10 Unconscious Bad Habits That Ruin Your Success

There's no denying that habits make up an integral part of our lives. They give a sense of security, they provide consistency, and they shape our daily routines. And while the vast majority of habits are good, there are a few bad ones lurking in the shadows too.

These 10 bad habits can have such a negative impact on your success that you may not even realize they're there. But if you're making these bad habits a part of your daily routine, it's time to change.

1. Talking about your ideas

Your ideas are your most valuable asset, so it's only natural that you want to talk about them. In fact, sharing your ideas seems like such a good thing that many people take the habit a step further and begin pitching to potential clients. Unfortunately, this habit has a major downside because when you share an idea before it's fully complete, you risk losing ownership of it.

Instead of talking about your ideas and concepts and letting clients decide whether or not they're viable, you'd be better off keeping any new ventures quiet until they're thoroughly developed.

2. Bullying yourself into being motivated

Everyone has their lazy days where motivation is in short supply. Some people are able to work out a plan to get motivated, but for others this isn't an option. For them, motivation is more of a psychological state. And when you let yourself fall into the habit of using self-talk to get you back on track, it will take far too long for you to be permanently motivated again.

When you convince yourself that you're not going to accomplish anything this week, the rest of your week will be wasted in the same way. Instead, use positive affirmations that focus on your talents and skills instead of what's holding you back from doing them (ahem...demotivation).

3. Listening to your inner voice

As we all know, our inner voice can sometimes be extremely distracting. A good example of this would be that moment in the movie when the main character thinks they're speaking coherently but it's actually gibberish – totally useless yet frustratingly frustrating.

As bad as that might sound, it's far worse when you let yourself fall into the habit of listening to your inner voice. Just like negative self-talk, when you listen to what you tell yourself and ignore the information that you know to be true, it will only take one bad decision to destroy your day.

4. Focusing on money rather than the work

There's no denying that the majority of people are in business because they want to make money. While this intention isn't a bad thing, it can become a bad habit if you're so concerned with earning money that you forget to produce your best work.

Ultimately, it's the work that allows you to earn more money, which means that you need to focus on doing your best projects and not just chasing after a paycheck.

5. Letting distractions take over your time and space

This is one of those habits that seems innocent enough – until it gets out of control. Whether you have a hard time stopping the incessant buzzing of your phone or the persistent notification of your phone's never-ending email, distractions are a huge time-suck that take away from your productivity.

And while some people can be addicted to their phones, others can find themselves spending their entire day on a single activity (hello Twitter). By putting these habits in place, you can learn to manage them so that they do not cripple your productivity.

6. Getting bogged down in the small details

Small details are great when it comes to conveying information accurately. But if you let small details hold you back from achieving bigger goals, they'll work against you too. For example, if you send out your presentation to clients late because you're held up on a particular slide, you'll lose a lot of people. Instead, use that time to fix the problem and then send the slide out to your clients ASAP.

7. Letting your environment dictate your decisions

You've probably noticed this in yourself before: when there's nothing around you that inspires you, it's hard to focus on what needs to be done and done well. The more negative thoughts you have about your work space (more clutter, no inspiration), the harder it will be for you to get anything productive done. Instead, try to make your work space as appealing and inspiring as possible by including calming colors and soothing scents.

8. Failing to set goals

Setting goals is one of those habits that can be hard to get right on the first go-around, especially if you're new at it. So instead of setting a goal that's too easy or not difficult enough, go with something that will keep you motivated (and make sure it doesn't involve money). For example, if you want to lose weight, set a goal such as "lose 10 pounds" rather than "lose 3 pounds by the end of this month".

9. Failing to be strategic with time management

If you don't take the time to plan your day and prioritize your tasks, there's a good chance that things will get messed up. But if you're already doing this, it's time to work on improving things by planning out your week. By planning out your week and creating a schedule that aligns with these goals, you'll have a serious boost in productivity.

Sure, you might not be able to complete everything on your super detailed list each day, but at least it'll give you a head start when the real task at hand comes along.

10. Over-working

If you can't quit the habit of over-working, then it's time to either try another career or another way to cut down on your workload. Over-working isn't only bad for your health, it's also bad for business. If you put in more hours and don't produce results, clients aren't going to have much confidence in what you have to offer them.

Instead of working hard and never taking a break, make sure you're getting enough "me time" whenever necessary. You'll be able to focus much better when you're not constantly thinking about how tired and stressed out you are at work.

In Conclusion

These bad habits can really take a toll on you and your productivity. Whether you're getting started with a new business or are simply trying to keep up with your old one, it's important to stay on top of them in order to improve your overall efficiency.

Sure, you might not be able to completely stop yourself from doing these habits. But if you can at least reduce the amount of time that you do them, you'll be able to manage your business better and accomplish more of what counts.