Everyone has some bad office habits. For some people it is gossiping or complaining during break time or procrastinating. It could be spending too much time checking email or playing on Facebook. Some of these habits can lower your job performance, cause you to have a bad attitude at work and some can even get you fired. Whatever your bad habit is, it is a good idea to change it.
Here are some steps for changing your bad work habits:
- Pay attention for a week or two- Take a week or two and pay attention to your work habits. Think about what bad habits you should break and how each of them may be hurting you.
- Decide which habit to work on- If you decide to change everything at once, odds are good that you will fail. It is easier to change one thing for 30 days until it becomes habit, then work on one more thing. So, for now, select one habit to change.
- Watch what you do- Whenever you see yourself starting to do the habit, make yourself stop. You can write reminders for yourself or do anything you think would help keep you aware. It is difficult to catch the habit before you do it, so be gentle but firm with yourself when you are just beginning.
- Replace the habit with something else- When you get rid of one habit, it leaves an open space for another one to form. It is the “do this, not that” type of thought process. A good idea is to replace the bad habit with something that is good for you or for your career. This is extra productive because as you are making the good thing a habit, you are getting rid of the bad thing. This can be as simple as, instead of gossiping about co-workers when you are on a break, praise co-workers. Talk about how someone in the office is doing a great job. This will fill the same social need as gossiping does and will improve office morale and make you feel just a little kinder about your co-workers.
- Keep trying- Change is never easy, and breaking bad habits is no exception. So hang in there, keep trying and mostly, be gentle with yourself. If you backslide a little, don't beat yourself up, just keep on trying. Before long, it will become a new habit.
Making change is a hard and never ending process. Keep in mind that you have the power to change your environment just by changing the way you look at it. So, replace the bad habits with better ones and see how it will change your overall happiness with your career. Good luck!
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By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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