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15 bad habits holding you back from your potential:
Complaining Incessantly
Complaining never got anyone anywhere worth going.
The world is split between complainers and doers—the former talk while the latter act.
Complainers are on the sidelines.
Doers are in the arena. Doers fight—their bias for action creates results.
Complaining never got anyone anywhere worth going.
The world is split between complainers and doers—the former talk while the latter act.
Complainers are on the sidelines.
Doers are in the arena. Doers fight—their bias for action creates results.
Falling Into Productivity Traps
Hustle culture lied to you.
Obsessively optimizing your time with new "productive" activities is actually counter-productive.
Free time is a call option on future interesting opportunities.
It provides the headspace to pursue high upside ideas.
Hustle culture lied to you.
Obsessively optimizing your time with new "productive" activities is actually counter-productive.
Free time is a call option on future interesting opportunities.
It provides the headspace to pursue high upside ideas.
Saying Yes to Everything
I've always had a tough time saying no. I'd take on too much and then grind my way through (or under-deliver).
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.
I've always had a tough time saying no. I'd take on too much and then grind my way through (or under-deliver).
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.
Glorifying the Wrong Things
What I used to glorify:
• No sleep
• 100-hour workweeks
• Busy schedules
What I now glorify:
• Sleeping 8 hours
• Regular physical activity
• Unstructured schedules
• Working in short sprints
Control of your time is the true status symbol.
What I used to glorify:
• No sleep
• 100-hour workweeks
• Busy schedules
What I now glorify:
• Sleeping 8 hours
• Regular physical activity
• Unstructured schedules
• Working in short sprints
Control of your time is the true status symbol.
Taking Everyone's Advice
You're going to get a lot of advice from a lot of people.
Most of it is well-intentioned...and also utter crap.
It's dangerous to use someone else's map to navigate your world.
Learn to filter and selectively implement—take the signal, skip the noise.
You're going to get a lot of advice from a lot of people.
Most of it is well-intentioned...and also utter crap.
It's dangerous to use someone else's map to navigate your world.
Learn to filter and selectively implement—take the signal, skip the noise.
Defaulting to a Jog
There are four speeds in life:
• Rest
• Walk
• Jog
• Sprint
Most people default to a jog—a staple of 9-5 work culture.
But you'll go much faster and further by defaulting to either rest/walk or sprint.
Rest, walk, sprint, repeat. There is no jog.
There are four speeds in life:
• Rest
• Walk
• Jog
• Sprint
Most people default to a jog—a staple of 9-5 work culture.
But you'll go much faster and further by defaulting to either rest/walk or sprint.
Rest, walk, sprint, repeat. There is no jog.
Blaming Time
Stop blaming time and giving your focus a free pass.
I used to frequently complain that I didn't have the time to get to important projects.
But an honest assessment concluded time wasn’t to blame—my focus was.
Hold your focus to the fire—force it to level up.
Stop blaming time and giving your focus a free pass.
I used to frequently complain that I didn't have the time to get to important projects.
But an honest assessment concluded time wasn’t to blame—my focus was.
Hold your focus to the fire—force it to level up.
Inactivity
Your body was made to move.
Consistent daily activity is essential to your health, brain function, and happiness.
You don't need to have an complex regimen.
Each day minimum:
• Walk for 30 min
• Raise your HR for 30 min
• Mobility work for 5 min
Keep it simple.
Your body was made to move.
Consistent daily activity is essential to your health, brain function, and happiness.
You don't need to have an complex regimen.
Each day minimum:
• Walk for 30 min
• Raise your HR for 30 min
• Mobility work for 5 min
Keep it simple.
Wanting to Be Right
Finding the truth is much more important than being right.
The most successful people legitimately enjoy being wrong.
Instead of arguing your position—ask *great* questions.
Learn to embrace new information as “software updates" that improve upon the old.
Finding the truth is much more important than being right.
The most successful people legitimately enjoy being wrong.
Instead of arguing your position—ask *great* questions.
Learn to embrace new information as “software updates" that improve upon the old.
Inaction
Overthinking and paralysis is often just a result of inaction.
The first movement is always the hardest—so just start moving.
A body in motion tends to stay in motion.
Maintaining a bias for action allows you to capitalize on opportunities that compound effectively.
Overthinking and paralysis is often just a result of inaction.
The first movement is always the hardest—so just start moving.
A body in motion tends to stay in motion.
Maintaining a bias for action allows you to capitalize on opportunities that compound effectively.
Multitasking
Multitasking is fake productivity.
You think you're crushing it but you're just running around churning out a bunch of C+ work.
Instead, build your day around focused sprints.
60 minutes works well.
Compartmentalize and focus on the one key task at hand.
Multitasking is fake productivity.
You think you're crushing it but you're just running around churning out a bunch of C+ work.
Instead, build your day around focused sprints.
60 minutes works well.
Compartmentalize and focus on the one key task at hand.
Waiting for the Perfect Moment
This bad habit has paralyzed would-be action-takers for generations.
The harsh reality: there is no such thing as the perfect moment.
Sometimes you just have to open the door, jump out of the plane, and hope you packed the parachute tight.
This bad habit has paralyzed would-be action-takers for generations.
The harsh reality: there is no such thing as the perfect moment.
Sometimes you just have to open the door, jump out of the plane, and hope you packed the parachute tight.
Viewing the World as Zero Sum
Zero sum thinkers are the worst.
Want to get ahead in life? Start genuinely rooting for others to succeed.
When one of us wins, we all win—winning spreads.
If you adopt that mentality, you’ll become a magnet for the highest quality people.
Zero sum thinkers are the worst.
Want to get ahead in life? Start genuinely rooting for others to succeed.
When one of us wins, we all win—winning spreads.
If you adopt that mentality, you’ll become a magnet for the highest quality people.
Beating Around the Bush
Hard conversations are...hard.
Being direct is the way.
A mentor gave me some great advice:
The other person should know what you're there to talk about within 30 seconds. Beating around the bush doesn't soften the blow, it just makes it more shocking.
Hard conversations are...hard.
Being direct is the way.
A mentor gave me some great advice:
The other person should know what you're there to talk about within 30 seconds. Beating around the bush doesn't soften the blow, it just makes it more shocking.
Focusing on Money
Money is a byproduct of the value you create.
Create value, receive value.
If you focus on creating immense value for the people you work with, you'll find a way to make money.
Create value—then create leverage to scale the value you can create.
Money is a byproduct of the value you create.
Create value, receive value.
If you focus on creating immense value for the people you work with, you'll find a way to make money.
Create value—then create leverage to scale the value you can create.
Focusing on the Urgent
It'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.
It'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.
Those are 15 bad habits holding you back from reaching your potential.
Follow me @SahilBloom for more writing on business, growth, and frameworks.
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Follow me @SahilBloom for more writing on business, growth, and frameworks.
I’ll also write a deep-dive on this topic in my newsletter. Join the 93,000+ others who receive it here! https://sahilbloom.substack.com
And here was my co-author of today’s thread.
He didn’t contribute much, but he’s cute so I’ll give him a pass.
He didn’t contribute much, but he’s cute so I’ll give him a pass.
By the way, all of these are bad habits I have had (or still have at times).
All of the insights are delivered from reflections on lived experience.
It’s a learning journey we’re all on together.
All of the insights are delivered from reflections on lived experience.
It’s a learning journey we’re all on together.
