In a recent Harvard Business Review essay, Rebecca Zucker, an executive leadership coach, dove into a discussion on workaholism and over work. In the piece, she identifies 5 key signs that a professional is overworking themselves:
Zucker writes that those who consistently put off vacations, regularly work all weekend, or dismiss the idea of an occasional day off are on a path to burnout. She advocates that even smaller, more frequent breaks, like taking the weekend to regroup or allotting personal time in the evenings can be helpful in keeping energy levels sustainable.
Social relationships, Zucker writes, are directly related to our health and our overall lifespan. When we put our social relationships on the back-burner to make more time for work, we are inadvertently effecting our health and wellness. Zucker cites research that suggests a lack of social relationships has the same effect as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Many of us are unable to turn off our work brains and when we finally get the time to spend with our loved ones or just to rejuvenate, we eek back to the laptop or the smartphone. Zucker elaborates further: "While it’s normal to think about work periodically, it becomes a problem when we’re not able to manage our urge to give into work-related distractions, slowly eroding our most important relationships."
"This is not the occasional skipping a shower when working from home in your sweatpants. Failing to get sufficient sleep, missing meals or existing on a diet of coffee and energy bars, or abandoning exercise or personal hygiene for extended periods are all indications that you are in an unhealthy pattern of behavior," Zucker writes of this point.
Zucker encourages professionals to embrace aspects of their identity apart from work. Things like being a good friend, parent, or partner. Additionally, even adopting some interests outside of the workplace can help professionals move away from the limiting beliefs associated with work becoming the sole driver of self-identity.
7 Comments
https://www.bryanrobinsononline.com/are-you-a-workaholic/
i scored 28. This fits my least-favorite professor's contention that i'm just lazy.
45. Is higher more workaholic? I'm definitely not a workaholic. I'd have NO job if I could financially...
I got 55. I'm not a workaholic. I like to think I work hard, but work is definitely not the number one priority in my life.
I got 55.
i got 63, "mildly workaholic." sheesh.
71 = "highly workaholic". there was a time in the history of humanity that if you didn't work you would die, I think the better question is - are you lazy?
97, bitches!
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.