Don’t let bad habits sabotage your career prospects:

If you think your career path has featured an unusually large number of obstacles and detours that have kept you from reaching your goals, sometimes the easiest solution is right in front of your face. You could be holding yourself back thanks to some bad habits. It’s time to examine your work life and think about what changes you can make to become a more productive employee and popular colleague.
Don’t sabotage your career advancement. If any of these common bad habits sound familiar, make a commitment to break them for good!

1. Guilty of inappropriate computer use

For as long as computers have been invented, this has been an issue. But it’s getting worse. Before office workers only had Solitaire to distract them from the task at hand. Now we have hundreds of games on our phones, social media and even TV on demand! But watch out, many companies can and do track your online behavior, and if your social media posts are public, there’s a record of your social media activity during work hours. Break it: try viewing your social media time for what it really is—break time—and treat it accordingly.

2. Taking the mickey

Remote working, or working from home, is becoming more and more popular. In fact, our research has found that 40% of Brits work from home on a weekly basis, and one in ten of us do it full time.
With these changes come more freedom as you define your own schedule and it can be tempting to abuse that freedom.
If you occasionally “work from home” and then go to lunch with friends, take advantage of an unlimited annual leave policy, or if you disappear ’for a smoke’ one too many times, that’s pressing your luck.
Once your boss has noticed these behaviors any unexplained absences will be put down to you abusing privileges and the trust between you and your team will be gone.
Break it: by respecting the freedoms you have, and using common sense to help you know if you’re crossing any boundaries. If you’re a remote employee, check in every so often to show you’re on the ball.

3. Not being organized

Most of us now have to be multitaskers at work, but if you’re having trouble prioritizing, completing tasks or even missing deadlines, you clearly need a plan of action to get organized and back on the right track. Set daily, weekly and monthly goals to make sure you’re on target.
Even if you think you’re working efficiently by jumping from task to task without goal-setting, things can quickly fall by the wayside.
Break it: Try keeping a spreadsheet of your weekly accomplishments. Not only will it prove valuable at your six-month review, but it can also keep you motivated to make at least one major accomplishment every week.

4. Having a negative attitude

Everyone is different. Some people have a glass half full outlook, whilst others have a glass half empty view.
Whether you’ve got out of bed the wrong side that day, or you’re angry you didn’t get a bonus, try and keep that negativity and frustration out of the workplace. It will affect your colleagues and hinder your development as no one enjoys being around someone who gives off negative energy.
Break it: If you’re having a bad day, take a deep breath the minute you walk into work to adopt a positive attitude of helpfulness and gratefulness.

5. Inappropriate joker

The inappropriate remarks, dirty jokes, and vulgarity that might have been commonplace and acceptable years ago just won’t fly in workplaces today. And while every company culture will vary by what it defines as acceptable behavior, always think before you speak.
Break it: Before you say anything, think. If you wouldn’t want it to be printed alongside your name in the times, don’t say it.

6. Not being coachable

You might think you have nothing more to learn, but in a highly changing and rapidly evolving marketplace, that’s the wrong mind-set to have.
If you don’t listen to feedback to get better, you limit yourself. As a result, when the time comes for a promotion discussion, your manager may wonder if you’ll be able to develop further or if you’re set in your ways.
Break it: Show that you’re always looking to improve by being more accepting of constructive criticism. Go the extra mile by regularly seeking feedback so you can improve and adapt to changes at your company and in your industry.

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