This article was last updated on December 4, 2015
We all have some bad habits that get in the way of our self-improvement. We are who we are because of these routines that we find comfortable having around in our lives. But in a work setting, these bad habits may become a ball and chain. What are they and how to cope with them?
4 Bad Habits At Work and How To Break Them
Habit 1: Delaying Work
The most common bad habit at work that people seem to have is they delay work and then they rush things so they can meet the deadlines. Procrastination is a bad thing. It’s basically synonymous with unproductivity. If you want to argue that you are more productive when you work under pressure, okay, but if your performance is highly affected by your procrastination, that’s when you need to change something.
How to break it: A great way to deal with this problem is to stay away from all those things that may impede your work, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networks. Also, avoid long breaks or personal phone calls, anything that isn’t work-related. Last but not least, don’t let your colleagues distract you from what you are supposed to be doing.
Habit 2: Avoiding Work
Our planet is full of opposites. There are hard-working people and lazy people. There are people who do their job and people who prefer to let other people do their job. In every company, there is this person that is exceptionally good at avoiding work. All they do is put their feet on the desk, drink their coffee and wait for the moment they will call it a day. And when somebody asks them to do something, they offer a curt refusal, adding an unabashed I’m-so-busy-don’t-you-see explanation.
With regard to work ethic, this is absolutely unacceptable. With regard to your development, it’s a blunder. Believe it or not, you will not be able to improve your skills and develop your career if you always leave the tasks to your colleagues. Not to mention, if you get the sack because of your laziness, it will be hard for you to find another job, considering you will not get any recommendation letters in the first place.
How to break it: Prioritise your goals. Do you want to keep that job or would you rather not go on working for that company? If the answer is positive, you are supposed to do your best to keep the job. That involves doing what you are told and even taking the initiative every now and then. Letting work pile up and forcing your colleagues to handle it will make your situation more difficult.
Habit 3: Cleaning, Organising and Personal Hygiene
In the Middle Ages, bathing wasn’t very common among people. Someone made them believe that water should never touch their naked bodies. In present times, however, taking a shower is a habit which every sensible person with sensible parents develops at an early age. Being disorganised is another concern. If your desk is too messy, it may impede your performance.
How to break it: Just make sure you wash yourself frequently and you use the proper products to chase bad smells away. Your colleagues and everyone else will appreciate that. Furthermore, keep your desk organised and clean. Don’t throw stuff around, always place your garbage in the trash can.
Habit 4: Gossiping
If you are one of these I-like-to-poke-my-nose-in-people’s-affairs individuals, no wonder others don’t really want to hang out with you. Except for those 3,4,5 other colleagues that like discussing other people’s lives too. The thing about people is, you take a gossiper and you always find at least one soulmate out there, no matter where you live in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere or which coffee club you tend to lunch at. We people are very curious creatures. We like to know everything. But if you want to be a really good colleague who people have respect for, you should respect their right to privacy. There is a huge difference between chatting about someone when he or she is not around and gossiping.
How to break it: If you tend to lunch with colleagues who like gossiping, try to avoid them. Find another group of people who you can hang around with for lunch. If you become involved in a gossip conversation, just say you don’t feel comfortable discussing other people’s affairs and walk away.
Are there some habits that your colleagues have that you don’t like? If so please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Photo credits: @Saigon
