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Quitting as a Productivity Habit
When to quit
Set clear metrics that will help you to know when to give up on an idea, a habit, or a process. Don’t quit when the going gets rough.
Quit because it’s the right, objective and logical thing to do after weighing your options. Quit because you have a better option and don’t want to waste your time and energy.
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Quitting is underrated
Successful people quit (or proactively adjust) a lot more often than people who aren’t successful. They stay flexible and open to new ideas or opportunities or ways of getting things done.
But never quit something with great long-term potential just because you can’t deal with the stress at the moment
“Instead of continually trying to force yourself to do things you don’t want to do, let them go. Without the emotional weight and mental clutter of keeping things on your agenda that don’t absolutely need to be there, you’re much freer to rapidly move forward on what you really do want and need to get done.”
Learning to quit is a skill
Using quitting as a productivity habit helps you leverage your time, energy and money prudently while keeping you focused on the big picture.
Your time is limited, so if you can spend it elsewhere, and still make progress in the direction of your dreams, go for a better idea or approach.
When to quit
Set clear metrics that will help you to know when to give up on an idea, a habit, or a process. Don’t quit when the going gets rough.
Quit because it’s the right, objective and logical thing to do after weighing your options. Quit because you have a better option and don’t want to waste your time and energy.
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Why you are afraid of quitting
The sunk cost fallacy is one of the primary reasons you are so afraid to quit anything. It occurs when you tell yourself that you can’t quit because of all the time or money you have ...
Overcome the fear of quitting
Sunk cost is about the past. Opportunity cost is about the future.
If you are scared to quit (which is absolutely natural), always think of the opportunity cost. Think of the brighter future, not the scary past, and often times that is enough to give you that extra push to make the right decision.
Long-term cost outweighs short-term benefits
When you finally succeed, but you don’t have the health or someone to share the success with, the project might prove not be be worth it.
Take 5 minutes at the end of the week and reflect on what you have achieved versus what you had to give up to achieve it so you don’t end up giving up too much without even realizing it. Make this a habit.
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Zero-based thinking
It gives us the rare opportunity to ask ourselves if there anything in our lives that we should do more of, less of, start or stop.
It is a decision thinking technique developed by Brian...
Difficult decisions
Difficult decisions are mostly about weighing the long and short term values. Making objective decisions is difficult because we are biased towards short-term rewards and pre-existing beliefs.
Optimal choices
Ask yourself, knowing what you know now, is there anything you are doing today that you wouldn't do again if you were able to?
Be willing to stop doing what no longer works. Sometimes it is best to cut your losses and try something else. Be prepared to take risks and understand the potential failure that goes with a new course of action.
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Your brain is the biggest obstacle.
What’s hard for human beings is letting go...
The most common biases
- You’re focused on the time and energy you’ve already invested, or the sunk cost fallacy.
- Your eyes are trained on positive cues -being overly optimistic and loss averse. Always trying harder and for longer.
- When we realize we’re likely to fail at a job or other endeavor, we begin to see that goal as even more valuable than it was initially.
- FOMO—and the fear of making a mistake.
Do this if you want to quit
- Get a bead on your emotions. Don’t set yourself up for a “straw-that-broke-the-camel’s back” moment.
Motivate yourself. Quitting isn’t an end in and of itself; it’s a pathway to a new destination.
Make a plan that not only sets your new goal but anticipates possible setbacks and pitfalls along the way.
Prepare for the stress of transition. The best defence is knowing ahead of time how you’re likely to react.