Bad Habits Holding You Back

Welcome to the 853 new members of the curiosity tribe who have joined us since Friday. Join the 96,549 others who are receiving high-signal, curiosity-inducing content every single week.Today’s newsletter is brought to you by The Hustle!See why 2m+ professionals start their day with The Hustle newsletter.Anyone can regurgitate the news, few can make it interesting and entertaining. The Hustle does just that. Be the most interesting person in the room from reading The Hustle each day. While their Monday - Friday coverage is 5 star, their Sunday Deep Dives are epic. Ever wondered how all-you-can-eat-buffets make money? Or what happened to the 250K American Airlines lifetime pass? It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s ad free!Today at a Glance:There’s no such thing as an overnight success. Extraordinary success is simply the byproduct of a large volume of ordinary actions. The quality of our daily habits governs the ultimate quality of our long-term outcomes.I frequently write and speak about the good habits—the ones that positively contribute to your desired outcomes. But what about the bad habits? Just as we want to identify what will propel us forward, isn’t it at least as important to know that which is holding us back?Today’s piece covers 20 bad habits that are holding you back from reaching your potential. All of these are bad habits I have—or currently am—struggling with, so you definitely aren’t alone in this fight.Bad Habits Holding You BackI’m mildly obsessed with the myth of the overnight success.There’s a story I love about Spanish painter Pablo Picasso that captures the essence of the myth very well:Picasso was walking through the market one day when a woman approached him.She pulled out a piece of paper and said, “Mr. Picasso, I am a fan of your work. Please, could you do a little drawing for me?”Picasso smiled and quickly drew a small, but beautiful piece of art on the paper. He handed it back to her.“That will be one million dollars.”“But Mr. Picasso,” the woman protested, “It only took you thirty seconds to draw this little masterpiece.”Picasso smiled, “On the contrary, it took me thirty years to draw that masterpiece in thirty seconds.”The lesson: extraordinary success is simply the byproduct of a large volume of ordinary actions.The quality of our daily habits governs the ultimate quality of our long-term outcomes.I frequently write and speak about the good habits—the ones that positively contribute to your desired outcomes.But what about the bad habits?Just as we want to identify that which will propel us forward, isn’t it at least as important to know that which is holding us back?In that vein, today’s piece will cover 18 bad habits that are holding you back from reaching your potential. All of these are bad habits I have—or currently am—struggling with, so you definitely aren’t alone in this fight!These are designed to be short, punchy insights—I would encourage you to skip any that don’t apply and think deeply about those that specifically resonate with you.Without further ado, let’s dive right in…Focusing on the UrgentIt's easy to jump from one urgent task to the next.But when you focus on the short-term urgent, you lose sight of the long-term important.Spend most of your time focused on long-term important tasks—the compounders.Delegate or delete the rest.Saying Yes to EverythingConfession: I've always had a tough time saying no. I'd take on too much and then grind my way through—or even worse, under-deliver vs. expectations.The ability to say no is a superpower of successful people. Be deliberate about what you spend your time on—and who you spend it with.My rule of thumb: You should spend your 20s saying yes and your 30s and beyond saying no. Your 20s are a time to say yes to almost everything. Saying yes puts you into new and uncomfortable situations that expand your luck surface area. Your 30s and beyond are a time to say no to almost everything. Saying no allows you to focus & build leverage.Glorifying the Wrong ThingsWhat I used to glorify:No sleep100-hour workweeksBusy schedulesFancy titles and credentialsWhat I now glorify:Sleeping 8 hoursRegular physical activityUnstructured schedulesWorking in short sprintsSpending time with family and friendsThe realization: Freedom and control over your time is the one true status symbol. Success and wealth is meaningless if it doesn’t provide that freedom and control.Comparison TrapsThroughout your life and career, it's tempting to compare yourself and your progress to those around you.It’s borderline impossible to avoid:This person made X dollars last yearThat person got Forbes 30 Under 30So and so raised $100m for their startupThey just got a vacation home and new carIt's natural, but dangerous—comparison is like gas on your “more” fire—it tears away the enjoyment of the present and tells you that it’s not enough.Learn to turn it off.Focus on what you can control. When you notice yourself falling into the trap, reset and focus on yourself.Pro...