Never Not Working: How To Tell if You're a Workaholic and What To Do About It

How much work is too much work? Can you ever turn it off? We’re exploring the roots of workaholism, its impact on our lives, and—most importantly—what to do about it.

What is Workaholism? The term was coined by psychologist Wayne E. Oates back in 1971, likening chronic overwork to addiction. Just like any other addiction, workaholism can interfere with our health, happiness, and relationships. So, how do we know if we’re truly addicted to work or just really engaged? The answer lies in the motivation behind the grind.

Could this be you?

Sometimes we overwork because of external circumstances such as financial problems, distraction from an unsatisfying marriage, or maybe pressure from our workplace. The differentiating feature of real workaholism from similar behaviors is the excessive involvement of the individual in work when it is not required or expected.

Norwegian researchers the University of Bergen created a work addiction scale which uses the following seven criteria to assess the likelihood that an individual possesses a work addiction:

1. You think of how you can free up more time to work.
2. You spend much more time working than initially intended.
3. You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness and/or depression.
4. You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
5. You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
6. You deprioritize hobbies, leisure activities, and/or exercise because of your work.
7. You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.

 

If you answered with “often” or “always” to any of these points, you may be a workaholic. And if we are agreeable, neurotic, intellectual or imaginative, we are more likely  

People identified as workaholics often ranked high in terms of these three personality traits:

• Agreeableness – Workaholics are more likely to be altruistic, compliant and modest.
• Neuroticism – Workaholics tend to be nervous, hostile, and impulsive.
• Intellect/imagination -Workaholics are generally inventive and action oriented.

But what to do about it?

• Redefine “urgent”
• Reinvent the to-do list
• Learning to say “no” and delegate
• Fixing the workaholic clock
• Controlling rumination
• Embracing rest and recovery
• Psychological detachment. 
• Physical activity. 
• Relaxation. 
• Mastery experiences (which mitigates the inclinations around workaholism)

 

Our lives are too precious to be consumed with work.  While work is fun and rewarding - it is not all things, so let’s not get caught in workaholism or even workaholic behaviors.