Even though success is relative, toxic habits that hinder us from our idea of the ultimate success are not as personal, rather very common. Behavioural science offers some hope, by indicating that avoiding certain toxic habits is a sure fire way to both personal and professional success. One, avoid screen distractions and aimlessly roaming the internet. For example, a study out of California, Berkeley, found that on average office workers go only 11 minutes between interruptions while it can take up to 25 minutes to get into a state of productivity called flow. In this era of technology, distractions are so many and the addiction sore as high as the number of social medias, games and more inventions increase. Some organisations opt to set rules that restrict some apps on mobile devices or use of phones during work time overall. But for other professionals, mobile devices are vital in their work and so self-discipline is required to foster concentration and productivity. Two, avoid constant comparison. As American politician, Theodore Roosevelt once said, “comparison is the thief of joy.” In this case, you don’t even know what your success would look like and so you won’t even know once you are at it. You are blinded and overtaken by other people’s lives and successes and you are too sorry for yourself because you think they are at better places than you. Or you constantly work under pressure, in fear to be out passed by others, or with desire to keep up with them, or worse tying your sense of worthlessness to other people’s validations. According to the science of behaviours, this fosters jealousy, low self-esteem and depression. Three, don’t be too agreeable. “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything,” Warren Buffet quoted. Sometimes there is need to stop being too polite and desirable, by minimising the times we say ‘yes’ to things others ask us to do. Experts argue that always being too agreeable, often beyond one’s capacity, leads to making empty promises. “People, who always say yes, often don’t want to disappoint and are afraid of being regarded as incapable. But when they say yes to things that are beyond their capacity, they end up disappointing and regarded as incapable anyway, whilst saying no maybe regarded as rude but real,” behavioural science notes. Four, the toxic waste. Oprah Winfrey’s quote goes like, “surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” There may be some truth to the saying of ‘show me your friends, I will tell you who you are.’ People we surround ourselves with have an influence on activities we participate in, how we define success and look at life. Five, neglecting one’s health. Eating poorly, not exercising or not getting enough sleep leaves one mentally and physically exhausted. Success, no matter how one defines it for themselves, requires some physical and mental effort. One way to stop neglecting one’s health is to not allow one to be overwhelmed by problems. Practicing kindness and forgiveness towards self and seeking help in case you are in need is crucial to being in a healthy mental state. The same rules of behaviour that apply in social civility can also be relevant in the workplace. Of course, science does not guarantee that more money and fame will come with less toxic behaviour. But, it offers the hope needed to know that we can at least be happier and more successful, all around.
