Bad habits can hurt you if you take it to the extreme. However, small doses of bad habits can comprise of a healthy lifestyle. So to say you don’t want to be a total slob but a slight disarrayed desk can make you more creative.
Here are supposedly bad habits that can be good for you contrary to what you were taught by your mom, teacher and that know it all coworker.
Procrastinating
People and literature dedicated to why people procrastinate and how to stop it is endless. However, Wharton professor Adam Grant argues that we take procrastination as a broader concept to include not just the laziness but also the waiting for the right time.
As in you, procrastination is more creative because you allow yourself to develop your big idea. Grant also points an example of Steve Jobs who is someone who benefitted from delaying some tasks.
Biting your nails
In a research study conducted on kids who bit their nails or sucked their thumb. The researchers performed allergy tests on these kids in their later ages. The group that habitually bit their nails or sucked their thumb were less prone to allergies.
Nail biting typically doesn’t cause any long-term damage expect to damage the skin around the nail which makes you more vulnerable to infections.
Running late
Being late will affect you personally and professionally making you appear more disrespectful and irresponsible or disorganized. However, Diana DeLonzor, author of Never Be Late Again, shares the upsides of lateness.
The people who run late are optimistic as well as unrealistic which affects their perception of time. As in the people who are late hope for or expect the best and they think they can do all of their tasks in an hour.
Chewing gum
Don’t chew gum in the class or job interview it is rude. However when sitting alone chewing gum can be a key to productivity and relaxation. There are multiple studies that suggest the habit of chewing gum can make you feel more alert and one even found that people who chewed gum perform better on intelligence test as compared to the people who don’t chew gum.
There is other research that found chewing gum can boost mood and reduce stress levels.
Messy desk
If the piles of papers from your desk are toppling over to your coworker’s desk then you might need a tidy up. But when you keep your mess to yourself you could get some benefits of the disorganization.
A research study suggests that disorganization prompts people to be more goal-oriented as they are motivated to seek order somewhere. A slight sloppy workspace could make you more productive.
Using filler words
Um, so when you use uh, filler words um in every sentence you seem more unprofessional, right? However, a recent study highlights that words such as um and uh help the listeners to understand and memorize what you are saying. Another research suggests that highly vigilant, hardworking individuals are more likely to use filler words in conversation.
(Photo credit: Giphy)
