5 Bad Career Habits You Need to Ditch in 2020

2020 is the year to put to bed bad habits. It is our opportunity to live our best life and make the most of our careers. If you agree, then you will stop it with these bad habits this year! 

1. Arriving to work late.  

I grew up with parents who were very serious about time. In my household, you could only be early or late. You were never on time. Living under these strict views on time forced me to operate in a manner where I would attempt to arrive at least 15 minutes early for all my appointments. Am I successful all the time? Of course not. But on average, I arrive to events and appointments between 10 and 20 minutes early. 

Time is the most valuable asset you have in life. Why? You can never get it back. When you show up late to work or appointments, it shows how little respect you have for your time and other people’s time. Plus, it creates a bad habit for yourself. If you are late once without consequence, then you can keep showing up late. Do you show up late for things you love to do? If you are going to see a new movie with your favorite actor (e.g., Michael B. Jordan), do you show up after the first half hour? Probably not. There is another reason why you are showing up late. Do you really like your job? Are you not giving yourself enough time to get ready? Are you not feeling well so it takes longer to do everything before heading to work? There is a reason and it is up to you to get real with yourself and address the problem. It’s time to be your best self in the new year! 

2. Procrastinating over and over again.

Procrastination is something so many of us deal with. Similar to showing up late to work, there is a driving force behind procrastination. Why do this to yourself? It creates more work for you and it makes your job even more stressful. The more you are on top of your workload, you can space it out and make a reasonable task list for you to accomplish on a daily basis. When you procrastinate, you force yourself to work under timed conditions because deadlines are now closer and you have even more to get done. This is a losing proposition each and every time you procrastinate.  It’s time to break this bad habit for good. 

3. Missing lunch and not drinking enough water.

Your body is your temple. If you aren’t honoring your body, who will do it for you?  If you ignore this types of advice and “do your own thing," you risk neglecting your body — and neglecting any health conditions going on inside your body with or without your knowledge. You ultimately will deal with the consequences of your actions. Again, why do this to yourself? It’s a new year! Make the time to eat lunch, drink water and move your body at work. You will do a better job at work if you take better care of you.

4. Sitting all day.

According to The Washington Post, “The average American adult now spends about 6½ hours a day sitting — an increase of about an hour a day since 2007.” This is terrible news. We are spending so much time sitting and it is taking a toll on our health. Is there anything that can be done? Of course. Get up!  Every couple of hours, get up and walk to fill your water bottle, then drink half of it before you sit down. You could go to the gym during your lunch break (if time permits). Even taking your 15-minute breaks to walk around the block will help. If you need a New Year’s resolution, decide and commit to walking at least 30 minutes a day. Your future self will be eternally grateful. 

5. Bringing work home every night.

Calling all workaholics: Are you bring work home every night? Is this making you dislike your life? Can you do something about it? Yes, yes and yes. Whether you need to spread the workload, encourage to grow your team or change where you work, change is always possible. The ball is in your court. 

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Natasha Nurse is a speaker, coach, podcaster, and content creator. She started Dressing Room 8 to provide a web-based resource where women can gain personal and professional empowerment through her fashion and lifestyle focused blog. Dressing Room 8 helps women learn how to think with clarity, dress with confidence, and live with purpose. She is the Lifestyle Editor for Plus Model Magazine and she co-hosts a podcast with her husband called WokeNFree. Follow Natasha on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. Don’t forget to join her Dressing Room 8 and WokeNFree groups on FGB.