It’s officially a new year, folks. Another chapter is over, and a fresh one is ahead of us. We share 10 tips on how to ditch bad work habits for a successful year.

With the new year comes the ritual many of us will have undertaken; to reflect on past achievements and set new year goals. Many of you will have plenty of personal and professional goals in mind that are fueling your enthusiasm for the year ahead. And many will be feeling a little like they’ve just stepped back onto the hamster wheel, unsure of how to turn things around at work this year.

Well, if we learn anything from the annual failure of new year’s resolutions, it is that big goals aren’t practical without little goals to get you there and good habits help to keep you on track. Whatever it is that you are chasing — from inner peace to a shot at the big job — ditching bad work habits can help you to get there.

For a productive year, ditch these 10 bad work habits:

The research gets stronger every year, guys. Taking your lunch break is important. If all you want to achieve this year is a little peace, take your breaks to give your mind a rest, so it’s ready to take on the rest of the day.   

There is nothing wrong with loving your job and having no desire to move up or around but total stagnation is likely to leave you feeling lost. Consider your role and what you want to achieve, if it’s not career progression, think of courses or conferences that you could take to develop yourself and keep from feeling stale.

No explanation should be required. Why put off until tomorrow what could be done today? This is one of the most common bad work habits, ditching this will free time and provide a sense of calm tomorrow.

If you work for a cool company that lets you wear what you want, come in when you like and work from home as you please, make sure you respect these privileges. Push it too far and they could be gone.

Start this year with organisation. Reactive days are not productive days so be disciplined to react only to what you have to and proactively get on with everything else.

We have all encountered those people who like to talk a little too much in a meeting or keep you chatting a little too long in the break room. Don’t be that person. You’re not only wasting your own time, but you’re also wasting the time of other people.

When you get caught up in your work, you can sometimes forget how valuable and refreshing it is to mingle with your network. Try to set time for networking events or coffees. Networking helps to give you fresh ideas and inspiration.  

Stick to the old rule: Tackle the toughest task first, so the rest of your day looks like a breeze. Procrastination has zero upsides, but downsides include feeling mentally busy with the stress of having to do work, while actually getting nothing done, leaving you with the same pile that could have been taken off of your mind and task list if you had just done it when you were meant to.  

This is a sure fire way to get unnecessarily irritated while simultaneously irritating other people. Best avoid for a productive work year.

Whether it’s communicating what you want in your role or what you need from colleagues or clients to do the best job possible, communication is critical to get you where you want to be and doing it to the best of your ability.

Do your goals include ditching these bad work habits and making a career move? Launch Recruitment can help connect you with the job on your goal board. Get in touch with us today.