7 Ways You’re Blocking Your Progress Without Realizing (And How to Fix It)
These Tiny Acts Had Me in a Chokehold
Progress is better than perfection.
You’re better off focusing on smaller achievements than obsessing over the end goal while not getting nearer.
This means you’ve gotta be relentless about learning, growing, evolving, and improving daily.
Even if you’re doing this already, there are ways you can hinder yourself without realizing it.
These tiny acts had me in a chokehold for so long.
I was doing all of the self-improvement work, but I was drained…
Everything was happening slower than expected, and that’s only because I was getting in my own way.
As the popular adage goes, “You are your biggest obstacle, but you are also the change that you seek.”
To change your outcomes, change yourself.
Do this by realizing how you’re currently hindering your progress and making corrections.
That said…
Here’s 7 common ways people block their development without realizing it:
1. Unhealthy consumption before bed
“Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.” — Thomas Edison
Your brain processes whatever you do before you sleep as you’re sleeping.
This is why I stopped watching horror movies before bed…
I’d always wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat after being chased by a mob of angry people.
The thing that pissed me off the most about these dreams was that I was never faster enough – it always felt like I was running in quicksand.
Anyways, I tell you this to make a point…
How you end your day determines how you start the next day.
Better nights result in better mornings.
Most people end their day terribly.
They eat junk food, scroll on their phones, and consume junk media.
Plenty of research has shown that these negatively impact your sleep quality and have several physical and psychological implications.
Put it this way…
If you’re not waking up feeling excited about the day ahead, what you’re doing the night before is wrong.
If horror movies can trigger nightmares, the right habits can trigger inspiration, anticipation, and commitment to what’s to come.
The secret is to become a master of your nights.
Do things that set you up to win the next day. These are usually activities that allow you to wind down.
I typically like to read books that give me a different perspective on something valuable.
While reading, I get the urge to implement what I’m learning, but I don’t…
I go to sleep with that feeling.
By the time I wake up, I’m ready to take on the day.
You might prefer to meditate or visualize – some people even journal.
Whatever you do, let it be something that winds you down and gives you something to look forward to the next day.
This will help you wake up ready to hit the ground running.
2. Blurred lines between environments
“You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective.” — W. Clement Stone
The other day, a friend of mine was telling me of his time in Atlanta…
I thought it would be one of those “We need to go out there” stories, but it was far from that.
“Everyone has guns bro. It’s open carry in Atlanta — you can literally see the guns. It made me feel so uneasy man. It would’ve been different if I grew up there, but as a tourist, it just didn’t feel right,” he said.
Why would it have been different if he had grown up there?
Because it would’ve been as normal to him as it was to the people from there.
The point I’m getting at is that your behaviors are heavily linked to your environment.
If you’re one of the many people working from home more often, this can be extremely dangerous…
When I first became self-employed, I struggled to transition from office-based to home-based…
Not because there were many distractions, but because I didn’t know how to switch off.
The lines between work and home life became messy.
Eventually, I burned out… Many times.
TLDR: There must be a way for you to switch off from work
This is known as “psychological detachment.”
People who can do it are happier and healthier and experience less fatigue.
One of the common reasons people struggle to detach psychologically is because of blurred lines between environments.
When I first started working from home, I’d work in my bed, or anywhere that felt comfortable.
This trained my brain to associate these locations with work.
Thus, whenever I went back to them to chill out, my brain would boot up and go into work mode.
You must maintain environmental independence to avoid this feat.
Create designated spaces for everything you do.
Don’t let your bed become your workstation, or your workstation become a games room.
When you designate locations for different activities, your brain keys into the task you’re supposed to do there, helping you get into the zone quickly.
This is the epitome of working smart, not hard.
3. Keeping negative triggers around
“And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” — Matthew 5:30 (NIV)
My parents recently visited me in Ghana and brought my favorite sweets as a gift.
Haribos.
Though I was extremely grateful for the gesture, I wasn’t excited because I was on a diet.
When I told mother about my situation, she replied, “You don’t have to eat it all, I’ll eat some.”
What she didn’t understand was these were my favorite sweets in the whole wide world.
On a day when my willpower was low, I knew there would be absolutely nothing stopping me from marching straight into that kitchen and indulging.
… And that’s exactly what happened.
I finished the sweets within two days.
It’s become a running joke in the family, but everyone now knows not to get me Haribos.
They also understand why I don’t buy soft drinks to keep them at home — these are my triggers.
You’ve gotta know your triggers.
These little things deter you away from your goals.
Without recognizing them, they’ll lead you astray.
4. No rules for managing triggers
“I think, with a negotiation, you have to go in knowing what you want, knowing what your bottom line is, and knowing what you might accept if you’re absolutely pushed.” — Jacob Rees-Mogg
Never enter a situation without knowing your non-negotiables, or the situation will beat you.
I love how Benjamin Hardy put it — “Situations are more powerful than undecided people.”
When you haven’t defined your non-negotiables, the situation will decide for you.
For example, if your phone is a massive trigger and you put it on your desk while working, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
There must be a set of rules you use to govern different situations…
One rule of mine is no outing on weekdays.
This is because I’ll spend most of the day thinking about how exciting the outing will be and not get much productive work done.
You must define rules for yourself for various scenarios.
Knowing what to do or what to look for ahead of time would give you immense power.
5. No plan of action
“We tell ourselves, “I’m going to eat healthier” or “I’m going to write more,” but we never say when and where these habits are going to happen. We leave it up to chance and hope that we will “just remember to do it” or feel motivated at the right time. Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.” — James Clear
You can’t just expect yourself to take action — there must be a plan.
This is what implementation intentions are for…
Implementation intentions are commitments to perform an action at a specific time and location.
It’s where you specify what you’ll do, when you’ll do it, and where you’ll do it ahead of time.
They act as a safety net for days when your motivation is depleted — which will happen often.
The structure for an implementation intention is as follows:
“I will [ACTION] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].”
For example:
“I will start writing on Medium at 8 a.m. every weekday in my office.”
Whatever you’re serious about doing must be committed to in advance.
… But you can only commit to action when you’ve planned to do it.
This is why you agree to work hours when signing a contract at a job — imagine the chaos there would be if everyone could turn up whenever they liked as long as they filled their set hours.
TLDR: Create a plan of action with implementation intentions.
6. Not measuring progress
“Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can’t measure something, you can’t understand it. If you can’t understand it, you can’t control it. If you can’t control it, you can’t improve it.” — H. James Harrington
Several studies have shown that celebrating small wins is key to retaining new habits.
You’re much more likely to press on and strive for more when you see your progress.
This is what encouraged me to dial in my focus on Medium…
At first, I only made around $4, but this was my first time making money online, so I was super excited.
This positive feedback loop made me put in more effort.
The alternative is to feel dissatisfied.
Don’t only measure what matters; measure your progress too.
How much better are you doing than yesterday, last week, last month, etc.?
When you see progress, you want more.
That said, the best way to measure your progress is daily…
At the end of each day, note three things you did well that day and take time to celebrate them—even if it’s just a pat on the back.
The more you take stock of your advancements, the more courage you give yourself to strive for more.
7. Not getting things done
“You can fool everyone else, but you can’t fool your own mind.” — David Allen
The way you do anything is how you do everything.
This is why you must develop a strong inclination for getting sh*t done.
If you get shit done in the gym, you’ll get shit done in your business.
The opposite is true also…
When you’re sloppy and allow responsibilities to carry over, this creates a habit that flows into every area of your life.
I used the gym example because I used to do it.
I’d leave before finishing my workout and justify my actions by saying, “I’ll do it when I get home,” but I never did.
This behavior carried over to my business, quickly disrupting my flow with Medium writing.
If you truly wanna win the day, you’ve got to finish it.
Get done with what you start.
The better you get at completing activities, the better you are at completing everything in life.
This is because what you do often sets the tone.
It tunes your mindset and redefines your identity.
When you see yourself as someone who finishes what they start, you’ll do more to maintain that status.
Finish what you start and watch it transcend all areas of your life.
Final thoughts
It’s super easy to block your own progress.
7 of the most common ways I’ve seen people (including me) do this without realizing are as follows:
1. Unhealthy consumption before bed 2. Blurred lines between environments 3. Keeping negative triggers around 4. No plan of action 5. Not measuring progress 6. No rules for managing triggers 7. Not getting things done
If you heed the tips I gave you to overcome them, you’ll be all good.
Thanks for reading!
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