The work environment is one that should be a comfortable day-to-day grind where we zone out of our personal lives and dive straight into a work related task. However, when experiencing a shift in our personal lives it often tends to translate into our professional life more than we think. Whether we mean to or not, these two aspects of our lives become intertwined at one point or another and that is when it could be harmful to your business. Zaki lists the five most common personal habits that can kill your business and how to stop them before they do: 1. Sleep deprivation. A well-rested mind is one of the best attributes to a well-rounded day, and whether that means you’re a night owl or an early bird, if you’re not getting the recommended amount of sleep, the effects will show. A lack of sleep affects your ability to perform 100% at work by inhibiting your attention, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving skills. So in order to focus on your business shake those nocturnal habits and recharge your body to get a good night’s rest for a busy day ahead. 2. Lack of trust. Trust is a high priority to any business as you are counting on others to maintain the integrity and reputation that you have personally built. This may limit your ability to delegate tasks to employees due to personal experiences, limiting your business’ efficiency and development. Withholding tasks and commitments to fellow employees reflects productivity issues and it’s important to avoid these habits. Try to leave trust issues at the front door and avoid these restraints by becoming more open in the professional environment. 3. Holding onto negative relationships. Having bad relationships outside of work can tend to infiltrate our professional environment. These relationships, whether stemming from arguments, family issues or personal issues, can affect our emotional and mental state of mind obstructing our concentration and co-operation, and ultimately resulting in not being able to perform at our best. Negative relationships outside of work can also affect communication within the work environment, so it’s important that we take the time to either separate our personal relationships from our professional or repair these relationships so they don’t hinder negative energy in the work place. 4. Consistently overlapping the boundaries between work and home life. In today’s day and age it is difficult to truly escape our personal life when at work with constant access to social media and smart phones so it’s inevitable that they will overlap. However, it is important to establish a clear boundary between the two. This can be achieved through allocating time to balance all aspects of everyday life to appropriate times. Not doing so can cause a serious case of burn out and your business will suffer as a result. 5. Fear of making mistakes. The phrase ‘we all make mistakes’ is one that is incredibly accurate, especially in the business world. If you neglect your errors rather than embracing and learning from them, you will minimise the success of your business. No matter how big or small the slip-up, the chances are you will be faced with it in the future and it is best addressed the first time so it does not become a cycle. Instead, accept your mistakes as time savers and establish what not to do in future business operations. This article was written by entrepreneur and self-made millionare, Zaki Ameer. Zaki Ameer is the Founder of Dream Design Property (DDP), a unique wealth creation mentoring program that is designed to help Australians gain financial freedom, offering each client an ongoing personalised service catering to their changing circumstances and needs. DDP has helped its clients purchase nearly 800 properties and has recently launched Dream Design Property Developments, offering clients the safest and most cost effective way to purchase off the plan properties. For more information please visit www.ddpproperty.com.au and www.ddppropertydevelopments.com.au