Six Ineffective Habits Of Highly Unsuccessful People
What not to do in order to be successful
We often focus on the habits of highly successful people. It only makes sense. If we want to get better at something, we study the habits of others who’re excelling in that area.
Yet, we often overlook the ineffective habits. You know, the ones that hold you back from achieving your goals. These unproductive yet straightforward habits have the power to suck the most powerful CEO’s into a hole so deep that giving up feels like the only option. We want to avoid these habits.
The purpose of this post is to provide you with the six ineffective habits of highly unsuccessful people, but first, I think it’s essential for us to discuss the topic of success.
What Does It Mean To Be Successful?
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success has no meaning.” — Benjamin Franklin
To me, success can be defined as the choices we make on a day-to-day basis. In each moment, I’m presented with two options. For example, I could spend the next hour or so writing this post, or I could play UFC 4 with my best friend. It’s the daily decisions we make, which determines whether or not we are successful, decisions based on growth, self-improvement, and doing more for society.
Success isn’t some ultimate destination, where we wake up and go, “ahh, I’ve made it.” No. Success is the journey. It’s the steps you take to get to the place where you want to be.
Yeah, it’s easy to look at someone and think, “heck, now that’s one successful person,” but take a second to stop and observe what makes them successful in the first place.
It was at a conference in Spokane where I heard one of my favorite quotes by John C. Maxwell . . .
“Give me a day with a person, where I can observe his habits, his work ethic, and his values, and I will tell you whether or not he will be successful in life” — John C. Maxwell
Usually — in a post like this — we’d discuss the habits of successful people. This isn’t one of those. I’m going to do my best to list six highly ineffective practices of unsuccessful people. Not to say that these habits make you an unsuccessful person, but if habitually developed, they’ll indeed reduce your chances of having a successful day.
Watching Too Much T.V
Why not start with something simple? Unsuccessful people watch too much T.V. We’re all aware of this. But are you conscious of how much time you spend each day on the “Telly?”
Trust me. I get it. Right now, all I want to do is crack a cold one and sink into The Good Place on Netflix. That’s where the decision making comes into play.
Try tracking the time you spend watching T.V. It can be cumbersome at first, but eventually, it’s enlightening.
I spent two weeks last fall, tracking my time on the television, concluding that I spent an average of five and a half hours per day. I don’t have to repeat myself.
That’s insane.
It took some time, but now I’m down to an hour, and the benefits have been life-changing. How else could I have cranked out over 100,000 words last month? I started to prioritize my time, starting with limiting the amount of time I spent watching T.V.
Procrastination
I like to think of myself as a hard worker. And I am. Give me a laborious task at hand, and I’ll crank it out — no problem. But I’m also an avid procrastinator. I didn’t want to admit it, until I had to.
That’s the thing with procrastination. You know you have to do it, but you don’t. You tell yourself that you’ll do it later or that it’s not important — it is.
It wasn’t until I had hundreds of calls to make, days have gone by without a single word written, dishes stacked to the ceiling (almost literally), and a grocery list growing in the hundreds, that I had to admit I had a problem.
I’ve always had problems procrastinating, but it wasn’t until then that I decided to dig into the roots of the issue, finding ways to eliminate procrastination, and accomplish my goals on time.
I found the trick.
For those who have extensive issues procrastinating, I suggest temporarily curbing any big goals — things that require large amounts of effort — and set small goals. Then do them. It’s that easy, like brushing your teeth or jogging every morning. These are goals that require one thing; they need you to make a decision.
Start with small goals before working your way into the big stuff. Don’t stretch yourself too far, taking on more than you can handle. Focus on the stuff that matters.
Overeating, Binge-Drinking, & Drug Use
Now we’re getting into the nitty gritty.
Hi, my name’s Jazz, and I’m an alcoholic. Well, not quite literally. Alcohol’s not my drug of choice. For me, pills have always been my go-to, and weed…And overeating. I’m just a bundle of addictions. Great!
I’ve never quite had a reason for excessive drinking, drug use, or binge-eating. Maybe I’m bored? Or, maybe there’s some deeply embedded existential crisis that I can’t seem to get over?
Who knows.
The one thing I do know is that unsuccessful people give into addictions, and I chose to be the best person possible for myself and my family. So every day I go without hurling in the toilet from drinking, popping a Xanax, or smoking an ounce of weed, I give myself a friendly pat on the back and call it a successful day.
Unsuccessful People Speak Without Listening
“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking” — Bernard Baruch
I didn’t notice I had this problem until one day, I held a conversation with a good friend, and I was always cutting him off, talking over him, and finishing his sentences.
At some point, he cut me off, saying, “look, bud. If you’re not going actually to listen to what I have to say, then why am I even saying anything at all?” POW. A slap to the face, but a necessary one.
Since then, I’ve done my best to let others finish their sentences before responding. Learning to do so has agreeably boosted the quality of my everyday conversations with others.
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply” — Stephen R. Covey
Try reading How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie, an award-winning book contributing to thousands of successful people’s communication habits.
Overthinking
I’m an over-thinker, like Chidi in The Good Place. I suffer from indecision. If I had to choose between a Snickers bar and a Chaco taco — well, forget it.
On a more serious note, indecision affects the lives of many, holding others back from missed opportunities and living their dream life.
Make the decision now to be more decisive. Don’t overthink it. As Nike influencer Shay Labeouf would say, “just do it. Don’t let your dreams be just dreams. Yesterday, you said tomorrow — so just do it! Make your dreams come true! Just do it!”
Sharing Your Goals
I love to set goals. I am finishing this post before tomorrow morning as a tangible goal. Publishing my new book before the end of the year is also a realistic goal. Exercising more and eating healthy are also great goals, and the only reason I follow through on them is that I keep them to myself.
I used to have this habit, where I’d set a goal, and then I’d go around and tell everyone about it. “Hey guys, I’m starting a detailing business” (I never officially started the business). “Hey guys, I’m setting a goal to meditate more often” (I still need to meditate more).
I would never follow through on my goals because sharing your dreams is like a mental trick because it temporarily provides you with satisfaction as if you completed the goal. Crazy, right?
Another reason you don’t want to share your goals is that others might attempt to derail your motivation.
There will be circumstances where it’s okay to share your goals. For instance, sharing your goals with a “higher up” or an accountability partner is likely to motivate you simply because you care what the other person thinks of you.
Keep your goals to yourself, starting right now. Get rid of the need to share your goals with others. It does not benefit you in any way.
Conclusion
I hope to have added value by sharing these six highly ineffective habits of unsuccessful people. We must study the patterns of highly successful people, but just as essential to avoid unproductive habits. Remember, unsuccessful people
- Watch too much T.V
- Procrastinate
- Overeat, binge drink, and use drugs
- Speak without listening
- Overthink things
- Over-share their goals
