We sometimes hear that to be successful your life must be a non-stop grind and you must always be working towards your goals. It is, of course, great to be a hard worker that is goal orientated, but how much is too much when it comes to working? There is a difference between the appropriate amount of work compared to just wearing yourself down. If you feel tired and stressed all the time or are missing important time with family and friends then maybe you are working too much. It is important to take the time to reflect on the amount of time you put into your work and the effects it is having on you. To help you with this, here are some common signs that you might be working too much.
LACK OF SLEEP
You love to hear about the stories of those who are successful and would be up all night working to accomplish their dreams. These are great motivational stories, but it is very important to focus on getting enough sleep each week. Not getting enough sleep may give you some extra hours, but it affects your performance in the long run. There is a fine line between time and performance that sleep impacts. Aiming to get around 8 hours of sleep each night is a nice goal to have to help you get into the habit of prioritizing your sleep.
WHAT IS FREE TIME?
Do you find yourself not having any free time? Giving yourself a couple of moments of free time throughout a day and week is effective in keeping you mentally and physically balanced. Allowing yourself to have some free time in your schedule to relax, have a hobby, or anything else you may like to do is very important. This break might be as simple as a short walk or cooking a meal instead of ordering out. If you can’t remember the last time you relaxed or had a little fun then maybe you should think about cutting down on some of the hours you spend working.
LACK OF EATING
We all know that having a healthy, well-balanced diet is something we should have. However, it is not often we actually stick to a diet. Overworking yourself to the point that you skip meals, settle for quick processed foods or fast food is a huge indicator of working too much. Many studies have shown the positive impacts that maintaining a well-balanced, healthy diet can have on your mental and physical states. Just as with sleep, having a good diet and remembering to eat can increase your performance during work so you can get more done with fewer hours. Make sure to take the time to stick to a consistent diet.
LOOKING FOR DISTRACTIONS
If you work too much, you may have experienced the desire to look for things to do instead of working. Sometimes we dive into a lot of work with excitement and then realize that we may have bitten off more than we can chew in a short amount of time. Often when this happens, people tend to look for distractions from this load of work that they put on themselves. Things such as constantly being on social media, playing games, looking up pointless articles, and starting unhealthy addictions are some common distractions. There are many types of distractions that people turn to nowadays to distract them from work. Next time you feel yourself looking for a distraction, take a look at the work you have to do and ask yourself if the work is too much.
DEVELOPING AN ATTITUDE OF PESSIMISM
A trait that has been seen in those who work too much is a feeling of pessimism. The stress and deadlines create an attitude of pessimism that tears at individuals. Always wanting to be better in both life and work is a great goal to have, but there are limits. It is important to realize when you have accomplished something and have a system in place to recognize that accomplishment. Letting all the stress create a negative attitude of nothing being good enough is a major indicator that leads to more negativity in people’s lives.
NOTHING BUT WORK
Do you find yourself constantly struggling to talk about anything other than work? Or do you always have work on your mind? These are major indicators of working too much. Always being focused on work prevents us from growing in other areas of our life. Just like most of these indicators, it takes away from having enjoyable experiences in your life that are not related to work. These experiences help you grow as an individual. Try to stay away from work-related talk if you notice this in your life. Giving an honest effort to keep work off of your mind at the right times is a great way to start cutting back on work.
SPENDING TIME WITH OTHERS
People need relationships with others to stay socially and mentally healthy. When work starts taking away from family, friends, and others it is important to take action to stop this. This is one of the most common indicators in today’s world. Spending time with those who you care about is valuable to you, as well as to them. Take the time to go on vacation with family, hang out with friends, and go out and socialize. These healthy interactions do a lot for people’s health in many aspects.
KEEP IT BALANCED
These indicators are many common ways that people can tell if they are working too much. Of course, it is important to work hard to achieve your goals and support who you need to, but there needs to be a healthy balance of work and life. There is no way around it. With a healthy balance between work and life, mutual benefits are formed for each other and create a better life for people. Use these common indicators to keep track of whether or not you are working too much and to try to find a balance between work and life.
WORK WITH STAND-BY PERSONNEL
If your goal in the new year is to move up in your career, find a new job, or get started down a new path altogether, Stand-By Personnel is here to help. Our experienced Tulsa staffing agency can help you find full-time or part-time employment. Contact Stand-By Personnel today or text ‘weldingjobs’ or ‘skilledjobs’ to 888-111 to see how we can help you accomplish your new year’s resolution.