Have you ever asked yourself, how can I be more productive in life? Well, I asked myself that same question many times. Here I present to you seven things we must quit in order to be more productive starting today.

1. Let Go Of Toxic Relationships

Do you have that person in your life who never has anything nice to say? Someone who acts like they are your friend but in reality talks behind your back? It could be a friend, a family member, or even a co-worker. Sometimes it is impossible to sever ties with close relations, but you can stop giving importance to their opinions. If you believe in something, do it, whether that person supports you or not. It is okay to be cautious, but don't allow negativity to keep you from achieving your dreams. Don't believe those around you when they say that you won't be able to succeed. They are just jealous because they see your future being much successful than you expect.

2. Quit Trying To Please Everyone

Before performing any task, ask yourself why you are doing it. Do you genuinely believe in what you are doing, or are you trying to make someone happy? When you are a people-pleaser, you will become emotionally and physically drained because you can't say no. This year, stand your ground. Speak your mind, and accept that you cannot please everyone. Stop pleasing others and start pleasing yourself. Do it for yourself. Demonstrate that you can do it.

3. Quit Living In The Past

Use your past experiences as a guide and lesson. Focusing too much on the past makes you lose sight of what is right in front of you. Mistakes are normal in life, and everyone makes them. Surprisingly, you might think you have made the gravest mistakes in life, but you'll meet someone who has made worse mistakes. We all go through mistakes but also learn from them. This is what us a better person. Your past was a learning curve. Don't let it dictate your future. Your past is what prepares you for your future.

4. Stop Being Distracted So Easily and Learn To Focus Instead

Focus is not something that comes to you when the time is right. You have to grow and cultivate your ability to focus so you can capitalize on opportunities. Start your focus, first thing in the morning. Many of us may hit the snooze button on the alarm and stay 5 minutes extra in bed or on our phone. Make the change. Instead of spending those extra five minutes doing something unnecessary, do something that will help you be productive during the day.

5. Don't Say Yes Too Often and Start To Say No

If you excel at work, bosses usually start to give more work since they feel like you're able to manage the extra load. Well, you are, but the irony is that the thing which made you a high performer in the first place was that you were able to focus on fewer tasks. But now, since you have to spread thin, your ability to deliver excellence diminishes. In his book Essentialism, Greg McKeown encourages readers to say no more often. Saying no to one thing enables you to say yes to another thing. It should either be a hell yes or a no. Don't say yes to something, that doesn't provide a value of at least 9 out of 10. When it feels hard to say no, think about what you are about to give up by saying yes. Every time you say yes to something, you say no to something else. If you say yes to go out and get wasted, you say no to a productive next morning.

6. Fearing Change

These are the 7 steps to overcome the fear of change. Life is change and change means life. Accept the situation, but don't resign yourself to it! See failure as something positive. Celebrate every little success. Be responsible. Be patient. Step outside your comfort zone. Stepping out of your comfort zone isn't a bad thing either. It is the way of finding who one true self really is. These steps are the key to not being afraid of change. Change is not necessarily a bad thing, it can turn out to be a positive outcome for us. Don't be afraid of trying new things. Don't be afraid of risking something. Don't be afraid of jumping to two steps forward, you never know where it will lead you.

7. Overthinking

Psychologists strongly believe that over-thinking is a cause for demotivation, anxiety, stress, and depression. Stop overthinking and start putting things into a wider perspective. Set short time-limits for decisions. Stop setting your day up for stress and overthinking. Become a person of action. Realize that you cannot control everything. Say stop in a situation where you know you cannot think straight. Don't get lost in vague fears. Work out. Get plenty of good quality sleep. Spend more of your time with people who do not overthink things. Don't overthink things, just go with the flow. Just believe that everything will work itself out.