Do you ever wonder why some people are like Superman when it comes to being productive? Have you been trying to increase your productivity level lately but don’t seem to be doing too well in achieving that goal? You might not have noticed but some of your daily habits are to blame for killing your productivity slowly, day by day.

Here are five of the most common deadly daily habits that you need to get rid of today for becoming more productive:

Multi-tasking

NATALY KOGAN explains in her article Why multitasking is killing your productivity?, how multi-tasking leads us to become less productive rather than being able to achieve more in a given amount of time. According to her switching away from one task to another increases the time it will take us to finish the primary activity by 25 percent.

Cell Phones

Cell Phones have become a constant source of distraction. Not only do calls and text messages divert our attention from the tasks at hand, but most of us also have apps like Facebook, twitter, email etc. installed on our phone which adds to the incoming notification causing loss of focus. So, if you want to get the things on your to-do list done on time, you should put your phone on mute or even better as JONATHAN LONG suggests turn off your phone or set it to airplane mode while you work.

Checking Email Constantly

Every email is not urgent and you do not need to reply to each email immediately. Checking and responding to emails every now and then is making you loose important time that you can spend on completing other priority tasks. According to SUJAN PATEL’s article checking email too frequently has been linked to lower memory function, anxiety, depression and lower performance. To be more productive it is better to allocate certain time for checking and responding to emails. This way you can avoid your inbox taking over your whole work schedule leaving no room to focus on other important stuff.

Using the Wrong Tools

Using the wrong productivity tools or constantly jumping from one tool to another may also lead to lowering productivity. Find the tool that works for you rather than what works for others. Don’t use too many productivity apps, try out a few basic ones and if they don’t fit your needs remove these and find another. Integrate your tools so that you can take complete advantage of them rather than moving back and forth from one to another and wasting time as a result.

Never Saying “No”

“Saying “No” is not a bad thing, but saying “Yes” to everything is a big productivity killer. As DAVID puts it in his article Saying “no” means you have time to focus on your own needs, rather than constantly serving other people. So the next time you say “Yes” to something be sure to evaluate how it will affect your work schedule and if you can actually make time for it, how important is that task and whether it will take you closer to achieving your goals or not.