Well, I feel bad habits have to fit a number of specific requirements:
They are repetitive negative behavior patterns.They can be stopped with motivation and willpower (unlike a mental condition like Tourrettes).Society takes a dim view of them.The habits break customs, laws, or more. Many people find the habit annoying, repulsive, or something to be avoided.The habit could negatively affect your health or wellness.The habit keeps someone from being their best.
There is some wiggle room in what is (or isn’t) a bad habit.
For instance, a vegan may view eating non-plant-based food to be a bad habit. They can cite many health reasons why meat is bad, and they can tell you that it is not moral to kill animals.
For a vegan, eating a grilled chicken is a bad habit—but for me, it isn’t.
In the following list of 283 bad habits, I tried to find every bad habit that the majority of society would view as a bad habit. Perhaps 20 years in the future some of these bad habits may seem old-fashioned, like showing your ankles in the Victorian Age.
Some practices that didn’t make the list of bad habits, like eating healthier meats, may not have quite enough people who feel that way to make the list.
Bad habits are ultimately decided by a consensus of society, and the views of society change with time.
You have before you what I believe is the ultimate list of bad habits—283 negative actions that you should consider ceasing if you want to live a life of meaning and stay healthy.
Let’s get to it.
There is some wiggle room in what is (or isn’t) a bad habit.
For instance, a vegan may view eating non-plant-based food to be a bad habit. They can cite many health reasons why meat is bad, and they can tell you that it is not moral to kill animals.
For a vegan, eating a grilled chicken is a bad habit—but for me, it isn’t.
In the following list of 283 bad habits, I tried to find every bad habit that the majority of society would view as a bad habit. Perhaps 20 years in the future some of these bad habits may seem old-fashioned, like showing your ankles in the Victorian Age.
Some practices that didn’t make the list of bad habits, like eating healthier meats, may not have quite enough people who feel that way to make the list.
Bad habits are ultimately decided by a consensus of society, and the views of society change with time.
You have before you what I believe is the ultimate list of bad habits—283 negative actions that you should consider ceasing if you want to live a life of meaning and stay healthy.
Let’s get to it.
I’ll admit it: I could easily name this section “habits that annoy me.” We all have annoying habits we see in other people that particularly bother us.
Since this is my blog, we will start off with my top 10 offensive bad habits. But if you feeling like sharing ones that tick you off, then feel free to add them in the comment section and I’ll grow this section to accommodate those bad habits that YOU hate.
1. Being more than five minutes late for an appointment
2. Picking your nose
3. Overly affectionate public displays of affection (PDA)
4. Picking your teeth in public
5. Overusing slang and “text speak”
6. Checking iPhone/iPad at dinner.
7. Eating with mouth open
8. Having alligator arms (never picking up checks)
9. Popping/snapping gum in public
10. Talking during movies
Bad Habits That Waste Your Time
Like many people, I freely admit to sometimes falling into the trap of these time-wasting bad habits. Spending an hour on a video game or Facebook, or watching a show on Netflix may decrease your productivity, but if it is a source of enjoyment, it is okay sometimes.
The problem with many of these mindless activities is that they are mindless. They waste our time, we lose our sense of time, and we often spend a lot longer on these activities than we realize. The worst part about it is that they can be so mindless that sometimes we do not really get enjoyment from them. They are just wasted time.
So I have nothing against spending an hour on a video game or Facebook, but it’s important to realize the impact on your overall productivity and keep the amount of time spent on these activities to an “acceptable” amount.
11. Twitter
12. Running errands in rush hour
13. Reddit
14. Watching commercials, infomercials, or advertisements
15. Spending time worrying about spam comments, negative reviews, and Internet trolls
16. Facebook addiction
17. Watching reality television
18. Going to the mall or shopping to kill time, not for any specific need
19. Overindulging on Netflix
20. Video games
21. Finishing a book you hate, just to get it done
22. Watching random videos that scroll across your feed about someone’s child or cat
23. Worrying about things that could go wrong
24. Watching an endless stream of YouTube videos
25. Trying to change another person’s opinions
26. Chasing small money, when your business has a bigger vision
27. Reading Buzzfeed and other mindless entertainment
There are lots of things that are bad for our health. Driving fast, skydiving, skiing; anything with a decent amount of “risk” involved is bad for our health on some level.
However, most of these endeavors do not meet the criteria for being a “bad habit.” They are just fun activities that have an element of risk involved.
Bad health habits are things that put our lives or wellness at risk with zero upsides.
Take the water drinking habit as an example. Most people spend the majority of their lives dehydrated without even realizing it. Being marginally dehydrated for an hour will have no real side effects, but over time, it can add to a slew of potential bad health effects.
The worst thing about many of these bad health habits is that the cures are simple. Getting rid of these bad habits are tiny lifestyle changes that should never be difficult to implement.
Of a bit more difficulty are the “bad eating habits” listed below. Those habits also fall under the umbrella of “bad for your health,” but there are enough of them that they deserve their own topic.
28. Not getting enough sleep
29. Eating past 8 p.m.
30. Not telling your doctor the truth
31. Overeating
32. Not protecting yourself from the sun
33. Eating too much red meat
34. Poor posture
35. Smoking eCigarettes
36. Spending too much time looking at a screen
37. Not dealing with stress
38. Not maintaining preventative healthcare
39. Not drinking enough water
40. Putting your health last
41. Distracted driving
42. Not moisturizing
43. Obsessing over things that have already happened
44. Wearing headphones for too many hours
45. Wearing the wrong shoes
46. Frequently wearing high heels for too long
(If you’d like to learn how to improve your health habits, then I recommend reading the post where 44 experts share their favorite daily health habits).
“You are what you eat!”
While that statement may be a bit trite and overused, it does have a ring of truth to it.
If you eat a lot of “comfort foods,” you will likely end up nice and comfortable, with extra padding around the middle, lounging around all day nice and lethargic.
On the other hand, while cruciferous vegetables may never make your mouth water, they do a heck of a lot to give you energy and increase your health.
The bad eating habits listed below run the gamut, from simply eating too much to emotional eating, where it is difficult to sense how much food you really consume (and you don’t care how bad it is for you).
Now let me be clear: I am by no means saying that you can NEVER partake in any of these bad eating habits. That would make for a fairly dull diet.
But all of these bad habits are a slippery slope.
It is easy to say, “One piece of chocolate today won’t kill me,” because it won’t. But then you start to have chocolate every day. Then the pieces get bigger and bigger, and soon enough you have a chocolate problem. Next thing you know you are dealing with some shady chocolate dealer on a street corner trying to get your fix of the latest Godiva chocolagte.
The secret to all of these bad habits is to partake in them infrequently. If you find you partake in any of these bad eating habits more than three times a week, you may want to consider taking steps to eliminate this bad habit…or at go 30 days without it and see how you feel.
Bad Habits Related to Diet and Nutrition
47. Giant portion sizes
48. Mindless eating
49. Excessive salt
50. Drinking soda
51. Drinking diet soda
52. Eating to quickly
53. Eating candy
54. Drinking coffee
55. Eating white sugar
56. Nibbling while cooking
57. Skipping breakfast
58. Eating chocolate
59. Emotional eating
60. Drinking energy drinks
61. Fast food
62. Eating dairy
63. Eating gluten
64. Too many meals away from home
65. Having meat for most meals
66. Adding too much sugar
67. Too many liquid calories
68. Snacking
69. Too many processed foods
I love my personal time. I would rather be spending time reading or going for a walk with family than working. But I have a lot of work to do. Due to this, I find productivity to be essential.
Being productive means focus. It means being methodical and having a plan for what you need to be done. It means avoiding the 20 bad productivity habits below, at all costs. These 20 items are just some of the killers of good time management. Change these bad habits, and you will be pretty far down the path to greater efficiency and productivity.
Poor Productivity Habits
70. Procrastination
71. Multi-tasking
72. Not removing distractions/time-wasters
73. Not keeping the big picture in mind
74. Being a perfectionist
75. Not having a work routine
76. Not delegating
77. Being overloaded with information/options
78. Having a huge to-do list
79. Saying “yes” too easily/too often
80. Daydreaming
81. Not automating recurring tasks
82. Being indecisive
83. Waiting for the “right” time to work
84. Overscheduling tasks
85. Spending too much time planning
86. Sitting at your desk all day/never taking breaks
87. Over-checking email
88. Refusing to learn new skills
89. Watching TV right after work
If you’d like to improve your time management skills, then I’d recommend the post “15 Smart Productivity Hacks.”
Money may not buy happiness, but it makes us a lot more comfortable, whether we are happy or not.
Seriously though, studies have shown that happiness actually IS affected by money up to a point—that point basically being where you are able to stop “struggling” to meet financial and day-to-day commitments. (Find out why here.)
Whether you are struggling for every dollar or have enough money that huge tax bills are a serious issue, being wasteful with your money is a shame. Most people work pretty hard for the money they get and deserve to keep as much of it as possible. Losing money due to bad money habits is something to be avoided.
The following are habits that not only waste your money but also prevent you from climbing out of any financial pit that you might find yourself in:
Bad Money Habits That Hurt Your Financial Situation
90. Spending to the limit on credit cards
91. Emotional shopping
92. Not prioritizing high-interest debt
93. Only making minimum payments on credit
94. Buying lottery tickets
95. Overspending
96. Paying too many ATM fees
97. Buying coffee, lunch, and snacks every day
98. Not finding the best rates
99. Unused gym memberships
100. Buying holiday gifts at the last minute
101. Gambling
102. Not sticking to your budget
103. Not taking advantage of a 401(k) match plan
104. Overpaying on entertainment
You can create better money habits with these 11 financial habits.
In this section, I’ll cover money habits that can easily be improved by making a few small tweaks to your daily routine.
Anyone of these bad habits, done one time, will have a very little impact—but if you are habitual in many of these bad habits, they will “tax” your income a little bit at a time, every single day, until they have a significant impact your wages.
Let’s look at the habit of leaving a light on when you leave the room. Leaving a light on for 10 minutes while leaving a room may only cost you a penny or two. But this is a habit that may be repeated many times in a day, in many different rooms of your home or apartment, potentially costing as much as two dollars a day. Thus, turning lights off could potentially add up to $600 extra after a year. Who wouldn’t enjoy an extra $600 at the end of the year?
These bad habits are far from “cardinal sins.” I am sure most of us have done these from time to time. But the simplicity of making a “routine” out of these bad habits make this money we just waste for lack of a very minimal amount of effort and training.
Negative Habits That Increase Your Monthly Bills
105. Staring into an open fridge (while all cold air goes out)
106. Using incandescent bulbs rather than CFLs
107. Leaving the lights on when you leave the room
108. Taking baths rather than showers
109. Leaving cell phone plugged in, even when it is fully charged
110. Leaving “vampire” electronics plugged in (electronics that draw power even when turned off)
111. Not programming your thermostat
112. Washing only partial loads of laundry or dishes
113. Leaving the heat on when you leave the house
114. Falling asleep with the TV on
115. Not installing storm windows
116. Not cleaning out air filters
117. Leaving fans on in empty rooms
118. Not using energy star efficient appliances
Nervous habits are actually very difficult habits to break. They are usually ingrained in our psyche. Many times, we do not even realize we are doing these bad habits until other people let us know.
Therefore, the first step in breaking these bad habits is to recognize that they exist. Be mindful of the things you do, and make conscious decisions to stop the nervous habits. This will not rid you of the bad nervous habit completely but is an important first step.
Many of these bad nervous habits are caused (or exacerbated) by stress, so sometimes the best method of dealing with these bad habits is by dealing with the underlying stress that causes them.
Nervous Habits That Negatively Impact Your Social Interactions
119. Talking to yourself
120. Biting fingernails
121. Unconscious pen clicking
122. Cracking your knuckles
123. Lick or bite lips
124. Humming to yourself
125. Biting your pen/pencil
126. Twirl and pull hair
127. Grinding teeth
128. Rushed speech
129. Tapping your foot
130. Touching your face
131. Fidgety fingers
132. Fiddling with keys
Personal bad habits are a catch-all term I use for the miscellaneous things that many of us do. Some of these bad habits are bad because they go against the grain of what society expects from us (breaking promises, being consistently late, sleeping in late). Others are here because they could potentially be detrimental to us in time (slouching while sitting, leaving keys in random places, staying up late).
As always, what makes most of these habits “bad” is the frequency with which these events happen. Sleeping in on two Saturdays a month is no big deal, and could actually be a very nice break in your routine. But sleeping in three days a week and missing morning appointments or work due to this could be a huge problem.
Personal Bad Habits
133. Using devices late at night
134. Staying up late
135. Sleeping in
136. Spending too much time online
137. Slouching at the computer
138. Leaving your keys and wallet in random places
139. Spending too much time and effort acquiring “things”
140. Being all work and no play
141. Watching porn
142. Littering
143. Breaking promises to yourself
144. Spacing out and not paying attention to what people say during conversations
145. Not returning items you borrow
146. Freeloading
147. Stereotyping
148. Speeding
149. Excessively checking your hair/eyebrows/makeup/nails
150. Falling asleep in class or training sessions
151. Worrying but not taking action
152. Swearing in public
153. Leaving the toilet seat up
154. Talking with mouth full
Fitness habits are also tightly linked to healthy habits. Staying fit will help you live a healthier and longer life.
Bad fitness habits fall into two different categories. The first set is for people who never (or rarely) exercise. They are more likely to exercise sporadically and hurt themselves when they do. Complete lack of exercise means that these folks are prime targets for many infirmities as they get older.
However, even people who regularly exercise may have some bad habits. The exercise may be inefficient. The method of exercise may invite injuries. It may simply be that your exercise is all cardio and no strength (or vice versa). Regardless, a bad habit is never a good thing, and changing any of these bad fitness habits will have a positive effect on your health.
Poor Fitness Habits
155. Being sedentary (sitting for hours without moving)
156. Not warming up before exercise
157. Not doing any muscle strengthening activities
158. Not taking rest days
159. Skipping gym days
160. Not cooling down/stretching after exercise
161. Resting too long between sets
162. Not varying cardio
163. Taking dangerous stimulants
164. Using bad form
165. Rewarding exercise with junk food
166. Not drinking enough water while exercising
167. Working out on an empty stomach
168. Lifting excessive weights
169. Improper stretching
170. Overtraining
171. Phoning it in
172. Taking steroids
If you want to make a change to your health, then you can check out these habits to improve your fitness routine.
If you have any problems attracting the opposite s3x and have any of these bad habits, you may be circling a major part of the problem. Hygiene is an important part of our social norms.
For those of us who are married, it may seem easier to just “let ourselves go” and not worry about hygiene as much. But this is flawed thinking. Letting yourself go completely like this will cause friction in your relationship.
If any of these bad grooming habits sound familiar, you may want to make it a high priority to do something about changing these bad habits.
Bad Grooming Habits
173. Not bathing every day
174. Forgetting to shave
175. Wearing yesterday’s clothes
176. Not washing off makeup before going to bed
177. Not flossing
178. Too much cologne/perfume
179. Not cleaning ear wax
180. Not cleaning fingernails
181. Not brushing after every meal
182. Not washing your face before going to bed
183. Never moisturizing
184. Never brushing your tongue
185. Not changing sheets weekly
Many bad relationship habits happen between spouses or people who are dating. But I do not limit “relationship habits” to people in intimate relationships. These bad habits can also manifest themselves with your coworkers, peers, subordinates, and friends.
Consider anyone who you spend more than an hour a week with as having some sort of a “relationship” with you (even though it may be a hostile relationship).
Also, consider the frequency of these habits before deciding if they are a problem. An example is a jealousy. The green-eyed monster of jealousy may rear its head from time to time without being a “bad habit.” We all feel a little jealous now and again, but if you are frequently jealous, that is certainly a big problem.
Toxic Relationship Habits
186. Staying in a toxic relationship
187. Not practicing safe s3x
188. Kissing and telling
189. Going to social events/parties out of obligation, not desire or love
190. Engaging with people who are judgmental and gossipy
191. Not having regular s3x
192. Telling secrets
193. Losing focus when talking to others
194. Trying to change your significant other
195. Arguing in public
196. Avoiding ALL arguments
197. Keeping score
198. Being melodramatic
199. Feeling it is impossible to live alone
200. Being jealous
201. Excessive complaining
202. Always being negative around others
203. Being pessimistic about everything
204. Not being able to network
205. Never listening to the advice/opinions of others
Not to be too judgmental, but let’s be honest: Some habits are just gross. Even the quasi-acceptable bad habits on this list are still a little bit gross (here’s looking at you, the five-second rule for food).
Bad Habits That Are Just Gross
206. Sleeping with makeup on
207. Eating too fast/not chewing
208. Not washing hands
209. Not flossing
210. Not brushing your teeth
211. Picking scabs
212. Hair picking
213. Skin picking
214. Not cleaning keyboard
215. Dropping food and eating it anyway
216. Not cleaning your cell phone
217. Not covering your mouth when you sneeze
218. Popping zits in public
219. Chewing tobacco
220. Leaving hair in the drain
221. Scratching your butt
222. Spitting in public
223. Belching in public
Self-confidence and self-esteem are issues for many people. They have problems interacting socially. They get nervous and may display many of the nervous habits that we talked about before. But in addition to those nervous habits, they may also showcase habits that show their lack of self-esteem.
If you display any of these bad self-esteem habits on a regular basis, you may want to work on building your confidence. Saying daily affirmations is one way to build your self-confidence. You can easily make affirmations that are tailored directly to you and your needs. But here are some sample affirmations related to self-esteem that can help you get started: (Self-Love Affirmations& Self-Reliance Affirmations). Bad habits related to self-esteem include:
Bad Habits That Show Lack of Self-Esteem
224. Saying “yes” to everything
225. Negative self-talk/self-criticism
226. Back down when opinions are challenged by others
227. Being indecisive with simple decisions
228. Fearing failure
229. Taking constructive criticism personally
230. Sweating the small stuff
231. Afraid to share your opinions in a conversation
232. Giving up too easily
233. Comparing yourself negatively to others
234. Slouching
235. Fidgeting
236. Claiming your successes are just luck
237. Buying things because others like them, not because you like them
238. Social withdrawal
239. Excessive preoccupation with personal problems
240. Letting fear stop you from trying new things
If you want to improve your self-esteem, then I recommend checking out these confidence habits.
If you want to achieve a measure of success in life, it is often important to be able to work well with others. A key component of working with others in the conversation. You can either make a good impression or be that guy who rambles, interrupts others, and monopolizes the conversation.
Looking at the list below you can see there are a couple of “buckets” to bad conversation habits. Some are further offshoots of the lack of self-esteem above. These include not holding eye contact, using “umms” and “ahhs,” and excessive throat clearing. The second bucket comes mostly from being a bit selfish in conversation.
Whichever bucket your bad conversation habits fall into, chances are people either rarely hear what you think, or really don’t want to hear what you think. Both are bad. Fixing these habits will help make you an effective communicator.
Bad Conversation & Social Skills Habits
241. Forgetting names of people you meet
242. Repeating yourself
243. Being unfriendly
244. Not holding eye contact
245. Rambling
246. Excessive throat clearing
247. Forgetting what you’ve told someone
248. Gossiping
249. Finishing other people’s sentences
250. Interrupting others
251. Monopolizing the conversation
252. Saying “ummm” and “ahhh” frequently
253. Picking fights
254. Being overly critical
255. Being argumentative
256. Being a know-it-all
257. Bragging
258. Name dropping
259. Overuse of slang
260. Exaggerating
Here’s how to build good social skill habits.
Not doing your dishes every day does not make you a bad person, but it probably does make you a disorganized person.
The little things, like keeping your home and office clean and organized, are actually more important than you might realize. Many years ago there was a social theory called the broken window theory. The core concept of this theory was that when you take care of the little things in a town, like broken windows, people feel more pride and civic duty, and other factors like crime go down.
This experiment has been repeated many times, on the macro city level and on the personal micro level. The results are always the same. Taking care of the little things like cleaning makes you more efficient and happier, and has results that far outstrip the effort you put into these tasks.
If you are a little bit on the messy side, taking the time to address your “broken windows” (bad cleaning habits) below might be something worth your time and effort:
Bad Organizing & Cluttering Habits
261. Arranging items instead of cleaning them
262. Letting your wires/cables become snarled and tangled nightmares
263. Throwing your clothes on the floor, not in the hamper
264. Not dusting
265. Not taking off shoes when you enter your home
266. Saving broken things to fix…someday
267. Having no schedule for decluttering/organizing/cleaning
268. Keeping items/clothes you haven’t worn or used in years
269. Buying stuff you don’t need only to keep it at home
270. Putting dishes in the sink and not washing them
271. Hoarding
Now we’ll finish with the really bad stuff. The particularly bad...bad habits list.
With the possible exception of smoking, all the habits on this list are pretty rough.
In many ways, habit change can be a “do it yourself” thing. To fix many bad habits all you need is the will to change, the time to build new replacement routines, and an understanding of the triggers that cause bad habits (and how to avoid them).
Most of the bad habits below signify a lot more than just a “bad habit.” There are often many psychological reasons people manifest these really bad habits. They are not habits you can easily get rid of on your own. Seek professional help for these habits. Specialists in your specific area include counselors, psychoanalysts, and psychiatrists.
12 Bad Habits You Can't Fix Alone
272. Compulsive Lying
273. Bullying
274. Physical abuse
275. Mental abuse
276. Stealing
277. Violent behavior
278. Cheating on spouse
279. Excessive/uncontrollable alcohol use
280. Drugs
281. Smoking (if habit is really bad)
282. Being aggressive toward others (fights, abuse)
283. Overmedicating
How Do You Break These Bad Habits?
The first step in changing any bad habit is finding the precise habit you want to change and then truly focusing on making this change. So by just reading this list and deciding which of these habits you exhibit, you have taken that important first step.
Once you are ready to make a change, it is time to start planning the specifics of how, when, where, and what exactly you are going to change.
Rather than reinventing the wheel and adding to an already long post, let me guide you to another post: the ultimate guide to breaking bad habits. This guide is an incredibly detailed review of exactly how to get rid of any bad habit. It details 27 steps you can use to overcome any bad habit.
27 Proven Steps to Break any Bad Habit
This guide is very detailed. It covers the ins and out of breaking bad habits. If you are looking for something that is a bit more “quick start,” then this shorter guide to creating new habits to replace your old bad habits may be what you are looking for. I still recommend the longer guide, but this shorter one may be more to the point if you have an easy bad habit to deal with.
A habit takes up space in your life. When it is gone, there is an absence. It is recommended to try to replace bad habits with good ones. This helps to fill the gap caused by you no longer indulging in the bad habit. This is like replacing smoking with chewing sugar-free gum. It gives the mouth and minds something to do.
If you are trying to get rid of a bad habit, I would seriously think about replacing it with a good one. It not only helps you beat the bad habit, but it also adds some positivity into the equation by adding something that can really help you with your daily routine.
Link: Good Habits - Replace Bad Habits With Good Habits
Thanks for taking your time to read this list of bad habits. We all do things we wish we didn’t, so don’t get down on yourself if you see a few habits on this bad habits list that feel familiar.
The important thing is that you recognize your bad habits and slowly work to change these actions into something positive.
Like this post?
Don't forget to share this bad habits list and give others the encouragement and tools to battle their own bad habits! If you feel that important bad habits have been left off the list, please leave a comment in the bottom and I will consider adding more to this list.
Since this is my blog, we will start off with my top 10 offensive bad habits. But if you feeling like sharing ones that tick you off, then feel free to add them in the comment section and I’ll grow this section to accommodate those bad habits that YOU hate.
1. Being more than five minutes late for an appointment
2. Picking your nose
3. Overly affectionate public displays of affection (PDA)
4. Picking your teeth in public
5. Overusing slang and “text speak”
6. Checking iPhone/iPad at dinner.
7. Eating with mouth open
8. Having alligator arms (never picking up checks)
9. Popping/snapping gum in public
10. Talking during movies
Bad Habits That Waste Your Time
Like many people, I freely admit to sometimes falling into the trap of these time-wasting bad habits. Spending an hour on a video game or Facebook, or watching a show on Netflix may decrease your productivity, but if it is a source of enjoyment, it is okay sometimes.
The problem with many of these mindless activities is that they are mindless. They waste our time, we lose our sense of time, and we often spend a lot longer on these activities than we realize. The worst part about it is that they can be so mindless that sometimes we do not really get enjoyment from them. They are just wasted time.
So I have nothing against spending an hour on a video game or Facebook, but it’s important to realize the impact on your overall productivity and keep the amount of time spent on these activities to an “acceptable” amount.
11. Twitter
12. Running errands in rush hour
13. Reddit
14. Watching commercials, infomercials, or advertisements
15. Spending time worrying about spam comments, negative reviews, and Internet trolls
16. Facebook addiction
17. Watching reality television
18. Going to the mall or shopping to kill time, not for any specific need
19. Overindulging on Netflix
20. Video games
21. Finishing a book you hate, just to get it done
22. Watching random videos that scroll across your feed about someone’s child or cat
23. Worrying about things that could go wrong
24. Watching an endless stream of YouTube videos
25. Trying to change another person’s opinions
26. Chasing small money, when your business has a bigger vision
27. Reading Buzzfeed and other mindless entertainment
There are lots of things that are bad for our health. Driving fast, skydiving, skiing; anything with a decent amount of “risk” involved is bad for our health on some level.
However, most of these endeavors do not meet the criteria for being a “bad habit.” They are just fun activities that have an element of risk involved.
Bad health habits are things that put our lives or wellness at risk with zero upsides.
Take the water drinking habit as an example. Most people spend the majority of their lives dehydrated without even realizing it. Being marginally dehydrated for an hour will have no real side effects, but over time, it can add to a slew of potential bad health effects.
The worst thing about many of these bad health habits is that the cures are simple. Getting rid of these bad habits are tiny lifestyle changes that should never be difficult to implement.
Of a bit more difficulty are the “bad eating habits” listed below. Those habits also fall under the umbrella of “bad for your health,” but there are enough of them that they deserve their own topic.
28. Not getting enough sleep
29. Eating past 8 p.m.
30. Not telling your doctor the truth
31. Overeating
32. Not protecting yourself from the sun
33. Eating too much red meat
34. Poor posture
35. Smoking eCigarettes
36. Spending too much time looking at a screen
37. Not dealing with stress
38. Not maintaining preventative healthcare
39. Not drinking enough water
40. Putting your health last
41. Distracted driving
42. Not moisturizing
43. Obsessing over things that have already happened
44. Wearing headphones for too many hours
45. Wearing the wrong shoes
46. Frequently wearing high heels for too long
(If you’d like to learn how to improve your health habits, then I recommend reading the post where 44 experts share their favorite daily health habits).
“You are what you eat!”
While that statement may be a bit trite and overused, it does have a ring of truth to it.
If you eat a lot of “comfort foods,” you will likely end up nice and comfortable, with extra padding around the middle, lounging around all day nice and lethargic.
On the other hand, while cruciferous vegetables may never make your mouth water, they do a heck of a lot to give you energy and increase your health.
The bad eating habits listed below run the gamut, from simply eating too much to emotional eating, where it is difficult to sense how much food you really consume (and you don’t care how bad it is for you).
Now let me be clear: I am by no means saying that you can NEVER partake in any of these bad eating habits. That would make for a fairly dull diet.
But all of these bad habits are a slippery slope.
It is easy to say, “One piece of chocolate today won’t kill me,” because it won’t. But then you start to have chocolate every day. Then the pieces get bigger and bigger, and soon enough you have a chocolate problem. Next thing you know you are dealing with some shady chocolate dealer on a street corner trying to get your fix of the latest Godiva chocolagte.
The secret to all of these bad habits is to partake in them infrequently. If you find you partake in any of these bad eating habits more than three times a week, you may want to consider taking steps to eliminate this bad habit…or at go 30 days without it and see how you feel.
Bad Habits Related to Diet and Nutrition
47. Giant portion sizes
48. Mindless eating
49. Excessive salt
50. Drinking soda
51. Drinking diet soda
52. Eating to quickly
53. Eating candy
54. Drinking coffee
55. Eating white sugar
56. Nibbling while cooking
57. Skipping breakfast
58. Eating chocolate
59. Emotional eating
60. Drinking energy drinks
61. Fast food
62. Eating dairy
63. Eating gluten
64. Too many meals away from home
65. Having meat for most meals
66. Adding too much sugar
67. Too many liquid calories
68. Snacking
69. Too many processed foods
I love my personal time. I would rather be spending time reading or going for a walk with family than working. But I have a lot of work to do. Due to this, I find productivity to be essential.
Being productive means focus. It means being methodical and having a plan for what you need to be done. It means avoiding the 20 bad productivity habits below, at all costs. These 20 items are just some of the killers of good time management. Change these bad habits, and you will be pretty far down the path to greater efficiency and productivity.
Poor Productivity Habits
70. Procrastination
71. Multi-tasking
72. Not removing distractions/time-wasters
73. Not keeping the big picture in mind
74. Being a perfectionist
75. Not having a work routine
76. Not delegating
77. Being overloaded with information/options
78. Having a huge to-do list
79. Saying “yes” too easily/too often
80. Daydreaming
81. Not automating recurring tasks
82. Being indecisive
83. Waiting for the “right” time to work
84. Overscheduling tasks
85. Spending too much time planning
86. Sitting at your desk all day/never taking breaks
87. Over-checking email
88. Refusing to learn new skills
89. Watching TV right after work
If you’d like to improve your time management skills, then I’d recommend the post “15 Smart Productivity Hacks.”
Money may not buy happiness, but it makes us a lot more comfortable, whether we are happy or not.
Seriously though, studies have shown that happiness actually IS affected by money up to a point—that point basically being where you are able to stop “struggling” to meet financial and day-to-day commitments. (Find out why here.)
Whether you are struggling for every dollar or have enough money that huge tax bills are a serious issue, being wasteful with your money is a shame. Most people work pretty hard for the money they get and deserve to keep as much of it as possible. Losing money due to bad money habits is something to be avoided.
The following are habits that not only waste your money but also prevent you from climbing out of any financial pit that you might find yourself in:
Bad Money Habits That Hurt Your Financial Situation
90. Spending to the limit on credit cards
91. Emotional shopping
92. Not prioritizing high-interest debt
93. Only making minimum payments on credit
94. Buying lottery tickets
95. Overspending
96. Paying too many ATM fees
97. Buying coffee, lunch, and snacks every day
98. Not finding the best rates
99. Unused gym memberships
100. Buying holiday gifts at the last minute
101. Gambling
102. Not sticking to your budget
103. Not taking advantage of a 401(k) match plan
104. Overpaying on entertainment
You can create better money habits with these 11 financial habits.
In this section, I’ll cover money habits that can easily be improved by making a few small tweaks to your daily routine.
Anyone of these bad habits, done one time, will have a very little impact—but if you are habitual in many of these bad habits, they will “tax” your income a little bit at a time, every single day, until they have a significant impact your wages.
Let’s look at the habit of leaving a light on when you leave the room. Leaving a light on for 10 minutes while leaving a room may only cost you a penny or two. But this is a habit that may be repeated many times in a day, in many different rooms of your home or apartment, potentially costing as much as two dollars a day. Thus, turning lights off could potentially add up to $600 extra after a year. Who wouldn’t enjoy an extra $600 at the end of the year?
These bad habits are far from “cardinal sins.” I am sure most of us have done these from time to time. But the simplicity of making a “routine” out of these bad habits make this money we just waste for lack of a very minimal amount of effort and training.
Negative Habits That Increase Your Monthly Bills
105. Staring into an open fridge (while all cold air goes out)
106. Using incandescent bulbs rather than CFLs
107. Leaving the lights on when you leave the room
108. Taking baths rather than showers
109. Leaving cell phone plugged in, even when it is fully charged
110. Leaving “vampire” electronics plugged in (electronics that draw power even when turned off)
111. Not programming your thermostat
112. Washing only partial loads of laundry or dishes
113. Leaving the heat on when you leave the house
114. Falling asleep with the TV on
115. Not installing storm windows
116. Not cleaning out air filters
117. Leaving fans on in empty rooms
118. Not using energy star efficient appliances
Nervous habits are actually very difficult habits to break. They are usually ingrained in our psyche. Many times, we do not even realize we are doing these bad habits until other people let us know.
Therefore, the first step in breaking these bad habits is to recognize that they exist. Be mindful of the things you do, and make conscious decisions to stop the nervous habits. This will not rid you of the bad nervous habit completely but is an important first step.
Many of these bad nervous habits are caused (or exacerbated) by stress, so sometimes the best method of dealing with these bad habits is by dealing with the underlying stress that causes them.
Nervous Habits That Negatively Impact Your Social Interactions
119. Talking to yourself
120. Biting fingernails
121. Unconscious pen clicking
122. Cracking your knuckles
123. Lick or bite lips
124. Humming to yourself
125. Biting your pen/pencil
126. Twirl and pull hair
127. Grinding teeth
128. Rushed speech
129. Tapping your foot
130. Touching your face
131. Fidgety fingers
132. Fiddling with keys
Personal bad habits are a catch-all term I use for the miscellaneous things that many of us do. Some of these bad habits are bad because they go against the grain of what society expects from us (breaking promises, being consistently late, sleeping in late). Others are here because they could potentially be detrimental to us in time (slouching while sitting, leaving keys in random places, staying up late).
As always, what makes most of these habits “bad” is the frequency with which these events happen. Sleeping in on two Saturdays a month is no big deal, and could actually be a very nice break in your routine. But sleeping in three days a week and missing morning appointments or work due to this could be a huge problem.
Personal Bad Habits
133. Using devices late at night
134. Staying up late
135. Sleeping in
136. Spending too much time online
137. Slouching at the computer
138. Leaving your keys and wallet in random places
139. Spending too much time and effort acquiring “things”
140. Being all work and no play
141. Watching porn
142. Littering
143. Breaking promises to yourself
144. Spacing out and not paying attention to what people say during conversations
145. Not returning items you borrow
146. Freeloading
147. Stereotyping
148. Speeding
149. Excessively checking your hair/eyebrows/makeup/nails
150. Falling asleep in class or training sessions
151. Worrying but not taking action
152. Swearing in public
153. Leaving the toilet seat up
154. Talking with mouth full
Fitness habits are also tightly linked to healthy habits. Staying fit will help you live a healthier and longer life.
Bad fitness habits fall into two different categories. The first set is for people who never (or rarely) exercise. They are more likely to exercise sporadically and hurt themselves when they do. Complete lack of exercise means that these folks are prime targets for many infirmities as they get older.
However, even people who regularly exercise may have some bad habits. The exercise may be inefficient. The method of exercise may invite injuries. It may simply be that your exercise is all cardio and no strength (or vice versa). Regardless, a bad habit is never a good thing, and changing any of these bad fitness habits will have a positive effect on your health.
Poor Fitness Habits
155. Being sedentary (sitting for hours without moving)
156. Not warming up before exercise
157. Not doing any muscle strengthening activities
158. Not taking rest days
159. Skipping gym days
160. Not cooling down/stretching after exercise
161. Resting too long between sets
162. Not varying cardio
163. Taking dangerous stimulants
164. Using bad form
165. Rewarding exercise with junk food
166. Not drinking enough water while exercising
167. Working out on an empty stomach
168. Lifting excessive weights
169. Improper stretching
170. Overtraining
171. Phoning it in
172. Taking steroids
If you want to make a change to your health, then you can check out these habits to improve your fitness routine.
If you have any problems attracting the opposite s3x and have any of these bad habits, you may be circling a major part of the problem. Hygiene is an important part of our social norms.
For those of us who are married, it may seem easier to just “let ourselves go” and not worry about hygiene as much. But this is flawed thinking. Letting yourself go completely like this will cause friction in your relationship.
If any of these bad grooming habits sound familiar, you may want to make it a high priority to do something about changing these bad habits.
Bad Grooming Habits
173. Not bathing every day
174. Forgetting to shave
175. Wearing yesterday’s clothes
176. Not washing off makeup before going to bed
177. Not flossing
178. Too much cologne/perfume
179. Not cleaning ear wax
180. Not cleaning fingernails
181. Not brushing after every meal
182. Not washing your face before going to bed
183. Never moisturizing
184. Never brushing your tongue
185. Not changing sheets weekly
Many bad relationship habits happen between spouses or people who are dating. But I do not limit “relationship habits” to people in intimate relationships. These bad habits can also manifest themselves with your coworkers, peers, subordinates, and friends.
Consider anyone who you spend more than an hour a week with as having some sort of a “relationship” with you (even though it may be a hostile relationship).
Also, consider the frequency of these habits before deciding if they are a problem. An example is a jealousy. The green-eyed monster of jealousy may rear its head from time to time without being a “bad habit.” We all feel a little jealous now and again, but if you are frequently jealous, that is certainly a big problem.
Toxic Relationship Habits
186. Staying in a toxic relationship
187. Not practicing safe s3x
188. Kissing and telling
189. Going to social events/parties out of obligation, not desire or love
190. Engaging with people who are judgmental and gossipy
191. Not having regular s3x
192. Telling secrets
193. Losing focus when talking to others
194. Trying to change your significant other
195. Arguing in public
196. Avoiding ALL arguments
197. Keeping score
198. Being melodramatic
199. Feeling it is impossible to live alone
200. Being jealous
201. Excessive complaining
202. Always being negative around others
203. Being pessimistic about everything
204. Not being able to network
205. Never listening to the advice/opinions of others
Not to be too judgmental, but let’s be honest: Some habits are just gross. Even the quasi-acceptable bad habits on this list are still a little bit gross (here’s looking at you, the five-second rule for food).
Bad Habits That Are Just Gross
206. Sleeping with makeup on
207. Eating too fast/not chewing
208. Not washing hands
209. Not flossing
210. Not brushing your teeth
211. Picking scabs
212. Hair picking
213. Skin picking
214. Not cleaning keyboard
215. Dropping food and eating it anyway
216. Not cleaning your cell phone
217. Not covering your mouth when you sneeze
218. Popping zits in public
219. Chewing tobacco
220. Leaving hair in the drain
221. Scratching your butt
222. Spitting in public
223. Belching in public
Self-confidence and self-esteem are issues for many people. They have problems interacting socially. They get nervous and may display many of the nervous habits that we talked about before. But in addition to those nervous habits, they may also showcase habits that show their lack of self-esteem.
If you display any of these bad self-esteem habits on a regular basis, you may want to work on building your confidence. Saying daily affirmations is one way to build your self-confidence. You can easily make affirmations that are tailored directly to you and your needs. But here are some sample affirmations related to self-esteem that can help you get started: (Self-Love Affirmations& Self-Reliance Affirmations). Bad habits related to self-esteem include:
Bad Habits That Show Lack of Self-Esteem
224. Saying “yes” to everything
225. Negative self-talk/self-criticism
226. Back down when opinions are challenged by others
227. Being indecisive with simple decisions
228. Fearing failure
229. Taking constructive criticism personally
230. Sweating the small stuff
231. Afraid to share your opinions in a conversation
232. Giving up too easily
233. Comparing yourself negatively to others
234. Slouching
235. Fidgeting
236. Claiming your successes are just luck
237. Buying things because others like them, not because you like them
238. Social withdrawal
239. Excessive preoccupation with personal problems
240. Letting fear stop you from trying new things
If you want to improve your self-esteem, then I recommend checking out these confidence habits.
If you want to achieve a measure of success in life, it is often important to be able to work well with others. A key component of working with others in the conversation. You can either make a good impression or be that guy who rambles, interrupts others, and monopolizes the conversation.
Looking at the list below you can see there are a couple of “buckets” to bad conversation habits. Some are further offshoots of the lack of self-esteem above. These include not holding eye contact, using “umms” and “ahhs,” and excessive throat clearing. The second bucket comes mostly from being a bit selfish in conversation.
Whichever bucket your bad conversation habits fall into, chances are people either rarely hear what you think, or really don’t want to hear what you think. Both are bad. Fixing these habits will help make you an effective communicator.
Bad Conversation & Social Skills Habits
241. Forgetting names of people you meet
242. Repeating yourself
243. Being unfriendly
244. Not holding eye contact
245. Rambling
246. Excessive throat clearing
247. Forgetting what you’ve told someone
248. Gossiping
249. Finishing other people’s sentences
250. Interrupting others
251. Monopolizing the conversation
252. Saying “ummm” and “ahhh” frequently
253. Picking fights
254. Being overly critical
255. Being argumentative
256. Being a know-it-all
257. Bragging
258. Name dropping
259. Overuse of slang
260. Exaggerating
Here’s how to build good social skill habits.
Not doing your dishes every day does not make you a bad person, but it probably does make you a disorganized person.
The little things, like keeping your home and office clean and organized, are actually more important than you might realize. Many years ago there was a social theory called the broken window theory. The core concept of this theory was that when you take care of the little things in a town, like broken windows, people feel more pride and civic duty, and other factors like crime go down.
This experiment has been repeated many times, on the macro city level and on the personal micro level. The results are always the same. Taking care of the little things like cleaning makes you more efficient and happier, and has results that far outstrip the effort you put into these tasks.
If you are a little bit on the messy side, taking the time to address your “broken windows” (bad cleaning habits) below might be something worth your time and effort:
Bad Organizing & Cluttering Habits
261. Arranging items instead of cleaning them
262. Letting your wires/cables become snarled and tangled nightmares
263. Throwing your clothes on the floor, not in the hamper
264. Not dusting
265. Not taking off shoes when you enter your home
266. Saving broken things to fix…someday
267. Having no schedule for decluttering/organizing/cleaning
268. Keeping items/clothes you haven’t worn or used in years
269. Buying stuff you don’t need only to keep it at home
270. Putting dishes in the sink and not washing them
271. Hoarding
Now we’ll finish with the really bad stuff. The particularly bad...bad habits list.
With the possible exception of smoking, all the habits on this list are pretty rough.
In many ways, habit change can be a “do it yourself” thing. To fix many bad habits all you need is the will to change, the time to build new replacement routines, and an understanding of the triggers that cause bad habits (and how to avoid them).
Most of the bad habits below signify a lot more than just a “bad habit.” There are often many psychological reasons people manifest these really bad habits. They are not habits you can easily get rid of on your own. Seek professional help for these habits. Specialists in your specific area include counselors, psychoanalysts, and psychiatrists.
12 Bad Habits You Can't Fix Alone
272. Compulsive Lying
273. Bullying
274. Physical abuse
275. Mental abuse
276. Stealing
277. Violent behavior
278. Cheating on spouse
279. Excessive/uncontrollable alcohol use
280. Drugs
281. Smoking (if habit is really bad)
282. Being aggressive toward others (fights, abuse)
283. Overmedicating
How Do You Break These Bad Habits?
The first step in changing any bad habit is finding the precise habit you want to change and then truly focusing on making this change. So by just reading this list and deciding which of these habits you exhibit, you have taken that important first step.
Once you are ready to make a change, it is time to start planning the specifics of how, when, where, and what exactly you are going to change.
Rather than reinventing the wheel and adding to an already long post, let me guide you to another post: the ultimate guide to breaking bad habits. This guide is an incredibly detailed review of exactly how to get rid of any bad habit. It details 27 steps you can use to overcome any bad habit.
27 Proven Steps to Break any Bad Habit
This guide is very detailed. It covers the ins and out of breaking bad habits. If you are looking for something that is a bit more “quick start,” then this shorter guide to creating new habits to replace your old bad habits may be what you are looking for. I still recommend the longer guide, but this shorter one may be more to the point if you have an easy bad habit to deal with.
A habit takes up space in your life. When it is gone, there is an absence. It is recommended to try to replace bad habits with good ones. This helps to fill the gap caused by you no longer indulging in the bad habit. This is like replacing smoking with chewing sugar-free gum. It gives the mouth and minds something to do.
If you are trying to get rid of a bad habit, I would seriously think about replacing it with a good one. It not only helps you beat the bad habit, but it also adds some positivity into the equation by adding something that can really help you with your daily routine.
Link: Good Habits - Replace Bad Habits With Good Habits
Thanks for taking your time to read this list of bad habits. We all do things we wish we didn’t, so don’t get down on yourself if you see a few habits on this bad habits list that feel familiar.
The important thing is that you recognize your bad habits and slowly work to change these actions into something positive.
Like this post?
Don't forget to share this bad habits list and give others the encouragement and tools to battle their own bad habits! If you feel that important bad habits have been left off the list, please leave a comment in the bottom and I will consider adding more to this list.
No comments:
Post a Comment