Listen. I like my job. I do! I get to do some awesome things, whether it’s working with my Memphis Invest family or pursuing my own entrepreneurial ventures. Because of this, I have to be critical of my habits. I can fall into a workaholic lifestyle if I’m not careful!
I try to balance my life with work, hobbies, and family, but there are times when this is more challenging than I’d like to admit. But how do I know and how do you know that you’re being a workaholic? Here are some of the red flags.
5 Ways to Identify a Workaholic
Work is the central thing in your life that consumes your efforts, thoughts, and time.
Do you never take your paid vacations?
Are all of your friends co-workers or networking contacts?
Do your conversations outside of work end up being about work?
Do you struggle to take time off without checking in?
Believe it or not, being a workaholic is an addiction. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that glorifies “hard work” and spending every waking hour in pursuit of fortune and status. Workaholics are validated by the world we live in. However, this addiction to work is unhealthy for our personal relationships are our own long-term wellbeing.
If all of your time, mental energy, and identity are consumed by your career, what will you do when you retire?
Overcoming workaholism is difficult. I won’t pretend that it’s as easy as reading a blog post like this one. However, we all have to start somewhere — and this is a great place.
How to End Your Workaholic Lifestyle
1) Stop feeling guilty.
One of the biggest defining qualities in a workaholic is guilt. They feel guilty whenever they aren’t working. Whether it’s a family engagement that takes you away from the office or simply not being able to get it all done in a day, workaholics feel immense guilt if they’re not working around the clock and getting it all done.
Guilt doesn’t help you work better or smarter. It’s a dark cloud that hangs over you and saps your ability to work effectively.
2) Value quality over quantity.
There’s a misconception that workaholics are more dedicated and more engaged (more passionate!) about their work because they devote so much time to it. This simply isn’t true. Studies show that workaholics are more unhappy in their careers and are less engaged overall. It’s a question of quality versus quantity. It is so much harder for workaholics to accomplish their tasks (therefore taking longer) because they often wrestle with mental fatigue and burnout from long hours. It becomes a vicious cycle.
Those who take breaks and give themselves room to rest and do other things come to work more refreshed and ready to tackle the day’s tasks.
3) Set healthy boundaries.
I know — setting boundaries is tough when you’re addicted to something. It puts me in mind of the smartphone. While its invention has been so convenient and effective in my daily life, I have to be careful with it. Whether it’s checking Instagram too many times a day or looking at my work email after hours, I have to recognize where my boundaries are getting pushed.
So what are healthy boundaries? For one, eat lunch away from your desk. Unless you also plan to work out during your lunch hour or do something else, eating at your desk offers no mental break from work.
The same is true of after-hours and weekends. Make that time sacred for you and your family so that you can improve your relationships and decompress.
4) Find new passions.
You may feel like work is the only thing you have. The only thing you succeed at. It’s vital that workaholics find something else to be excited about doing. If there’s nothing you’d rather be doing over work, you have a problem! This isn’t to say you hate your job, but it should not be the central thing in your life for fulfillment and joy. Balance is so necessary.
Take up a hobby (I love endurance running) or plan family activities. Have that something you really look forward to doing that isn’t work.
5) Use your vacation time.
How many of us have vacation time just lying around? Listen to me: use it. For some of us, that time doesn’t roll over into the next year and it’s just wasted. For others, it accumulates and we still don’t ever use it.
The best thing you can do to combat your workaholic nature is to plan a vacation far in advance. Don’t let it be spur-of-the-moment. At the beginning of the year, block out a vacation or two. Decide where you’re going to go. Prepare your boss and go ahead and ask for that time off. Once it’s on the calendar, it’s a lot harder to make excuses not to go.
It will always be “busy.” You can afford to be away from the office for a little while, trust me.
Do you tend to live a workaholic lifestyle? Share what helps you achieve balance in the comments.