(and how to stop doing them)
1. The "Just" Apology
↳ Prefacing requests with "just checking in" or "just wondering" diminishes your presence
↳ Apologetic language patterns create submission signals in professional interactions
2. Screen-First Mornings
↳ Beginning your day with immediate device checking frames your mind reactively
↳ Morning social media creates comparison spirals before accomplishing anything
3. Comfortable Information Consumption
↳ Reading content that confirms existing beliefs rather than challenges them
↳ Curating an echo chamber that prevents intellectual growth
4. The Corridor Complaint
↳ Venting about situations instead of addressing them directly
↳ Building commiseration relationships rather than solution partnerships
5. The Evening Energy Burn
↳ Using precious evening hours for passive scrolling rather than recovery
↳ Sacrificing sleep quality for low-value entertainment
6. The Always Available Signal
↳ Responding to messages instantly regardless of your current priorities
↳ Training others that your time has no boundaries
7. The Competence Facade
↳ Pretending to understand rather than asking clarifying questions
↳ Hiding knowledge gaps instead of filling them
8. The "Busy" Identity
↳ Wearing exhaustion as a badge of importance and commitment
↳ Using "crazy busy" as your standard response to "How are you?"
These subtle habits shape how others perceive you and—more importantly—how you perceive yourself and your capabilities.
Which of these habits has been secretly limiting your potential?