Already half of 2020 is over – to be precise only 149 days are left until we celebrate the next year. Those 149 days give us enough time to work on our bad habits and to start fresh into 2021. And who knows, maybe working on your bad habits might actually help you check off some of your new year’s resolutions you’ve made half a century ago.
To make this list perfect for the current situation (may COVID.19 vanish as mysteriously and fast as it came) I dug deep to find the most common bad habits during this pandemic, which are exactly the same bad habits we had before this mess.
If our wishes are heard and the virus disappears – those bad habits are still there if we don’t work on them. Let’s dig into it!
1. Avoiding Calls
Like every person with the fear of calling knows: dialling a number feels like possibly diving right into the most embarrassing situation ever. It makes us absolutely anxious just thinking about it. Or we have been postponing a nasty call that has to be made. How to avoid that? The answer is: Don’t (Sadly, I belong to this group too) We know what is the right thing to do but don’t do it out of fear or discomfort. Stop it! Many people in home office probably got used to it by now – you will too!
2. Eating Out/Unhealthy
Another bad habit to change is your unhealthy diet. In fact weight gain is so common during this pandemic that it not only is called “Quarantine 15” but the hashtag #quarantine15 has almost 50k posts alone on Instagram.(medicinenet.com)
A regular unhealthy diet can cause tooth decay, heart disease and stroke, type-2 diabetes, cancer and even more according to the Government of South Australia
It may seem hard to cut out junk food, sweets and soda but once you overcome the first four days it will be less hard to keep your fingers from it. . Restricting and Crash Dieting also belong to this point as they not only sabotage your metabolism but also keeps your body from necessary vitamins and minerals. (healthline.com)
If you struggle with your eating behavior or fear to have an eating disorder – please talk to your doctor.
3. Not Working Out
Raise your hand if you didnt work out the last 7 days. I am sure there are many who aren’t really fans of moving, some might even celebrate their work at home for not having to go outside. Now I have some good news for you lazers – you only need to workout 30 minutes a day to see a significant difference! Next to improving your health, Genesis mentioned a change in mood and your energy level, less stress and an improved memory. Furthermore it mentioned that your productivity but also creativity increases if you spent just 30 minutes for your physical workout in the morning. (genesisfitness.com) If you absolutely at all costs have to avoid working out go take a walk instead.
30 Minutes is doable! Personally I would recommend you youtube -workout instructors like Chloe Ting and Blogilates as they are free and offer workouts for beginner to long term followers. . Or if you like to interact more with people you can try find a zoom workout class!
4. Staying Inside All Day
Get up and your body outside, breathe in some fresh air (while walking) and remind yourself how nice the world actually is. Also, it is a nice break from work!
5. Sleeping In
Another bad habit is to sleep in. Did you know that oversleeping actually has negative health effects? Amerisleep mentioned that oversleep causes increased pain, higher risks of obesity, diabetes and heart diseases as well as a higher all-cause mortality. If you want to learn more about negative effects check out Amerisleep’s post :here!
Not only are you risking your health you are also wasting time in the morning while others work. Dwayne Johnson mentioned in his Twitter: “Raise the bar, outwork the competition and wake up at a “you gotta be sh*ttin’ me” hour to workout” while hashtagging 4:45 as his rising time.
So, sleeping in not only risks your health but also gives you a disadvantage to your competition. Now, tell me honestly: When are you waking up? How much sleep did you have? What can you do to wake up earlier tomorrow morning? Like any change of habit it won’t be easy at the beginning but you will get used to it as some point
6. Staying in PJs or Comfortable Clothes
No more messy buns and sweatpants! – or even worse: staying in your Pjs all day! Yes, it is a bad habit don’t tell me otherwise. Doing your hair in the morning or actually just adding some earrings will not only make you feel better in your skin but it also gets you more motivated about work and increases your productivity for the day. Also, your professor or boss will definitely have a better picture of you if you wear proper clothes in front of the screen ( Are you working with sweatpants in front of your superior or coworkers?)
7. Avoid Tidying Up
Another bad habit is to push back your chores. Santa clause won’t clean your plates overnight and the Easter Bunny won’t do your laundry. The only way work gets done is either you do it yourself or you have a mother who can’t stand your mess. (No seriously do it yourself!) Be honest – if your place is untidy you won’t feel motivated to do anything else but to eat and watch netflix. Actually if you tidy up daily and declutter from time to time, the atmosphere of your room will change and so will your motivation to work. It will be easier to get things done and you potentially save money on hospital bills as you avoid falling over your missing shoes.
8. Forget/Postpone Doctor Appointments
Now, I am really bad with doctors appointments but I try my best to at least keep up with regular check-ups or make time if something feels off. CNBC made study with 2000 American adults, whereby 54% of those postponed their doctors appointment last year. The reason for the postpone was the high cost involved. I understand if your budget is tight yet I ask you all to invest in your health as much as possible.
(Best way to avoid medical costs is by staying healthy in the first place). Workout, eat healthy and stay safe during Covid-19. (There are a lot of people who neglect the risk already)
9. Not Reading
Did you know that most millionaires or successful people read at least once a day? Bill Gates even reads 50 books a year which is according to inc.com a book a week!
Can you imagine how much knowledge those people just gain by reading? What would you do with this knowledge? What would you read? Pick a book and set it as a daily task to read at least some pages every day. Who knows – maybe it can help you improve your life or business! Or even give you amazing opportunities for something completely new! (If you are unsure what to read: Check out our must reads!)
If you are very busy or you just aren’t a book lover – I can recommend you to listen to podcasts instead. They are easy to implement during a gym session, cleaning or driving a car and can teach you the same amount of knowledge too.
10. Watching TV All Day
Did you know that the average streaming time of people watching TV [worldwide] has increased by 20%? (mashable.com)
I cannot lie – Netflix, Hulu and other streaming platforms got us good. But the truth is, binge watching series and movies is not good for our eyesight and also not good for fulfilling our goals. Of course there are many more negative effects from a high amount of screentime such as headaches and insomnia (scripps.org) So, would watching just two hours a day hurt that much?
11. Taking No Breaks
Feeling tired during your work day? Taking small breaks during the day can actually increase your energy level and also your productivity (thewellbeingthesis.org). For Example, you could take a 20 minute nap. According to Mayoclinic.org, naps have the benefit to improve your mood and memory, help with fatigue and increase your alertness.
You could also take a walk, like mentioned earlier or use the short break to add a small workout. Personally I like to refill my water bottle, eat a small snack and stretch. Usually I divide my tasks in pomodoro sessions – Thereby I have given breaks of 5 minutes and also fixed times of 25 minutes where I have to get my tasks done.
12. Skipping Breakfast
I am sure at some point you have picked up that eating breakfast is healthy or better skipping it is unhealthy. Rush.edu explained that eating a healthy breakfast can not only increase your performance but also help to lower one’s BMI and fat intake for the later day. Mentioned was that the body recognizes breakfast as a lasting food source and thereby wont eat as much to a later point of time. Also breakfast is beneficial for a higher daily calcium and fiber intake. There are plenty of breakfast ideas to be found online, many cheap and fast to prepare.
13. Not Taking Care Of Your Hygiene
No more skipping showers or „forgetting“ to floss your teeth! Good hygiene is not only important to stay healthy but also an act of self love.
14. Skipping Classes
I know skipping classes sounds amazing, especially when it’s 7:30 and you are still in bed. I also know that it is much easier to record classes and play them at a later point of time. Both cases seem miles apart, but actually they are the same: You are skipping classes and you make your life harder. The first one is simple to explain: you don’t go, you don’t get the notes. Maybe you get them from friends but you will always have a disadvantage for not getting the extra information.
The second is just a question of time management. Yes you have the notes and might study it well later. But in all honesty, the ability to procrastinate with your studies to the latest point is inevitable. (Been there, learned my lesson) At the end you will be stressed and only skip through the videos as you barely have enough time left to study even the necessary topics. So please, don’t skip your classes!
15. Skipping Work
For this one I actually had to dig deeper into my research. I honestly wasn’t sure how people want to skip work as you usually need a doctor’s notice for your absence (except when you work for yourself, of course). Man was I wrong! There are actually tips out there how to skip your work!? For your own good – don’t look them up, just do what you have to do. If you really can’t stand to work another day in your job then maybe it’s time to find something else. If you have your own business – work harder! There will be one day when your hard work will pay off.
16. Complaining
I know life is different right now, we are anxious and scared of what comes next – but complaining does not make anything better. I would even dare to say that it makes everything a bit worse as people are scaring each other more and more or hyping each other up to see everything a bit more critically. The world is no dark place just because we are looking at the shadows. Instead of complaining, start a gratitude journal. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for and how you can make today a better day. Concentrate on the good things in life: opportunities, changes, friends and family.
17. Being Late
Last but not least: being late. Being late is not only disrespectful as you don’t appreciate the time of the person who is waiting for you. In some cases you even don’t get clients or fundings. Time is money. – phoenix business journal.
Nobody will waste their money to wait for you. Especially on an online meeting you have to be punctual as there is no proper reason to be late. But it has no difference to a lecture. Professors and teachers will know if their students are on time (even if you don’t have attendance!)
I know that some of those habits are heightened by our new living restrictions, fear and anxiety.But I just can encourage you to move closer to the person you want to be and take the necessary steps to achieve your goals. Also, together we are strong so let us share love and coherence and push each other to the next level instead of talking each other down with negativity.
I hope you all have a good time – like always: feel free to share your experience with us!
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Love from Germany,
Carina and Julia
