They say that old habits die hard, and in the case of bad work habits, this can be even more accurate. Trying to stop something that you’ve done every day in your job for a long period of time can be tricky, but it isn’t impossible. From not taking breaks, always eating at your desk, not being organised or always running late, we’ve got the know-how on how to change your habits for good!
Latecomer
No one lives a life where they have never been late for anything, but if find yourself in a fluster trying to get to work, this is definitely a bad work habit that needs changing. Being consistently late is perceived by many to be unprofessional and shows that you don’t respect your boss enough to get to work on time.
To fix this habit, try doing as much as you can the night before, whether it’s preparing the next day’s lunch, getting your clothes ready, making sure your bag is packed or you know where your keys are. These little steps will make it quicker and easier for you to get up and out in the morning, and if you drive, check the traffic before you set off to see if there’s another route you should take to avoid delays.
All work and no play
While it’s great to be dedicated to your job and having a strong work ethic, working solidly from the time you arrive until when you leave can become exhausting. Remember to take some breaks during the day, even if it’s just stretching your legs by going for a drink or not working through your lunch break, these will give you time to clear your head and refresh you for the rest of the day.
Same old, same old
Similar to not getting enough breaks, one of the other top bad work habits is always eating lunch at your desk. While it can be useful to have a sandwich or salad at your desk as you crack on with a big project or deadline, doing this every day is not only boring, but means you might miss out on some networking opportunities.
If you know that people in your office you don’t talk to much always have lunch in a breakout space, try joining them. Not only is this a change of scenery for you and will help you feel like you’ve actually had a lunch break, but you might make some useful contacts or just good friends. Likewise it’s great to save money and prepare your lunch at home, but if there’s an opportunity to go into town with others for lunch join them. It will help you break up your day and make you feel energised for the afternoon ahead if you’ve had some fresh air and fun.
Practically perfect in every way
There are those who love everything in its correct place and those that can live with a mountain of papers, but everyone can benefit from being organised. Being disorganised can mean that you miss out on important details, fall behind in your work or don’t get a task done on time so it’s important you find a system that works for you.
Try a few different organisation methods until you get one you’re happy with and you know you’ll stick to. You can buy trays to organise papers into according to priority, use reminders in the form of sticky notes or phone alerts to tell you about important tasks, or make sure you complete tasks as you get them so they don’t fall to the wayside.
Negative Nelly
It’s easy to sit in the pub with friends and complain about your work-life, but doing so often can put you in a bad mindset for heading back to the office when the weekend is over. If you consistently say negative things about your position, boss or colleagues, you’ll stop seeing the positives that drew you to the job in the first place, and your colleagues will pick up on your unhappy vibes.
Some days just don’t go well, but even on these you should try and think of one positive that has happened. Even if this is just getting a compliment, being made a coffee by a colleague or hearing about an exciting new project, take one good thing away from the day to focus on.
Ready to banish old work habits and enjoy new ones? We’ve got plenty of amazing clients looking for someone like you to join their team, so check out all of our available jobs here.