependent on your energy level and NOT time.  If your energy level is at its peak, so will your productivity and the output.  One of the best productivity techniques that incorporates breaks is the Pomodoro technique. 
7. Stop Focusing on the urgent but not important task.  There are many reasons why some tasks are urgent but not important.  Most of the time, it is because it is either a result of prior procrastination or someone else’s urgent that has now become yours because you were not able to say no to.  The former is avoidable, but the latter might not be depending on who it is that is passing it on to you.  Let’s focus on what we are able to control and therefore let’s ensure that we do what we need to do at the start and not let it procrastinate until it gets into the urgent but not important bucket.
8. Stop trying to be Perfect.  There is not such thing as perfect and in fact perfectionism is a myth.  Think about it.  How can an imperfect person produce perfect work or output?  We should certainly strive to do our best but our best will never be perfect.  Our best is the best that we can do, therefore be satisfied with giving it your best and learning from that experience to do better the next time.
9. Stop being busy.  Busyness is not productive.  Stay away from the busy trap.  Busy just leads to distractions and lack of focus and alignment to your goals and purpose.  Having a lot of things or tasks to do is not something to be proud off.  In fact, it just shows a lack of focus and clarity of your purpose.
10. Stop denying yourself of fun and self-care.  Yes, that’s right, in order to be more productive, you have to have fun and you must take care of yourself.  You can’t be productive if you are not enjoying what you are doing.  You certainly can’t be productive and produce your best work if you are not taking care of yourself.  If you are not feeling well, you are certainly not going to be creating the best work, making the right decisions, and experiencing the inspiration of producing impactful work.

I hope that you have found this list of 10 things to Stop doing helpful.  Think about which trap you have fallen into or a cycle that you might need to break in order for you to experience a different level of productivity.  Stop and think about what you are doing today that you don’t need to do.  Stop the unnecessary especially if you enjoy it but it is not what you are supposed to be doing.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article.  I hope that you have learned at least one thing that you are able to apply into your everyday life.   As always, please subscribe, follow and share this blog with your friends.  Take care and step into the everyday with purpose.