If you want to be truly productive, say goodbye to these 5 draining habits

We all want to be more productive. We read the books, try the time management techniques, and download the apps. But sometimes, the problem isn’t what we’re doing. It’s what we’re not stopping.

I spent years thinking I just needed to work harder, optimize my schedule better, or find that perfect productivity system. But the real breakthrough came when I started paying attention to the habits that were quietly draining my energy and focus.

These aren’t the obvious time-wasters like binge-watching Netflix or scrolling social media for hours. These are the subtle, seemingly productive behaviors that actually sabotage our best efforts. And the research backs this up.

Today, I’m sharing five habits that might be killing your productivity without you even realizing it. I’ve struggled with every single one of them, and breaking free has made all the difference.

1. Trying to do everything at once

I’ll be honest with you. For years, I thought I was killing it with multitasking.

Back when I was managing the language school in my twenties, I’d be answering emails while on calls with teachers, planning lessons while monitoring classes, and responding to staff messages while reviewing budgets. I felt productive. I felt like I was getting so much done.

Turns out, I was fooling myself.

Research has shown that what we call multitasking is actually just rapid task-switching, and it comes with a massive cost. Studies have found that this constant switching can reduce our productive time by up to 40 percent . That’s not a typo. Nearly half of your potential productivity, gone.

Basically, it takes mental effort to stop thinking about one thing and start thinking about another. Each switch might only cost us a few seconds, but those seconds add up fast when we’re bouncing between emails, reports, and messages all day.

What really opened my eyes was learning that multitasking impairs our ability to experience flow, that state where we’re fully immersed and performing at our best. 

These days, I work differently. I block out time for specific tasks and actually finish them before moving on. It felt strange at first, almost inefficient. But my output has never been better.

2. Chasing perfection instead of progress

This one hits close to home.

When I was running my business, I had this need to perfect every detail. Product descriptions had to be flawless. Marketing materials needed multiple revisions. Presentations required endless tweaking.

The research on this is pretty clear. Perfectionism is linked to burnout and stress. 

Here’s what got me: perfectionism doesn’t just hurt us mentally. It actually makes us less productive. We tend to spend excessive time on minor details that don’t really move the needle.

The shift for me came when I learned to ask myself: “Is this good enough to achieve the goal?” Not perfect. Good enough. That simple question has saved me countless hours and a lot of unnecessary stress.

3. Saying yes when you should say no

Throughout my career, from finance to education to entrepreneurship, I had this deep-seated fear of saying no.

A colleague needed help with a project? Yes. A friend wanted advice on their business? Of course. An opportunity to join another committee? Sign me up.

I thought I was being helpful. I thought I was building relationships. What I was actually doing was spreading myself so thin that nothing got my best effort.

Greg McKeown put it perfectly in his book Essentialism: “If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” That line hit me like a truck. Every time I said yes to something that wasn’t aligned with my goals, I was saying no to something that mattered more.

The opportunity cost is real. When we agree to an extra project at work, we might be sacrificing quality time with family, personal health, or work that actually moves us forward. But we don’t see it that way in the moment.

Now, before I commit to anything, I ask myself a few questions: Does this align with my values? What am I saying no to by saying yes? Will this commitment prevent me from focusing on my real priorities?

It’s not about being selfish. It’s about being intentional.

4. Comparing yourself to everyone else

Social media hasn’t helped with this one.

I used to catch myself scrolling through LinkedIn, seeing other entrepreneurs crushing it, launching successful ventures, speaking at conferences. Then I’d look at my own work and feel like I was falling behind.

The problem is that we’re comparing our behind-the-scenes to everyone else’s highlight reel. 

And here’s the productivity angle people miss: when we’re busy comparing ourselves to others, we’re not focused on our own work. We’re wasting mental energy feeling inadequate instead of making progress.

I had to get real with myself about this. Every person’s journey is different. We face different challenges, have different resources, and are working toward different goals. My success isn’t measured by how it stacks up against someone else’s.

These days, when I feel that comparison creeping in, I remind myself to focus on my own path. Am I better than I was last month? Last year? That’s the only comparison that matters.

5. Letting your phone run your day

This might be the most insidious one of all.

You wake up, and before you even get out of bed, you’re checking emails. Then it’s a quick scroll through social media. Before you know it, 30 minutes have vanished and you haven’t even started your day.

This, in my experience, sets us up for a day of scattered focus and reduced productivity.

The constant notifications throughout the day are just as bad. We think we’re staying connected and on top of things. We’re actually fragmenting our attention and killing our ability to do deep work.

I made a rule for myself: no phone until I’ve completed my morning routine. That means no checking emails, no social media, no news. I get up, exercise, have breakfast, and plan my day first. Only then do I let the digital world in.

It was tough at first. I felt this pull, this anxiety about missing something important. But nothing catastrophic happened. And my mornings, previously chaotic and reactive, became calm and intentional.

The bottom line is this: your phone is a tool. Don’t let it become your master.

The bottom line

Real productivity isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters without the draining habits that hold us back.

I’ve been guilty of all five of these. The multitasking. The perfectionism. The inability to say no. The constant comparison. The phone addiction. And each one cost me time, energy, and focus that I’ll never get back.

But here’s the good news: once you recognize these habits, you can start breaking them.

It won’t happen overnight. I still catch myself trying to juggle too many things or reaching for my phone first thing in the morning. The difference is, now I’m aware. Now I can course-correct.

Start with one. Pick the habit that resonates most with you and commit to changing it for the next week. Just one week. See what happens when you focus on single-tasking, or when you set your phone aside until after breakfast, or when you stop measuring your progress against someone else’s.

You might be surprised at how much mental space you’ve been giving to these draining habits. And you might be even more surprised at what you can accomplish when you let them go.

Until next time.