Our daily habits and routines are powerful forces that can either derail or propel our goals and dreams. They are the vehicle that enable our actions take us to a desirable or undesirable outcome.
And here’s thing; if we scanned our lives today, we may find certain actions which counteract our desired outcomes.
These ‘bad’ habits may show up in different forms.
It may be that we are:
- Doing the wrong things at the right time or the right thing at the wrong time.
- Failing to plan and always going with the “flow”.
- Avoiding change
Whatever these habits may be, they are likely slowing you down and making your ability to achieve your dreams that much harder.
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7 Undesirable habits that are hijacking your dreams and goals.
Here are 7 examples of the bad habits that are stopping you from achieving your dreams. You will probably find that you are guilty of doing a few of these.
1. Mindless Scrolling
Mindless scrolling is one of those unconscious acts that has plagued many of us. It’s even worse when it’s the first thing we do in the morning.
A study, published in 2024, which observed the smartphone use of over 1,315 adults found that extended periods of mindless scrolling usually led to guilt and goal conflict. Interestingly, the study also found that the subjects experienced lower well-being at the end of the day.
That’s troubling.
But even without evidence from these studies, we can’t deny that starting our day in this manner often throws us off, and it’s likely to keep us distracted and overstimulated for the better part of the day.
2. Task Hopping
Another common habit we must intentionally address is our tendency to task hop without any real purpose. I am guilty of this and didn’t realise how bad it was until a particular day where I had three devices open and still had a book in front of me.
So, I would start reading something on a blog, then move to responding to a message on Whatsapp, then remember some email I wanted to check all without finishing any of these tasks.
Do you know the worst part?
I had been doing these things for so long and didn’t fully recognise the impact they were having on my productivity until recently.
This is why self-awareness is key.
We have heard of the dangers of multitasking on our focus and productivity, and I also believe it affects our energy levels.
In my case, most of the things I was doing required different levels of energy and focus, and moving from one task to the other, sometimes within seconds, was depleting my energy levels.
3. Never Finishing Things You Start
This is closely tied to point 2 above but is even more dangerous.
Can I ask you a personal question?
When was the last time you completed a major project or task that was important to you?
If your answer was none or not in the last decade then know you’re not alone.
Perhaps, you had plans of writing a book, but it has remained in the pipelines. Maybe you even started your first draft but have been unable to move past those first few chapters.
I understand how this feels and I have found a few reasons why we often fail to complete major tasks and projects:
- The fear of success or failure: we are afraid of what succeeding or failing at the task will do to us, and this acts as a mental block stopping us from pursuing our dreams.
- Procrastination: we keep moving the timeline believing that we will get to it at some “perfect” point in the future.
- Shiny Object syndrome: this has us moving from one thing to another – we start tasks but quickly move on to the next exciting project, and this cycle continues leaving us with a trail of unfinished projects.
- Inadequacy: We may also feel inadequate. Imposter syndrome is a real thing.
What you should do:
- Start small. Choose one thing and only one thing to work on.
- Create a plan and a schedule.
- Equip yourself: do you need a particular skillset for this task? Then learn – do your research, take that course, equip yourself. This is also great way to combat imposter syndrome.
- Hold yourself accountable. You can use but if you want a more structured accountability program then contact me for details of our accountability program.
4. Procrastinating
I recently came across a memorable quote about procrastination. It says:
“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
Christopher Parker
And one thing we know if that you will get that bill. There is always a cost to procrastination and sometimes the price is just too high.
One of the biggest ways of overcoming procrastination is having a strong why or purpose and balancing that out with a healthy mindset about your place in this world.
Here’s how Victor Hugo puts it:
“He who every morning plans the transactions of that day and follows that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life.”
Victor Hugo
5. Complaining
Complaining is so ingrained in how most of us live out each day that it takes a level of self-awareness and intentionality to beat it. So, one of the groups I’m in recently started a “No Complain Challenge” for this month, and I must say that it has been humbling.
I didn’t realise how often I spend time worried or complaining about things.
Here are three reasons why complaining may seem harmless, but it is dangerous:
- We tend to focus on things that are out of our control – the economy, the world politics, etc.
- It makes it easy to pass the buck and fail to take responsibility.
- Our inability to take responsibility or ownership over the things in our control will make it much harder to change or transform that area of our life.
Tip: You can start your own “No Complain” Challenge. Any time you find yourself complaining about something, remind yourself that:
- You get to choose how you respond to all external stimuli.
- You will not waste time on issues that are beyond your circle of control.
- In every problem there is usually an opportunity lurking by the side, and you have what it takes to see that opportunity.
6. Ignoring Your Money Leaks
What kind of financial habits do you have?
Do you find that you usually can’t account for where your money goes, and you often find it hard to save?
Money leaks are possible when we don’t track our expenses. They are usually prevalent with those seemingly small purchases that quickly add up.
I remember a season in my life, where I would usually stop by the stores after work to get something, I would start out planning to get 1-2 things, but will end up with a few more while at the check-out counter. You can probably relate.
What you can do:
- Create a simple budget (just a sheet with your income and expenses, doesn’t need to be complicated).
- Update it with your daily or weekly expenses. This will help you identify where most of your money goes.
7. Failing to Curate Your Space.
In his bestselling book, Atomic Habits, Author James Clear shares that one key part of habit formation is designing our environment in a manner that promotes good habits and dispels bad ones.
If you’re struggling to eat healthy, then you should make it much easier to eat the right things. You should make these things visible, not hidden.
For example, you’re more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables if they are placed in a conspicuous place like your kitchen counter or on your desk.

Transform Your Habits, Transform Your Life.
Habits are repeated behaviours, which means the more often we repeat the right behaviours the more likely we are to move closer toward transforming our lives.
This is your cue to take control of your undesirable habits. Start with one area of your life and work at it till you see the desired results.
Do you require structured accountability for this? Then reach out to me here.
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