8 (obvious?) habits blocking your goals - and what to do about them.

Sometimes stating the obvious works most effectively. Even the best of us can let things slide.

Keeping thing short and simple works for busy people and makes things feel more achievable.

Do you recognise any of these habits? Each one demands some of your resources of time and energy through a pernicious network of taproots. Anything you reclaim you can then use to move things forward.

If you are a manager or a business leader, they can all apply to you and your team’s progress too.

✔️ 1 Drifting (no goals!) ➖ Set your sights on specific things to avoid circling aimlessly or even spiralling downwards. Why would you end up anywhere meaningful if you don’t pick a direction?

✔️ 2 Not getting clear ➖ Get clear about what really matters to you will make your decisions easier and feel more confident. Find and follow your values, strengths, resources and unfair advantages.

✔️ 3 Easily distracted ➖ Focusing is a choice. Having fewer distractions leaves more energy for pursuing your goals (or finding them!). Set separate time aside for frivolous and fun things.

✔️ 4 Not celebrating small steps ➖ Any conscious choice or action that moves the needle towards your goal, however small, deserves acknowledgement. They all count. Good job!

✔️ 5 Endless doomscrolling ➖ Keep your phone out of your bedroom and in a different room during the day. Strict access times at work can help. Dopamine mining robs you of time and energy, not to mention corroding steady mental health.

✔️ 6 Saying yes (too often) ➖ It’s ok to say no too. You will manage your commitments better, save energy, reduce opportunity for resentment and keep your focus more on yourself.

✔️ 7 Perfectionism ➖ Do the best you can but remember that done is most often better than perfect. Unless it’s sh!t, then have a word with yourself and improve it. Giving yourself a firm time constraint will improve focus and output – how good can I make this in an hour?

✔️ 8 Avoiding deeper work (complacency) ➖ Deeper personal work with a therapist helps you see patterns and assumptions that keep you stuck and feeling unfulfilled. Therapy is for life, not just for Christmas! I mean crisis. It's not just for crisis.

🚀 Make your goals happen:Lean in a bit more to any one of these habits and you will see progress. Yes, you will! Your efforts will also seep into other people’s approaches too. Lead by example.

The brain learns by doing small things over and over. Persistent, small changes for the win!

📌 Start anywhere.

📌 Improve NICEly:

➡️ Notice and acknowledge a blocking habit

➡️ Interrupt it immediately (repeatedly if necessary)

➡️ Change one small thing that moves the needle

➡️ Enjoy your progress

♻️ For help with deeper work, clarity and other support, I am a therapist working on Glasgow and online. Get in touch for an informal conversation.