How to stop working hard and start living

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

You have ceased to distinguish between work and personal life. You don't have any time for friends and hobbies. You are scared when someone says the word "vacation" out loud in front of you. Did you recognize yourself? Congratulations: you are a workaholic. If you want to get rid of this scourge and find harmony again, read our material.

Career achievement is strongly associated with hard work and continuous work. A person who has worked diligently for a long time is clearly worthy to receive a reward corresponding to the effort spent.

However, think about this: the more time and effort we give to work, the better our relationship with the boss becomes, and the worse - with our family and loved ones. Alas, the modern world is such that it is increasingly difficult to find a balance between work and personal life. And this is not good.

Answer the question: are you planning to go on vacation this year? How, too, no? A recent American study found that more than 135 million people (56% of those surveyed) did not go on vacation in a year. Nearly 10 million of them reported that they had not been on vacation in the previous year.

Research has shown that 30% of workers feel work-related stress even when they are on perfectly legal rest.

These hardworking and hectic employees often check their emails and voicemails while on vacation, and are constantly replaying work-related questions in their head.

The thing is that we all have 24/7 access to working tools. This is why it is very difficult for many to draw the line between a normal work process and workaholism in the last stage.

How to know if you are a workaholic

Take a look at this list and see if you are falling prey to workaholism.

1. You have ceased to distinguish between work and personal life

Work comes first for you. You almost can't help but think about her, and it doesn't really bother you. Guilt gnaws at you when you are busy with other, non-work-related activities. You think you've wasted your time and must make up for it somehow.

This feeling is your constant and faithful companion. It is because of him that you answer another call, message or email after hours in the vain hope of somehow dulling him. You don't want to let your coworker, boss, or clients down by being out of their reach. You don't even need a stern leader to keep you working all the time. You do a great job of it yourself.

2. You are chained to your workplace

You are an early bird. You are the first to come to work and the last to leave. You never take lunch breaks, preferring to have a quick bite to eat at your desk, because at this time you can just clean up the emails accumulated over the morning. The most you can do is walk a little along the corridor to stretch your stiff limbs.

3. You think vacation is for weaklings

The word "vacation" sounds like a curse to you. If you are not at work, then you are sure to worry about how things are going there. The best vacation option for you is to rest at home.

Such vacations always end in the same deplorable way: at some point you just start working from home. And you are quite satisfied with this alignment. By constantly sending everyone control letters and messages, you more or less ensure yourself a connection with the outside world.

4. Your personal interests have faded into the background

Working interests are ahead of the rest of the world, but personal ones can be ignored. Moreover, this happens even in situations where constant processing begins to negatively affect the general physical condition.

Of course, you could do something that would bring you pleasure and beneficial effects on your health, such as playing tennis or swimming in the pool. But you are afraid that you will lose your job if you start to devote too much time to these activities. The only thing that can make you play tennis is friendly sparring with your boss or potential client.

5. You are afraid to delegate

You think that if you delegate your job responsibilities to someone else, then something terrible will surely happen: the world will collapse, the business will go to the bottom, and the company will go bankrupt.

The only person you can trust completely and completely is yourself.

Often, even after a very busy day at work, you still do not feel satisfied with the work done. You just need to work late into the night to make sure that you are really worth something.

Think about the fact that trusting trusted people with certain tasks is not so bad. There are no irreplaceable people, and it is unlikely that you are doing something that someone else cannot calmly repeat.

What to do if you are still a workaholic

If you mentally put a tick next to at least half of the items listed above, then we hasten to please you: you are a workaholic. And you are not alone. Changing your work style and addictions is not easy, but if you want to get on the path of correction and live a little differently, then it is worth starting with these simple steps, which, with constant repetition, will gradually turn into habits.

1. Take time to reboot

When planning your day again, be sure to set aside at least 10 minutes for meditation. It will help your brain and body get some rest.

Many studies confirm the benefits of meditation: stress decreases and the ability to focus on current tasks increases. If meditation is not your option for some reason, then take time for a walk in the fresh air or for ordinary doing nothing.

2. Work with humor

Business time, fun hour. There should be a place for jokes in life. Take some time to have some fun. For example, listen to a few of your favorite songs, watch funny videos on YouTube, or chat with a friend who can cheer you up. These activities may not distract you for long, but they will be extremely useful for keeping your brain in good shape.

3. Monitor your health

Multiple studies have shown that strenuous work without breaks and days off negatively affects productivity and causes irreparable harm to health. A sedentary and sedentary lifestyle, monotonous food and dry food will also not add extra years to your life.

Annual check-ups and checkups are a great way to keep an eye on their health for those who tend to overwork. Your doctor will be sure to tell you what problems to look out for and what needs to be done to fix them. Over time, you may develop some kind of occupational diseases, to get rid of which you will need to consult narrow specialists.

4. Have digital detox evenings

Refuse to use gadgets from time to time. Not for long, at least for one evening. Eliminate any external irritants that might distract you. When you're alone with your thoughts, there will be plenty of time to think about the really important things and prioritize.

5. Plan a real vacation

Planning your upcoming vacation can help you take a little break from your daily routine. If the idea of leaving your job for a week or longer seems completely insane to you, then start with at least a series of short trips. Take yourself a weekend tour, or only go to places where Wi-Fi is guaranteed to be found in case you urgently need to get in touch with someone on business. These trips are beneficial because you can take a break from your daily chores and look at the routine from a different angle.

If your perseverance, perseverance and love for work have led to tremendous professional success, then this is undoubtedly wonderful. But think at least for a while: isn't it time to slow down a little and change something in your life? Perhaps now that you have achieved a lot professionally, it is time to pay attention to yourself?

This will probably take a fair amount of courage, courage and time from you. It will be necessary to establish clear boundaries between personal and work life. Do not be surprised if one day, after reading this article and implementing some of the provisions from it, you receive an e-mail from a colleague after 22:00 and do not reply to it. And the world will not collapse at the same time.