4 Thieves That Rob You of Your Productivity Without You Knowing!

Jaimin Kapadia

Published in

The Startup

5 min readMar 6, 2019

We all have goals we want to achieve.

But there’s just one problem.

We’re just too busy to pursue them.

You might be married, have a full-time job, kids, and elderly parents who need you and are constantly dependent on you.

So, how can you pursue your goals while taking care of all these responsibilities simultaneously?

Is it even possible?

Turns out, it is.

But…

But you’ve to stop these 4 productivity thieves first!

Since past 1 year, I was in a similar dilemma.

I wanted to write more on this platform, but I just couldn’t do it.

Not until I discovered these 4 productivity thieves and figured out ways to stop them.

Productivity Thief №1 — Inability to Say ‘NO’

Look, I learned this the hard way that the best way to stay productive and be able to achieve your goals is to say NO to anyone or anything that could derail you.

Friends will ask for your time.

Co-workers will request your assistance.

Invitations of family occasions will hit your mailbox unexpectedly.

But how you handle all of these, determines the results you’ll be able to produce.

Look, the bottom line is this…

“when you say YES to something that does not align with your goal, you’re deliberately saying NO to your goal itself.”

Simply put, the more things you try to do, the less successful you’ll be at any one of them.

I know you don’t want to seem cold.

I know you don’t want to be hurtful.

I know you want to be helpful.

I get it.

It is totally understandable.

I also know the sense of fulfillment you get when you help others. And focusing just on your own goals, especially at the cause of people you love, can feel really selfish and bad.

But remember, saying YES just because you cannot bear the short-term pain of saying NO is not going to help you achieve your goals.

Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not telling you become a self-centered, egoistic dick. But I also don’t want you to say YES to any request that is not connected with your own goals.

Moreover, there are creative ways to say NO.

For example, you can ask a question that leads them to find the help they need elsewhere.

You can also politely ask them to redirect their request to others who might be able to help them.

The point is, your energy is limited & your time is finite. And if you won’t say NO to all things that don’t help in achieving your goals, you’ll never be able to achieve your goals.

Literally and figuratively — It’s either one or the other.

But the good news is — you get to decide which.

Productivity Thief №2 — Fear of Havoc

See, when you focus & devour 100% of your free time in pursuing your goals, mess is automatically going to take residence around you.

It’s kind of a package deal.

When you aim for greatness, clutter is guaranteed to pile up.

Unfortunately, there is no pause button.

And wishing for it will only make you feel disappointed and miserable.

In fact, not wanting havoc while pursuing your goals is one of the productivity thieves.

And while giving in to the pressure and start fixing all the mess that has been created can make you feel relieved, but when it comes to productivity, it’s a thief!

So, it’s best to just accept the fact that mess is going to stack up.

In simple words, get used to it and get over it.

Don’t let this thief pickpocket your productivity.

Move past your fear of havoc and trust that achieving your goal will come through for you.

So, if you’ve to beg, then beg. If you’ve to be creative, then be creative. Just don’t be the victim of your situation.

Find a way and make it happen.

Productivity Thief №3 — Energy Mismanagement

Energy mismanagement is a silent thief of productivity.

Most people go for success while sacrificing their health.

They stay up late, eat junk food or even miss meals, and completely ignore exercise.

Driven to achieve goals no matter the cost, they end up hurting their health over time.

You see, high achievement requires lots of energy. And to have lots of energy every day to pursue your goals, you need to take care of your health.

Proper health is critical for maximum productivity.

Here’s the secret to have proper health:

Spend early hours energizing yourself by exercising and meditating.
Eat nutritious food and on time.
Fill your heart with joy by spending time with your loved ones.
And sleep on time to recharge energy for tomorrow’s productivity.

Productivity Thief №4 — Be Mindful of Who You Surround Yourself With

You know, your mother was right when she told you to be careful of the friends you make.

The wrong people in your life can distract you from the productivity course that you’ve set yourself on to.

How?

In a word — attitude.

Attitude is contagious. It spreads easily.

And even if you’re strong, you won’t be able to avoid the influence of negativity forever.

Believe it or not, but you’re likely to pick up some of the negativity by simply being around negative people.

So, if your co-workers, friends, or family members are generally not positive, they’ll most probably pass on some of their negative attitude to you.

It’s like the old-saying:

“You’re the average of five people you spend your most time with.”

So, pay close attention to the people around you.

And if you feel most of your surrounding is negative, then seek out to those who support your goals.

Surround yourself positive people.

Because positive people can help you, support you, assist you, and lift you up and send you on your way to achieve your goals.

Thank you for Reading.

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About The Author:

Jaimin runs a one-man-show content agency — Screwed Up Engineer — which he started as blog, but now he helps multinational brands and companies in growing their website traffic and sales by demystifying their success and failure stories.