6 Bad Habits to Dump Now Before Starting Your Full-Time Job

By Victoria Robertson on October 20, 2017

Beginning a full-time job for the first time is stressful. You’re dealing with the unknown, unsure of yourself, but eager for the future. While you’ve likely been on the receiving end of mountains of advice, there’s still that hesitation, or rather, fear of the unknown.

So how do you prepare? How do you know what habits you should keep and which are going to be detrimental to your career? Are there any bad habits that you should be breaking before beginning a new job?

For those of you joining the workforce for the first time, these are very real questions and very real concerns.

So, to better assist you in your transition, here are six bad habits to dump before you begin your full-time job.

1. Setting multiple alarms

This is a habit that I’m still guilty of, and it’s one that needs to be broken as soon as possible. While it may seem like a good idea to have multiple alarms as a bit of a safety net, in reality, they are doing more harm than good.

When you set multiple alarms, you are inviting yourself to hit “snooze” and fall back asleep, as there’s no way of knowing which alarm that was if you’re tired. Avoid hitting the “snooze” button, if at all possible, and don’t set more than one alarm in the morning.

That being said, you can set a last-minute, just in case alarm, but otherwise, one alarm should do the trick.

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2. Leaving at the last minute in the morning

Another bad habit that I’m guilty of, when you are continually leaving at the last possible second in the morning, you are increasing your chances that you will be late. Whether due to road conditions, traffic, or other events that you couldn’t foresee, when you’re leaving at the last minute in the morning, you’re not prepared for these events.

By leaving a little earlier every day, you are able to avoid this stress and arrive at work on time, no matter what the situation.

3. Messiness

In the business world, organization is a huge plus. The messier you are, or the more disorganized, the more likely you are to fall behind, whether due to messages getting lost in your inbox or simply losing key information for a project you’re working on.

If you’re a messy person, turn this around ASAP! You want to be as organized as possible at all times, so figure out a system that works for you and stick to it!

4. Procrastination

All college students are guilty of this — it’s kind of a right of passage. However, as soon as you graduate, you need to lose it. Procrastinating at work is really unheard of, and can be detrimental to your career in the long run.

When you’re assigned a task, it’s important that you complete it in a timely fashion. While you will certainly need to prioritize as well, procrastination is a huge problem and should be avoided at all costs.

In other words, if you can do it today, don’t save it for tomorrow.

5. Laziness

The workforce is chock full of candidates that are driven, motivated, and ready to go at all times. So when you are a lazy worker, you’ll find yourself out the door sooner rather than later.

It’s important that you are motivated at all times when at work. While everyone has a slow day here and there, don’t make a habit of it. If you can be working, then work. The more effort you put in, the more likely you are to be noticed. So if you’re looking for career growth, put in the effort! Don’t be lazy.

6. Late nights

While late nights in college weren’t a big deal (unless you had an 8 a.m.), they become a problem really quickly once you join the workforce.

Staying up late into the night will cost you valuable sleep that will catch up with you sooner rather than later. While it’s not always possible to get a full 8 hours, you want to be as close to that number as possible.

So turn off the TV, put down the book and stay off your phone, and before long, you’ll be on a normal sleep schedule that’ll keep you refreshed and productive all day, every day.

Again, starting a full-time job is a completely new experience, and there’s always going to be some level of unknown associated with it. However, the more prepared you are able to go into the experience, the better.

For that reason, these six bad habits need to be dropped as soon as possible. For that reason, drop them, get ready for your full-time position, and know that you’re going to be great!

Good luck!

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