GTKY: Bad Habits

swanbrooner

What are your bad habits? What do you do that drives you crazy and would like to change?

maggiemadeit

Do I have to choose just one? 

I am a terrible procrastinator. I am a perfectionist and very hard on myself, and sometimes I feel a bit paralyzed to start something out of fear that it won’t be good enough.

swanbrooner

I am REALLY bad about interrupting and finishing other people’s thoughts/sentences. It is so rude and embarrassing at times. 

purpleteacher82

@maggiemadeit @swanbrooner +1 to also being a procrastinator, perfectionist, and interrupter. I also always like to be right. 

swanbrooner

I wonder if it’s a teacher thing? Ha! @purpleteacher82

brookepdavis

I still bite my nails. I was so good about not doing it for the month leading up to my sister's wedding, but now I'm back at it. I really want to stop, but it's a nervous habit. 

purpleteacher82

@swanbrooner Must be!!! Teaching definitely attracts a certain type of person. 

brookepdavis

Also, I used to be a huge procrastinator (and some days still slip into old habits), but I had an old coworker that helped me break the habit. She used to say "eat your frogs first" - meaning do that thing you really don't want to do first thing in the morning. She sat right across from me and would remind me every morning to eat my frogs first. After about a month, the habit was broken and I just did it without thinking. Now that I don't work with her, I still occasionally need to remind myself to eat my frogs when I find myself putting something off.

catlady2015

+1 for procrastination and being a perfectionist. I've been looking at this report for work for three days and i'm literally just tinkering with words here and there. I need to get over it and just send it!

indigoheightsblog

Perfectionist here! Also need to do things in a very specific order otherwise im all bent out of shape! “Go with the flow” is not a phrase that I can live by  

southerngirlinwi

@brookepdavis I don't bite my nails, but I do pick my cuticles. The only way I've been able to get myself to stop is to have my nails painted. For some reason, I don't pick my cuticles when I have manicured nails.

brookepdavis

@southerngirlinwi The only way I stopped for my sister's wedding was putting a clear coat of nail polish on every morning. I'm the same way. If there's something on my nails, I'm fine. I just wish I had the patience to keep up with that on a regular basis.

southerngirlinwi

@brookepdavis Agreed! I love having my nails done, so sometimes I do it as a treat to myself. I justify it as self-care, but I don't do it very often.

zionsmama85

I am on the nail biter boat too. also a bit Type A in that i want everything a certain way and can get a bit controlling. I try to watch it, but it turns me a bit bossy at times...which is fine for my kid, not so fine for SO. 

meggyme

Another cuticle picker. I keep a set of nail clippers at my desk so I can cut any hangnails as soon as I find them, otherwise I’ll rip my fingers apart trying to pull or bite them off.

dtspmama

I'm insanely Type A and have a really hard time going with the flow (though kids have helped that some).  I also pick my cuticles (especially in long boring meetings).

I can be a bit of a procrastinator, too, and work best when I'm up against a deadline.  A friend of mine told me "pressure makes diamonds" and ever since I've reminded myself of that when I've procrastinated myself into a stress hole!

DarkSerendipity

@maggiemadeit I am an AWFUL procrastinator! If I don't do it when I'm thinking about it, I put that task off forever.
Also, not following through with my daily plan - I often talk myself out of going to the gym, or going to ride my bike. Last week I was so sore from Monday and Tuesday that I slacked off the other three days...and spent almost all of Saturday in bed. If I lose motivation, I REALLY lose it!

shrub

I chew my tongue when I'm stressed. Its a terrible habit and if I'm super stressed I end up with a sore, raw tongue. 
I also interrupt. I don't mean to and I apologize for it often.
 

kerco925

I am a procrastinator too, but I don't consider it bad.  I have always done my best work under pressure. 

sejica

I hate that I pick at my acne breakouts, which are out of control with these hormones, but I can't seem to stop

meggyme

@sejica I’m guilty of that too. My acne was insane with my last pregnancy and already I’ve gotten pimples in my ears this time.

JLaVO888

@sejica I was totally doing that as I read your post. Last pregnancy my acne cleared up for the first time in my adult life. This time, I am not so lucky. 

Add me to to the list of always needing to be correct and a perfectionist. I also struggle with anxiety over being a protectionist so if it it something I don’t think I will do well at I intentionally avoid it or ignore it. For example when I was little I would try to get every single wrinkle out of my sheets when I made my bed, which was impossible so I would just stopped making my bed so I didn’t have to deal with the emotional stress haha.

I’m like that with spelling and grammar too. I’m slightly dyslexic and have struggled with spelling my WHOLE life. I also always get homophones mixed up even though I DO know the differences between them all. I have to work so damn hard everyday to be correct in the classroom. I also get so sick of proofreading becuase I read emails at work about 10 times before I send them. So then, when I’m off hours (here), I can’t torture my brain with it a second longer.  Then later I go back a read crap I’ve typed and posted and want to bang my head on something. 

I guess I’d call that habit intentionally half assing it. Regardless, it’s a habit I don’t like. 

violetmarie61516

maggiemadeit said:

Do I have to choose just one? 

I am a terrible procrastinator. I am a perfectionist and very hard on myself, and sometimes I feel a bit paralyzed to start something out of fear that it won’t be good enough.

I could have written this...I'm the same way.

ETA: I also emotionally shop and overspend on credit cards.

mayoduck

Another nail biter here. It's not really a nervous habit but something I do when the nails get too long. So I don't know why I don't just carry a file and clippers with me everywhere but I don't. Big procrastinator here too.