If you sometimes feel like you’re underperforming in life, say goodbye to these 5 daily habits

Ever feel like you’re doing everything you can, but you’re still falling short?

Like you’re working your butt off but not really getting anywhere?

I’ve been there. And honestly, it’s frustrating as hell.

The thing is, most of us blame ourselves. We think we’re just not good enough, not smart enough, not disciplined enough.

But here’s what I’ve learned: sometimes it’s not about working harder. It’s about dropping the habits that are quietly sabotaging us.

Today, I’m sharing five daily habits that could be holding you back from performing at your best. If you recognize yourself in any of these, don’t worry—you’re not alone. And more importantly, you can change them.

Let’s dive in.

1. Multitasking

I used to be one of those people who took pride in multitasking.

Answering emails while on a call? Check. Eating lunch while working on a report? Absolutely. I thought I was being efficient, maximizing every minute of my day.

Turns out, I was just fooling myself.

Experts believe it can slash your efficiency by up to 40%. Let that sink in for a second. 40%.

So if you’re constantly jumping between tasks, you’re basically sabotaging yourself. Your brain isn’t designed to focus on multiple complex things at once. What you’re really doing is rapidly switching between tasks, and each switch comes with a cost.

I noticed a massive difference when I started focusing on one thing at a time. Sure, it felt weird at first. But my work quality improved, and I actually got more done.

Single-tasking might sound old-fashioned, but it works.

2. Not getting enough sleep

This one hits close to home because I’ve been guilty of it more times than I care to admit.

Back in my twenties, I’d regularly pull late nights, thinking I was being productive. I’d convince myself that I could function fine on five or six hours of sleep.

I was wrong.

Here’s a scary fact: if you’re staying awake for 17 to 19 hours straight, your performance takes a massive hit—worse than being legally drunk in most of Europe. Your reaction time slows down by about 50% compared to someone who’s well-rested.

Think about that. You’re literally operating at the level of someone who’s drunk.

And yet, we wear our lack of sleep like a badge of honor. “I only got four hours last night” becomes a weird flex in our hustle culture.

Bottom line? Skipping sleep is killing your performance.

I’m not saying you need to be in bed by 9 pm every night. But consistently getting enough sleep (seven to nine hours for most adults) is one of the simplest ways to dramatically improve how you perform.

Trust me, that email can wait. Your brain needs rest.

3. Ignoring distractions

This one is probably the hardest for me to stick with, even now.

You’re working on something important, and then—ping—a notification pops up. You tell yourself you’ll just quickly check it and get right back to work.

But here’s the thing: you don’t.

Here’s a scary stat: after you get distracted, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully get back to what you were doing.

Twenty. Three. Minutes.

Every time you check your phone or respond to a random notification, you’re losing almost half an hour of focus. And if you’re doing this multiple times throughout the day? You’re hemorrhaging productive time.

I used to think I could handle the occasional distraction. But when I actually started tracking how often I got pulled away from my work, I was shocked. It was constant.

Now, I put my phone in another room when I need to focus. I close unnecessary browser tabs. I use website blockers during my most important work hours.

It sounds extreme, but it’s made a huge difference. My deep work sessions are actually deep now, not constantly interrupted by digital noise.

4. Eating poorly

I’ll be honest—I love good food. But I’ve also gone through phases where I survived on whatever was convenient rather than what was good for me.

And I paid for it.

People with unhealthy diets are 66% more likely to report losing productivity at work, according to a Brigham Young University study. What you eat directly affects how well you perform, so if you’re living on junk food, don’t be surprised when your brain feels sluggish.

When I was in my twenties, I thought I could get away with eating rubbish. Pizza for lunch, energy drinks to power through the afternoon, whatever was easiest.

But I noticed a pattern: on days when I ate well, I felt sharper. My energy didn’t crash at 3 pm. I could think more clearly.

It’s not about being perfect with your diet. I’m certainly not. But making an effort to eat decent meals, stay hydrated, and not rely on sugar and caffeine to get through the day? That makes a real difference.

Your body is the machine that carries you through life. If you’re fueling it with garbage, you can’t expect peak performance.

5. Working too many hours

This is the one that took me the longest to accept.

For years, I believed that more hours meant more results. If I wasn’t getting where I wanted to be, I’d just work longer. Nights, weekends, whatever it took.

But here’s what the research actually shows: a Stanford study found that once you hit 55 hours of work per week, your productivity crashes hard. If you’re grinding 70+ hours, you’re probably not getting any more done than someone working 55.

More hours doesn’t equal better results—it just burns you out.

I learned this the hard way. There were stretches where I was working insane hours, and I’d look back at what I actually accomplished and realize it wasn’t proportional to the time I’d put in.

The quality of my work suffered. My creativity dried up. I was exhausted all the time.

Now, I’m much more protective of my time. I work hard when I’m working, but I also know when to step away. Rest isn’t laziness—it’s essential for sustained high performance.

If you’re constantly working long hours and still feeling like you’re underperforming, it might not be because you’re not working enough. It might be because you’re working too much.

The bottom line

Look, we all want to perform at our best. We all want to feel like we’re making progress and living up to our potential.

But sometimes, the path to better performance isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s about removing the habits that are quietly dragging you down.

The good news? You have the power to change these habits.

Start small. Pick one habit from this list and focus on changing it. Maybe it’s going to bed 30 minutes earlier. Maybe it’s putting your phone away while you work. Maybe it’s packing a decent lunch instead of hitting the drive-through.

Small changes add up. And before you know it, you’ll start feeling like yourself again—except this time, you’ll actually be performing at the level you know you’re capable of.