Day in the Life of a Workaholic
Ever had that feeling that you didn’t work hard enough? That’s been the story of my life for a couple of years now.
While I was in college, I worked constantly just to stay ahead of the next deadline. And when there wasn’t a deadline, I would make one. In my mind, there was always something I could do.
Social media exacerbated my compulsion even more. I endlessly scrolled through videos of beautiful people living their best lives and getting as much work done as possible every day.
I aspired to be like these people and I pushed myself to work harder. But the more I watched productivity content, the more I felt unsatisfied with my life. So matter how many things I checked off of the to-do list, it was never enough.
I tried convincing myself that one day, after all my hard work, I could sit back and relax, but I would push that day further and further away.
I would think:
“If you want this, you’ll have to work harder.”
When I tried resting, all I thought about was how I was wasting time.
It’s like I had to push a rock up a hill and if I stopped, the rock would roll back down the hill. Resulting in me having to start all over again.
Not only would I have to begin again, but I would have to watch other people successfully push their rock up the hill, too.
Thus, work would encroach upon what little rest I would try to give myself.
I’d go from watching a movie to having six tabs open and taking notes for class while I listen to some podcast about self-improvement. Or I would stay awake at night trying to optimize my day as much as possible so I could do more work.
The Pitfalls of a Functioning Addict
The worst part was that it was very helpful, at least academically speaking.
There’s nothing worse than a habit that helps just as much as hurts.
I can honestly say that working all the time allowed me to keep my grades high.
Which makes you wonder what they’re actually trying to teach us, but I digress.
Working this much was catastrophic for my health. I rarely gave myself time to breathe, so I was constantly mentally/physically fatigued. I was close to burning out several times. And this idea of always needing to work killed my self-worth.
“If I’m not working, then I’m doing nothing, and if I’m doing nothing, then that’s all I’ll be.”
You would think being out of school would force me to relax, but you would be wrong. I still tried to squeeze work into every portion of my day. Despite having no real responsibilities, I was still acting like I had a family of five I had to support.
My loved ones kept telling me to slow down, and I tried listening to them. But, in my mind, the things that I want require me to go full throttle.
How I’m Implementing R&R
Thankfully, their words eventually sank in and I understand that this workaholism isn’t sustainable. I finally have time to do things I am passionate about, and I’m turning them into a burden.
I’ve always feared becoming a cog in the machine. Working tirelessly for something I don’t care about. And I’m contaminating my passion with the compulsion to work all the time.
So I’m taking a stand and making rest a priority. I know this will better my overall health, and also improve the quality of my work.
And this is how I’m doing it.
Creating Daily Milestones
Every night, I write a to-do list of things I want to get done the next day. Now, I rarely check off all things because I can be quite ambitious, but I always focus on getting these three tasks done, which is a reasonable goal to achieve in a day.
I make sure that these three milestones are specific, measurable, and applicable to my overall goals. In doing so, I’m ensuring that I am working towards my goals in some capacity every day. When I complete these tasks, I can definitively say that I have accomplished something.
This also allows me to prioritize things that matter rather than wasting time by working on little tasks that aren’t important.
Regardless of the other items on the list, if I can get those three things done, I know I have done something. I don’t give myself any room to bully myself into thinking I didn’t do enough.
This sets a clear boundary between working efficiently and overworking.
Abstaining from Multitasking
Multitasking is overrated.
We think it’s a skill and maybe in some ways it can be, but most of the time it’s a slippery slope to stress.
I stopped trying to balance a thousand tasks simultaneously and instead focused on one thing at a time. Doing so has allowed me to do my best work.
If I have more than three tabs open, I’m breaking the rules.
If you have too many goals, you’ll never have enough time to put effort into all of them, and you won’t accomplish anything.
Establishing Time Boundaries
I stop working at 5 p.m. during the week. No exceptions.
I normally start working at around 9:30-10:15 a.m. during the week, so normally I have at least 6-7 hours to work on things with ample time for short breaks.
Unless I have an idea for a new article or I need to contact someone, my workday ends at 5 p.m.
I don’t visit any work-related sites and I try to avoid content that triggers me to work (i.e., productivity content).
I reserve as little work as possible on the weekends.
I only work on Saturdays if I’m feeling inspired to do so, and I do nothing on Sundays. I funnel any urge to work on Sundays into Monday’s tasks.
Right now, I can stop working when I want to, so I’m going to take full advantage of it. Many people can’t set boundaries between their work and personal life. I hope that in setting this boundary now, I’ll have the tools for a healthy work-life balance in the future. No matter where I am at.
Final Thoughts
There’s this debate online about how people should spend their twenties.
Some people think your twenties are a time to have fun and relax, while others see it as the time to build a foundation so you can rest later in life.
They seem vastly different, but both of them lead to a life of regret.
One regrets not putting in work and the other regrets not enjoying life.
Right now, I have so much potential and it would be a waste for me not to work hard for something. But on the other hand, I know I should also take time to soak life in and revel in it.
So, I’ll do my best and pump the breaks when I need to.
Excellent! I will remember to sit my Happy self down😊