Avoid These 5 Energy-Sucking Habits at All Costs!

There are good habits, there are bad habits, and then there are energy-sucking habits.

As stated in a recent post, habits can help or hurt you because they allow you to go on autopilot, leaving your conscious thinking for more pressing or complex matters.

Unfortunately, bad habits can emerge without you even realizing them.

Have you ever been given a challenging task you were once excited about, only to quickly find yourself dreading getting started?

And then, even if you do get started, do you find your energy sputtering shortly after?

Well, I’ve identified 5 habits that lead to lost productivity, focus, and drive. If left unchecked, they can really drain any motivation you’ve accumulated and lead to wasted time and effort.

A quick note: All of these habits are totally normal. These habits have been hard-wired more or less for our survival. However, in this day and age, we don’t have to just merely survive… we can thrive! So kick the following energy-sucking habits to the curb and focus on the ones that will make you successful!

1. Dwelling on the past. Looking back on past experiences has helped us for ages avoid previous mistakes. This is handy to have, even to this day. However, in many cases we stay in the past, opting to focus on negative experiences or relive the “glory days” instead of better utilizing the time we have now. Things happen, and you can’t change the past; so why worry about it? Rather, use your time on this earth to better your life and the lives of those around you from this point on.

2. Worrying about the future. Don’t get lost in the millions of possibilities that could happen; trust me, it only leads to anxiety, fear, and “analysis paralysis”. You get overwhelmed and unproductive when you should be living in the now and taking actions to create a better future for yourself. As a brilliant Bil Keane put it, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” You don’t have to have all of the answers for your life; take one or two and go from there.

3. Worrying what others think about you. This is honestly a complete waste of time. It is what my pastor calls “people bondage” and only leads to misery, paranoia, and bitterness. This was a great characteristic to keep us all together when we were hunter-gatherers, but nowadays it can cause us to become habitual people-pleasers. Our downfall happens when others don’t reciprocate or appreciate our contributions, and we resort to passive-aggressiveness and a transactional (i.e. “tit-for-tat”) mindset. So stop worrying about the opinions of people that don’t matter and focus on the things that do!

4. Fearing failure. Failure is going to happen whether we like it or not. Instead of fearing failure, embrace it! In many cultures, it is shameful to fail. However, if we avoid failure, we never learn how to succeed, right? Thus, you must act, learn and grow. Like I always say: Ready, FIRE, Aim!

5. Focusing on the negatives. It’s easy to focus on what’s going wrong all the time. This used to work for our advantage because it kept us yearning for bigger and better things. However, for the most part, it leads to ungratefulness, anxiety, and depression. Who wants that? I’m not saying you have to transform into Mr. or Mrs. Optimistic, but it is best to have an overall positive outlook on the direction you are headed; if you don’t, you know you need to make some course corrections to eliminate this energy-sucking habit.

All of these habits are normal, and are exhibited by everyone from time to time. However, we don’t have to make it a full-time part of our lives. Work to break free from these habits. In fact, I wrote a book detailing exactly how to do so, and it teaches you everything you need break through these habits and any other negative mindsets you have. Simply click here for more info (including how to get the book free).