With life passing by so quickly, it can be easy to fall prey to the pressures of the need to succeed. The praise and rewards given to workaholics is part of this problem. However, people with this mindset shouldn't always be admired.
There is a fine line between being a hard worker and overworking, which many over workers unfortunately can't find the balance of. It is natural to want success, but there are limits that should be enforced to balance other aspects of your life.
The mindset that comes with severe overworking can have unhealthy consequences that come with detrimental effects. It is important to learn about the dangers overworking can bring, and ensure you have a healthy work-life balance in place.
In our day, people are driven by money. To an extent where they may ignore other issues in their life if it will lead to a higher income. Therefore, it's important to take time to evaluate what is important and when to take a step back.
When all your time is devoted to work - going in early, staying back late - you're likely sacrificing vital time in other life aspects. For one, you begin to experience social isolation. We as humans are innately social, we need people around us. Dedicating too much time to work will lead to you missing out on your social time.
Losing friendships and drifting from family members are risks overworking can bring. If you stop taking time to relax with loved ones, they may stop trying to find time to spend with you.
Effects are not just social, overworking can bring physical damages as well. Having your brain solely focused on work can lead to unneeded stress and anxiety. Especially if you are sacrificing sleep in order to fit more work in, leading to possible sleep deprivation and the harmful effects it brings. You'll have diminished focus and energy, and could open yourself to more serious health risks in the process, including diabetes and heart disease.
Learn when enough is enough for you. It's understandable to strive for success when it comes to your business, but don't let it take over your whole life. Enforce limits so you can maintain a healthy and happy life.
While this isn't always realistic, you should be leaving work at the office, both in a physical sense and mentally.
Leaving work at the office involves more than just the physical documents or computer. It also means making a conscious effort to turn it off in your head, especially when going home to family. This can be easier said than done, but there are some tactics that can be employed such as spending several minutes observing your environment or meditating.
Save any worries or stress about work to the 9-5 hours and leave your evenings for your actual life.
Adopting a healthy sleep schedule is vital to success. While quantity is important, quality is even more vital. To wind down properly and feel rested in the morning, it's important to find comfort in your sleep. Missing out on your sleep is never worth the time you stay up, doing extra work or feeling stressed. Sure you could clock in some more hours, but they will ultimately be useless. You'll end up being unfocused and exhausted the following day.
While it's not practical to go out every weekend, once or twice a month should be spent with friends or family to maintain these relationships. Of course you don't want to overdo it, but it's important to get out, leave work behind, and enjoy time with other people.
As we've mentioned, spending time socialising is important, but so is time focused on yourself.
One way to achieve this it to establish an evening routine to relax and spend time doing what you enjoy. Whether that be engaging in a favourite hobby, enjoying a bath or reading a book. Future you will thank you for committing to this.
Self care is important for everyone. Find what works for you and implement them into a regular routine to ensure you take care of yourself. If you continue to prioritise work over your mental health, eventually your work will begin to suffer as well. Ensure a healthy balance is in place now so it aspects don't suffer later on.