5 everyday routines that are wrecking your productivity

5 everyday routines that are wrecking your productivity5 everyday routines that are wrecking your productivityIf you work a nine to five job, chances are the week before you go on vacation is pretty productive. In fact, Id bet that you get a normal weeks worth of work done in the two days before you head out of the office.Now, think about what would happen if you could be that productive every day- if you were always your pre-vacation self.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreA lot of people think thats out of reach. They think it would be impossible to get that much done on a consistent basis. Butincreasing your productivity isnt just about doing more work. Its also about figuring out what distracts you and removing those things from your day.If you want to get more done, then start eliminating behauptung five distracting habits from your day1 Mistaking Movement For ProgressEarly on in my career, I had the bright idea to get three computer monitors. That way, I could keep track of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, news stories, stock prices, and every other online event at the same time.Not surprisingly, it destroyed my productivity.Id made aclassic mistake- conflating movement with progress. The more information you have pouring in, the more itfeelslike youre doing something. But in reality, youre accomplishing less.Productivity is about getting things done, notlage watching them happen.2 Needing Constant ConnectionIn todays work environment, most distractions stem from the fear of missing out, or FOMO.Social media and the constant churn of the 24-hour news cycle has created a sense that things are alwayshappening.And if we dont catch them right away, well have missed out on something important.Take thefire in Notre Dame, for example. I love that cathedral. Ive been there and seen its majesty in person. Its hard to overstate its cultural importance.But I di dnt need to watch it burn in real-time.Yes, its important to stay up-to-date and informed- Im all for learning about the world we live in. But unless your job requires you to be on top of the latest breaking news, I promise it wont matter if you learn about a story a couple of hours later than everyone else.3 Having Unfocused Work TimeI hate to break it to all you multitaskers, butthe myth of multitaskinghas beenthoroughlydebunked. People just arent as productive or effective when they attempt to split their focus between a number of tasks.To truly be productive, its important you dont look at a two-hour block of time as simply work. If you go in with several different items you need to accomplish and 20 open browser tabs, you wont get the most out of your time. Youll become distracted and flit back and forth between one task and another.So you have to be specific about what youre doing with your time. Tell yourself exactly what youre going to work on for the first half-hour. Then t he next. Once you stop splitting your focus and start structuring your time, yourproductivitywill soar.4 Relying On Your MemoryI had tolearn this lessonthe hard way.When I was younger, I used to tell myself, Oh, Ill remember that. No problem. Of course, I wouldnt remember it and would miss the deadline, call, or whatever I needed to be doing. I dropped a few balls before I wised up, but today, I put everything on a to-do list or calendar.Its so much easier to jot down what you need to do, set reminders, and refer back to your schedule throughout the day. Youll save yourself some pain, and the reminders will keep you from getting distracted and drifting off into unproductive territory.5 Prioritizing Your Wants Over Your NeedsProductivity comes down to self-discipline.That means if youre traveling, but you need to get work done, you do it on the plane rather than watching a movie. It means if youre taking time off, you get all your work done first, then go hit the beach.I know it can be tough to prioritize what you dont want to do. But whenever I feel like putting off a task Im really not looking forward to, I think of a favorite quote of mine from the bookThe Hard Thing About Hard Things If youre gonna eat shit, dont nibble.Do what you have to and move on. Get the unpleasant work out of the way so you can focus on the next thing. Dont worry, the world will wait for you to get it done. People will still be posting on social media when youre finished with your work. The news cycle will keep spinning. That beach isnt going anywhere.Once you realize this secret- and begin cutting out distractions andbecoming more productive- you arent simply making room in your life for more work. Youre creating more time to do everything in life you really want to.This article first appeared on Minutes.