Did you ever think your work habits may be holding you back? Probably not, because habitual behavior is subconscious -- it's done without thinking.Now is the perfect time to make a clean sweep of the bad habits that may be keeping you from doing your best.Here are some bad habits and tips on how to wipe them out:Bad habit: Keeping a 10-foot-long "to-do" list
Cure: Set achievable goals. Break tasks down to achievable steps. If you are overwhelmed by voluminous lists of projects, you'll feel the situation is hopeless, and you'll lose your motivation.
Bad habit: All work and no play.
Cure: Reward your successes. No achievement is too small. Don't be so hard on yourself. Feeling good about completing a task -- no matter how small -- will give you a renewed sense of accomplishment.
Bad habit: Surrounding yourself with clutter.
Cure: Organize. When you're inundated with projects and piles of paper, you need to stop, take a deep breath and perform triage on your assignments. If you're too scattered, you'll have a tendency to begin several tasks at once and not finish any on time.
Bad habit: Procrastination.
Cure: Prioritize. Deadlines are a fact of life. Continually missing deadlines poses a real threat to your continued employment, and besides, it's just unprofessional. Make your calendar or PDA your constant companion. Consult your schedule often and re-prioritize tasks as necessary to ensure you deliver on your commitments.
Bad habit: Allowing yourself to get in a rut and stay there.
Cure: Revisit the ol' resume for a look at the big picture. You don't really like your job. You're just used to it and aren't motivated enough to leave it. That's when it's time to get out the resume. Your resume encapsulates your entire career to this point. How far have you moved professionally since your last job change? Consider what you might say about your current position and imagine where you'd like to be. Now devise an overall plan for getting there.
Bad habit: Nothing about your current career path thrills you
Cure: Learn something new. You're unhappy with the direction your career has taken. Seize control. Think about going back to school to earn an advanced degree in your field to qualify you for more opportunities. Or study something completely different. Lots of people change careers.
Bad habit: Surrounding yourself with "lifers"
Cure: Network. Most of your friends and colleagues have been in the same positions with the same company for years. You don't want to follow that same path, but you see yourself heading down that road. Stop. Take the initiative to join a professional organization and start networking. Begin seeking out and mingling with people who are "go-getters." Soon you'll gain the gumption to seek greener pastures.
Bad habit: Letting the seasons pass you by without having time to enjoy them.
Cure: Find time for yourself. Too often we get so caught up in day-to-day minutia that we don't leave time to stop and smell the roses. Rejuvenate your spirit and seek the world beyond your cube. Learn kickboxing, train for a marathon, study a new language, take up pottery, travel to Asia or go on an archaeological dig. Break your old habits and experience life.[
CNN]
