5 Things To Do To Ruin Your Day and Maybe Your Life

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We all have bad habits and I am definitely no stranger to them. On my quest to becoming the person I wish to be, I have several bad habits and pitfalls that I have to avoid daily in order to keep progressing. I would like to share them with you. I am also in a ranting mood so here we are. Here are 5 things I do — as I am sure some of you guys do too — that hold the power to ruin my day and subsequently, my life if I allow them to.

Being Glued To My Mobile Phone

In my previous article, I spoke about flow states, crucial states of being that allow for optimum productivity and workload management. Do you know what THE biggest thing is that stops my ability to enter into a flow state? My mobile phone. It is no secret that mobile phones are incredibly addictive. As Mark D.Griffiths PH.D. talks about in Psychology Today.

“people are no more addicted to their smartphones than alcoholics are addicted to a bottle”.

I know I for one cannot argue with that. For me personally, I can physically feel my energy being drained during phone usage and the more time I spend on it, the harder it is for me to pull myself away. Take today, for example, I am eager to have a productive day and in doing so, I have stored my phone away in my bedroom.

Phone addiction is no joke. In the 21st century, app manufacturers have brilliantly crafted apps designed to hijack reward systems to keep us glued to our phones — see apps like TikTok and Instagram -. Of course, many of us rely on our phones as part of our work or projects and that is completely fine. I do too. However, I can also vouch that 80% of my time on my phone is not productive or benefiting me. Along with its effects on productivity, its negative effects on mood and mental health are equally compelling. Our brains are made to take in environmental stimuli and react accordingly. Scrolling aimlessly through a phone WILL be impacting your mood, whether you are aware of it or not.

Take a week and bring awareness to your phone usage. Ask yourself as you find yourself scrolling endlessly, “Is this benefiting my day in any way?”. If yes then more power to you but if not, surely that is worthy reason to put the phone away and turn your attention to something beneficial? We have a finite time in our day to make a difference. Whether that is positive or negative is your choice. I for one know which direction my day goes when I am spending too much time on my phone.

2. Being lazy and being dirty

There is always time to be lazy and there may be days when being tidy and being clean just is not going to happen. That should never be your main mode of living, however. I have an article and video being released this week on identity-based habits. All based on work done by James Clear, he talks about how we act based on our internal beliefs about ourselves. Taking that into consideration, if you are walking through your day being messy and leaving a path of destruction around you, what does that say about you?

Our internal beliefs are shaped by the evidence we build up that supports it. These are called feedback loops — I also have an article coming out on this -. You must be conscious of the little things you are doing as each behavior contributes towards an internal belief about yourself. Can’t be bothered cleaning your bed in the morning or keeping a tidy bedroom and a tidy house? That will be reflected in your beliefs about yourself and an individual who lives in a dirty environment will feel dirty in themselves. These are not acts of self-care, these are acts of self-abandonment.

I know, it seems trivial to suggest that not making your bed in the morning is going to lead you to have low self-esteem but look a little deeper and it’s only logical. Someone who thinks highly of themselves is more likely to ACT in a way that supports that belief and I know that when I am organized, I feel better about myself.

There is a slew of evidence that supports cleanliness and mental health in the article I will link here. One study even goes so far as to say that;

“House cleanliness was even more of a predictor for physical health than neighbourhood walkability” — Ralph Ryback M.D.

That seems pretty compelling, right? So make the commitment right now to be cleaner. If you are reading this in the evening, commit tomorrow to make your bed the moment you wake up, take a shower, throw on some clean clothes, and start your day off on the right foot.

3. Spending Too Much Time In Bed

One of the WORST things I can do for my productivity is staying in my bed and not venturing outside of my bedroom. Your bedroom should be a sacred space and somewhere where you go specifically to relax and rest. Issues arise when we turn it into a procrastination center.

Yes, our beds are comfy, and yes it’s nice to lie on them but they can also serve as a black hole of productivity. I have spoken about procrastination before but to summarise briefly, when we need to do something that is challenging, our minds are going to create cravings for more instantly rewarding behaviors in order to save us the stress of the task we wish to do. That oh-so innocent desire to lie on your bed and laze around? Its facade created by your brain in order to goad you into doing something it THINKS is going to make you feel better — and it might until you realize you’ve wasted half your day on your bed doing nothing -.

Similar to phone usage, lying on my bed drains me of my ability to enter into flow states. My flatmate was recently having to work at home and I quickly learnt that working from my bed was a very difficult thing to do. I will reiterate again. Your bed should be a sacred space. Not only will spending your daytime hours on your bed decrease your productivity, but also negatively impact your sleep patterns and mood. The urge to nap is also going to disrupt your sleep schedule even further.

Just as with your phone, make a conscious effort throughout the day to ensure you aren’t giving in to urges to get into bed. Save it for when you actually NEED to get into bed and watch your bed turn from a place where productivity goes to die, into a safe space to rejuvenate yourself for the next day.

4. Not Listening to Self-Help Podcasts/Reading Inspirational Books

I am a huge advocate in the self-help world. Having gone through many troubles myself, I can argue that one of the biggest things that allowed me to move through my struggles, was an investment into self-care consumption.

Not only are these things providing you with new information but more importantly, are giving you a perspective of life from people who are thriving; or at least trying, to improve themselves. It can be difficult to see the forest through the trees and easy to assume that your actions do not matter and that your life is unchangeable, but that is simply not true. The power of listening to other people's experiences, trials, and tribulations, and subsequent routes to success are not only interesting but inspirational.

So if you are reading this post, I salute you. You are spending time that otherwise could be spent unproductively on your phone or in your bed, reading someones else account on how that would be bad for you which will inadvertently, motivate you to not do that.

Just recently I have been going through a phase of low mood/depression and have noticed how little time I have spent listening to podcasts and reading. Remember what I said about feedback loops? Undoubtedly, the fact I haven’t been listening to others’ success stories has only contributed to the lacking I have felt in my own abilities.

5. Listening To Sad Music

I have to be aware of not listening to sad music when I study. Slightly controversial maybe? I wanted to touch on this subject briefly because of the feedback loops I have been talking about. Today, as I am writing this, I am listening to an EDM/chilled pop band called Odesza. I listen to them as I work because their music makes me feel expansive and motivated.

Now, listening to music that connects you to your negative emotions is not a bad thing. Like the previous point, it can be a great thing to connect to your sadness especially if you are going through a difficult time. After all, the human condition covers the entire spectrum of emotions. Some studies have even shown that depressed individuals listen to sad music not to exemplify their sad moods, but because they find the music calm and comforting. Another study showed that 83% of its participants did not experience a negative effect from listening to sad music.

Now if we flip that over, 17% of participants did experience a negative reaction listening to sad music. Ultimately, this all comes down to perspective. Me personally? I have a tendency to dwell and mull over my negative emotions. I have to be conscious that I am not sabotaging my moods through triggering trauma or negative emotional responses when listening to music. Save that negatively impacting my productivity. There is a time and place for that.

So take a look at your own music habits. Do you listen to sad or low mood music and if so, is that helping you or hindering you? This is your own observation. I am aware of what music has the power to connect me to my higher self and what music does not. You should be aware of this too how that looks to you.

All of these points come down to perspective. Be aware of what things are benefiting you and what is not. If they aren’t, then cut them out.