Are you ready to kick bad work habits for 2013?

If breaking some bad work habits is topping your list of resolutions for the New Year, you’re among friends. But do you know the best way to go about doing it once and for all?

If breaking some bad work habits is top of your list of resolutions for the New Year, you’re among friends. But do you know the best way to go about doing it once and for all?

The very first step to increasing productivity at work and creating a better lifestyle is to recognise bad workplace habits and set out a plan to change these. That’s according to work management expert and at Primary Asset Consulting, Cyril Peupion. “The secret to success is not to pile on more work but instead stop and look at how we currently operate and identify the ways in which we can streamline habits in order to achieve more,” Peupion said.

According to Peupion there are 5 common bad workplace habits most people can identify with:
 

  • Procrastination
  • Lack of focus
  • Meetings Addiction
  • Never Ending To Do Lists
  • Urgency Addiction

And here’s how to break these habits:

Clarify
Outline just one or two things that absolutely need to be achieved by the end of quarter one in the New Year. These should be things that that will have a real impact long term. Think impact and value, not deadline.

Plan

Every week block one hour of your time to review priorities and plan execution for the following week. Book meetings with yourself to work on priorities.

Focus

You will inevitably be bombarded with many other things to do. Stick to your plan daily and limit distractions and interruptions.

De-Clutter
Some 85% of what we keep, we will never re-visit. Purge your inbox. Delete emails that you’ll never read again. De-clutter your desk and hard files. Only keep things that will have an impact on your performance.

Discipline
Create a performance discipline. Once a quarter, clarify your 2 or 3 priorities for the next quarter. Plan weekly and act daily to achieve priorities.