How to unlock your full potential (9 Habits You Must Quit)

“Difficulty is what wakes up the genius” – Nassim Taleb

Why it works

Nassim Taleb (pictured) is a Lebanese-American scholar, former trader and author known for his work on uncertainty, probability, risk, human error and decision-making. He is the author of the Incerto book series on these topics. The series includes the bestsellers The Black Swan, Fooled by Randomness, The Bed of Procrustes, Skin In the Game and, last but not least, Antifragile – my all-time favorite book.

It introduces the idea of antifragility – the ability of systems to not just withstand stressors, mistakes, and failures, but to grow stronger because of them. One of the most tactical concepts in the book is via negativa. It holds that removing harmful elements (via negativa) is often more effective and less error-prone than adding new ones (via positiva). Instead of constantly doing more, you eliminate what holds you back.

If you want to apply via negativa to your life, your daily habits are a great place to start. Success often isn't about what you start but about what you stop doing. Against this background, here are 9 habits you must quit to unlock your full potential.

How to do it

1) Staying “busy” without progress
Being constantly busy isn’t productive. Focus on tasks that drive meaningful outcomes instead of shallow accomplishments. A great way to pull this off is Timeboxing. Essentially, it’s about turning your priorities into appointments with yourself – by putting them on the calendar. Then, you simply show up to these appointments. To learn more about Timeboxing, read this article.

2) Overcommitting to please others
Saying “yes” too often leads to burnout. Prioritize what aligns with your goals and values. Entrepreneur and writer Derek Sivers has a brilliant rule to determine what’s worth doing and what’s not: “Hell Yeah or No”. When deciding whether to do something, if you feel anything less than “Hell Yeah”, say “No”. If you want to delve deeper into Sivers’ rule, read this.

3) Neglecting your health
Productivity thrives on balance. Proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise fuel long-term success. Sleep is the best place to start. It’s the foundation of your mental and physical health and performance in all endeavors. Yet, mere quantity isn’t good enough. You also need quality sleep, most notably 90 minutes of deep sleep. Get started with our 3T Method in this article.

4) Dwelling on past mistakes
Learn from failures, but don’t let them define your future. Focus on what’s ahead instead of what’s behind. A helpful first step is developing a growth mindset. Popularized by Stanford professor Carol Dweck, this mindset views failures as opportunities for valuable learning and skill development. Learn more about the growth mindset and how to adopt it here.

5) Ignoring time for reflection
Skipping self-review prevents improvement. Reflect regularly on your habits, actions, and results. My friend Colby Kultgen spent over 100 hours creating his 2025 Goal/Habit Tracker. It’s a powerful tool to help you clarify your goals and track your daily progress toward them. The best part? It’s 100% free. You can get it right into your inbox here.

6) Letting perfection delay action
Progress matters more than perfect outcomes. Start now and refine as you move forward. When in doubt, remember this: perfectionism is the lowest standard because there is no such thing. Chasing an impossible ideal will get you nowhere. Progress, on the other hand, is about continuous improvement – by striving for excellence while embracing imperfection.

7) Avoiding discomfort to stay safe
Growth requires stepping into challenges. Embrace uncertainty and take calculated risks. Throughout our lives and across its domains, we face a choice between what is easy and what is right (h/t to Albus Dumbledore). The key to real progress, therefore, is getting comfortable with discomfort. Here are five habits to help you do just that.

8) Seeking validation
Stop waiting for approval to take action. Trust your judgment and build confidence in your own decisions. Ultimately, there are only two people whose validation truly matters: your 8-year-old self, who dreamed without limits, and your 80-year-old self, who will look back and ask if you lived fully and stayed true to what mattered most. 

9) Comparing your journey to others
Focus on your progress. Success is personal, not measured by someone else’s timeline. Growth isn’t about being better than others, but about becoming a better version of yourself over time. The only person you should compare yourself to is who you were yesterday.

These habits are comfortable. They're familiar. They feel safe.

But they're also the invisible ceiling between you and your full potential.

It’s time to break through – what’s one small step you can take today?

Also, please share this post with someone who might benefit from doing the same.

Until next week,
Christian

1 more way I can help you

Are you struggling to focus on the important work being busy with urgent stuff? Are you feeling tired throughout the day despite sleeping for 7 or 8 hours at night? Are you having trouble dealing with high stress at work – and “switching it off” at home?

If so, check out our new Becoming Ultraproductive 1:1 coaching program.In it, I help executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs increase their productivity by up to 10x — by building rock-solid habits for deep focus, deep sleep, and mastering stress.

That way, I’ve coached 70+ executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs on Becoming Ultraproductive since 2023. The program includes:

• 6 individualized one-on-one coaching sessions with me over 12 weeks

• Tailor-made habit systems to optimize your focus, sleep and stress

• A guaranteed 100% increase in productivity (not kidding)

Interested? Learn more and book a free discovery call here while you can. I’m only taking on 10 clients at a time and seats are booking fast.

PS: Interested in sponsorships for my newsletter and LinkedIn post?

Get in touch with me here.