9 things youre doing wrong at work -

9 things youre doing wrong at work - It can be overwhelming keeping up with day-to-day responsibilities â€" at work and at home. Sometimes, it seems like everyone wants a little piece of you, and its easy to forget your priorities, plans and targets. Could you be doing these things wrong at work? If you want to stay on track and give yourself the best shot at being as successful as possible, avoid the following habits: Do not worry about things you cannot control. The economy, your nasty boss, the weather â€" you cant change them, so dont spend your time focusing on them. Instead, choose things you can control and focus on how to make changes to improve yourself. At the same time, dont be too quick to label what things are beyond your control. For example, even though the economy isnt strong, you can influence how likely it is for you to land a new job if you are proactive about networking and create strong job search marketing materials. Do not obsess about what otherwise insignificant people think about you. While this negative habit may be most obvious and prevalent in young people, many of whom spend endless hours worrying about what others think about them, peer pressure does not end at high school graduation. If you find yourself concerned about what other people may say about your choices, your appearance or your habits, youll save yourself a lot of time and aggravation by focusing on only the people you need to please. In most cases, that includes yourself, your boss and your family or close friends. Do not procrastinate. Another habit that affects you both at work and in your personal life, procrastinating can only hurt you in both places. When you avoid an important project or conversation, it takes up emotional energy you could be using to make positive changes in your life. Dont think that your boss wont notice if you cant get a project started or if you always wait until the last minute to finish something. No matter how difficult a project or challenge seems, youll be better off taking care of it step-by-step instead of putting it off for another day. Dont be careless. You may be surprised by how even small careless mistakes can affect your professional reputation. If you consistently make spelling or grammar errors, for example, you may lose respect and potentially opportunities to advance at work. When you are disorganized and let things slip through the cracks at work, you will earn a reputation for being someone who cant get things done, so pay attention to even the smallest details. Do not fall down an Internet rabbit hole. Its easy to get distracted and realize youve just spent two hours reading banal status updates on Facebook instead of getting your work done. Be disciplined about your time. Have a goal in mind when you get online and be single-minded about achieving it. Some days, your goal will be to catch up with friends or share your vacation photos. However, if you know you need to accomplish something specific, such as researching a particular topic or subject, dont veer off task, or youll never finish. Do not badmouth people. No doubt, gossiping with like-minded people can be a quick way to bond, both in and outside of work. However, when youre always looking for the latest dirt to share, youre likely souring your own reputation, and it can be very difficult to recover it. Dont hold grudges. Youve heard this advice before; holding a grudge hurts you more than it affects the person youre trying to punish. Be the bigger person and move on; youll be glad you did. Dont complain constantly. Every office has a whiner â€" the person you can count on to complain, no matter what changes come down the pike. Take a close look at yourself and make sure that person isnt you. If you must gripe and moan, consider relying on a pet as your audience. No matter what you do, avoid sharing your every frustration via social media. When you subject friends to all of your unhappy rants, it may make them hesitate to make an introduction or to help you network when youre looking for a new job or growing a business. Do not obsess about the past. If youre constantly looking in the rear view mirror you and focusing on past history, youll miss opportunities just ahead. Instead of worrying about how you could have done things differently, make a pact with yourself to create positive changes. Of course, it isnt always as easy as simply deciding to make a change, but your attitude controls your actions. One step at a time, begin to focus on what changes you want to see in your future and youll be that much closer to accomplishing them. You may also like 6 Habits Of Remarkably Successful People Secrets to Being Happier at Work Questions to Ask Before You Accept a Job Offer This originally ran on AolJobs.com Photo by Xurble