All Episodes

November 18, 2025 13 mins

So many of us are overworking and don’t know how, or why, to stop. In this episode, we discuss:

  • Why we overwork
  • How outdated work ethics impact our mindset
  • The difference between a hard worker and a workaholic
  • The six crucial areas to address when you’re overdoing it
  • How to lead teams sustainably in today’s always-on culture

Support the show

Jill Griffin, host of The Career Refresh, delivers expert guidance on workplace challenges and career transitions. Jill leverages her experience working for the world's top brands like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Hilton Hotels, and Martha Stewart to address leadership, burnout, team dynamics, and the 4Ps (perfectionism, people-pleasing, procrastination, and personalities).

Visit JillGriffinCoaching.com for more details on:

  • Book a 1:1 Career Strategy and Executive Coaching HERE
  • Build a Leadership Identity That Earns Trust and Delivers Results.
  • Gallup CliftonStrengths Corporate Workshops to build a strengths-based culture
  • Team Dynamics training to increase retention, communication, goal setting, and effective decision-making
  • Keynote Speaking
  • Grab a personal Resume Refresh with Jill Griffin HERE

Follow @JillGriffinOffical on Instagram for daily inspiration
Connect with and follow Jill on LinkedIn

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hey friends, I am Jill Griffin, your host of the
Career Refresh, and this is theplace where we talk about career
strategy, leadership strategy,and things to actually create a
career and life that work foryou.
Today, I want to talk aboutsomething that I have talked
about before, but I'm seeing itpop up again.
And as we're starting to roundout the backhand half of the
calendar year, this is reallywhere it pops up even more

(00:22):
because everyone feels like theyhave to get it done.
And this is about overworking.
And we have glorifiedoverworking, and it's like
exhaustion has become the normand everyone's doing it.
And I just want to remind usthat overworking is not a
bragging point or a badge ofhonor.
It's a symptom.
It is a symptom and a signalthat the patterns, expectations,

(00:44):
boundaries, both yours, yourcompanies, your team, all need a
recalibration.
All right, so let's dig intowhat's going on and what we can
do about it.
All right, first, let's startwith the details.
The mix of remote work,on-premise, hybrid work has

(01:06):
become the norm for so manyemployees that people are
claiming that they are workingalmost three to four hours
longer every day because ofthese various structures.
And it's not because people areafraid necessarily that they're
not getting or there's morework.
It's not because there'snecessarily more work.
Sometimes there is, but it'sreally because they want to be

(01:28):
seen as adding value or beingproductive or being busy and
being in contribution.
Here starts the problem.
Well, on weekends and afterhours, and a third of them do it
when they're on vacation.
There's a Harvard study thatfound that 23% of workers
experience insomnia, costing UScompanies over$60 billion with a
B of lost productivity everyyear, right?

(01:51):
Because people are so exhausted,they're sleeping on the job.
Not sleeping, but they're soexhausted they can't perform
because they need to be almostin the sleeping on the job.
So why do we do this?
It's because we often think wehave to or we think we need to
demand this.
We think it's safer to stayonline late, answer one more
email, just to get it done andto prove the value.

(02:12):
We start to confuse visibilitywith worth, and we have to prove
ourselves constantly, or so wethink.
And that's really where theburnout sets in, right?
But it's quiet, it's sneaky,it's really disguised as
commitment, but it's burnout.
And this thinking goes into deeproots, right?
There's the Protestant workethic that, you know what, if

(02:33):
it's hurting, it must beworking.
You know, we're gonna rise andthrive, we're gonna kill it.
All of those like nonsensethings that you hear people say
or that you read like on thesocials.
We've attached a moral value towork, believing that the longer
we grind, that they'll be, we'llbe a better person or a better
employee, then we actually are.

(02:54):
And we think that that's what'sproving our case.
So all of this tends to befueled by fear, worry, or the
need to, again, prove yourself.
But I'm gonna tell you, none ofthis is helpful.
It is draining and it's notsustainable, and it actually
doesn't help you do better work,going back to the$60 billion of
lost productivity.
Philosopher Alan Watts said thatwe tent our jaw lines, we furrow

(03:17):
our brows, and we think thatproductivity will help us manage
and get through stress.
But in all that effort, none ofthis makes us better.
It just makes us more exhausted.
When I found that quote, I waslike, okay, this is exactly what
we're talking about today.
So if you lead a team, listenclosely.
Overwork is really about theworkload, it is about the

(03:39):
unclear priorities.
When everyone is doing importantthings and everything feels
important, nothing is actuallyimportant.
Now, look, I know that there aretimes in which, because of maybe
a recent staffing reduction,that people are trying to cover
the work of the people thataren't there anymore.
And those are some of therealities, but it doesn't mean
that we need to keep cracking onthat.

(04:01):
If there's an immediate deadlineafter a reduction, yeah, we need
to get it done.
It's work, not a hobby.
But after that, we need torethink these unclear priorities
because burning people out andencouraging everybody to work
one and a half FTEs, full-timeemployees, more than what they
are, or two that every person isactually responsible for working
to isn't going to help you getto your end goal better.

(04:22):
And we need to start thinkingabout this as leaders and what
we're doing to our teams and toourselves.
So I want you to start byrecentering on what the team's
purpose is.
What's the top priority now?
Are there things getting in yourway?
What can you do to supportyourself and the team to make
this happen, to get to the goal,right?
And really thinking through,asking yourself questions that

(04:44):
create alignment and also giveyou a pulse check on maybe there
is some confusion or someoutages.
I also want you to coach yourteam for impact, not activity.
This is sometimes where peopleconfuse or they'll be like, oh,
I'm so in the weeds.
And this is the time where Ifind that people are confusing

(05:06):
oversight with ownership.
If you are a leader, you havethe oversight, but it's the team
who has the actual ownership ofthe work.
So you for yourself, you need tomake sure that there's that
balance and that you're notdriving into the weeds because I
want you to define what successlooks like for yourself, for
your team, and then also startto drop any of those low value

(05:28):
tasks.
This is not, again, about beingproductive, it's about creating
values.
Modeling good values foryourself is something that you
also need to do.
If your team is seeing thatgreen slack dot that pops up and
it's midnight, your team isgoing to assume that they need
to do that too and be there too.
So take your vacation, don'tleave part of your compensation

(05:49):
on the table and sign offvisibly.
Make sure it says that you areoff.
Show your team what sustainableperformance looks like.
Okay, if you're the employee andyou're on the other side, you're
the one who's working all theseextra hours and you feel like
this is your part, this is whatI want you to listen to.
You're responsible to own youredges.

(06:11):
This means noticing when gettingahead turns into getting
depleted.
So I want you to ask yourselfwhen I am saying no to
something, where can I say yesto something else?
And vice versa.
If I'm saying yes to something,where am I actually there for
saying no to something?
And if I'm overworking, am Idoing it to avoid something?

(06:33):
Am I doing it to avoid thefeeling where I didn't create
enough value this week or I needto be productive?
Or because I feel like it'llmake me visible or feel like
enough, I want you to really getclear and ask yourself that.
I also want you to communicateearly, talking to your
supervisory team or your managerbefore it becomes too much.
When we're working withintention, you know when you're

(06:55):
high energy and when those hoursare best serving you, right?
If I'm doing strategy, which Ido a lot of for organizations
and for teams, making sure thatI'm doing that earlier in the
morning when my brain isfreshest is when I'm going to
create the best strategy and inthe most efficient way possible.
I'm not going to be constantlydistracted and stopping and

(07:15):
needing to take a walk, right?
Making sure that you're doingthat.
And where possible, are therethings that you can automate?
Obviously, Chatty G, our goodold friend ChatGPT, our Claude,
those are the tools that you canuse, assuming it's within your
employee guidelines and makingsure that you're using them
efficiently and to eliminatedistractions.
We also know that the humanbrain works best in 90-minute

(07:36):
sprints.
So do a sprint, take a 15-minutebreak, do another sprint, take a
longer break.
That's how we get the most levelof strategic value or the
productivity that we're doing,but productivity, not for
productivity's sake, but that'sactually getting a lot of the
work done.
So I want you to redefine whathard work means for you.
And it's again, it has to beanchored in understanding the

(07:58):
right work with a focus onclarity.
Next, the mindset and strategy.
So to change behavior, you haveto know why.
You need a why.
When work is light, don't judgeyourself.
Asking yourself, what if enoughis okay?
And what does enough look like?
When work is heavy, check yourmotives.

(08:20):
Are you avoiding something else?
Are you trying to get it donebecause it feels like it's
aligned to your integrity andresponsibility?
Great, go for it.
I'm not going to tell you not tohave a hard day of work if
you're or a long day of work, Ishould say.
It's making sure that you're notdoing it for performative
reasons.
Are you overworking to control afear?
Do you feel like if you're notdoing it, this is where it

(08:42):
starts to feel needy and graspyand we start being really
helpful to everyone andover-servicing?
And that is where I want you tocreate some awareness because
this awareness will precede thechange.
I want you to re-define andreframe what success means.
Also, you might work in anorganization where you have to
track your hours, fine, but Iwould encourage you to track

(09:04):
outcomes.
How did you actually land theperformance?
What did you contribute tosomething?
And is it measurable, right?
Those are the things that aregoing to impact your uh employee
review and things that mayimpact if you're getting raises
or bonuses when it comes tothose times of the year.
And then I want you to block outtime, like I said, for thinking,
for rest, for creativity, makingsure there's a space.

(09:27):
I would even say block out timefor you to bet like binge
Netflix.
There's no nothing wrong withsaying, like, okay, I'm gonna do
that then.
And carving out time and what isactivity, what is hobbies, what
is work time, what is friendsand loved ones' time, making
sure you're doing that.
You have to practice constraintbecause otherwise, every day
there'll be a little bit morethat you do and a little bit

(09:47):
more that you do.
And the next thing you know,your entire day will be taken
over and all the nooks andcrannies of free time will be
taken over for work.
So give yourself 90 minutes,give yourself some rest.
When possible, take a properlunch.
I would tell you to take itevery day, take 30 minutes, step
away from your computer, right?
We're not doing this with onehand on the keyboard and one
hand on a fork.

(10:07):
We want to really make sure thatwe're taking time to step away.
Uh, if you're working from homeon those days, you have a pet,
you have children around, whatcan you take a walk?
Can you go outside?
Where can you get fresh air?
Making sure that you're leavingdesk, your desk when possible.
Because I want you to multitaskyour way through life, right?
Productivity and creating valuewill happen in cycles.

(10:28):
You want to make sure thatyou're having space to think and
be rest because that creativitywill thrive when you have
pauses.
It's one of the reasons why Ihave random hobbies.
Like I suck at most of them, butI do it, right?
I knit, I embroider, I docrafts, I do pottery, I do all
of these things.
It's not like I would be showingpeople the work isn't great.
I'm doing it because I like tobe creative.

(10:50):
I like to create things and thatreally I paint, right?
All the things that get me outof doing what I've done for my
entire career as a strategistand now as an executive coach,
those type of task switching,but not multitasking, really
helps me find the creativitythat thrives when I come back
after the pause.
All right.

(11:10):
Next, I want you to reallyreflect because we have been
conditioned for centuries tobelieve that long hours equals
worth, that we create more worthwhen we work longer hours.
And friends, that belief is veryoutdated.
Productivity isn't about doingmore.
Creating value isn't about doingmore, it's about doing what

(11:32):
matters and what creates valuetowards the end goal.
So the next time you think toyourself, you know what, you're
gonna stay online, you're gonnajust do a little bit longer, and
you're just gonna do one morething, I'd really challenge you
and ask yourself, is this addingvalue?
Am I trying to be helpful from aplace of neediness or
graspiness?
Or am I really trying to provemy value?

(11:53):
And I would offer, there aresome times where we have to
prove our value, but if you'redoing it consistently and it
isn't coming from a place oflike it feels good and it's
coming from a place of a need oran anxiousness, that's the part
where I want you to really checkyourself.
Your inbox is never going to beempty.
It will always be full and if itwill always peek coming.

(12:13):
And if you think about you haveto get this done, it's just a
couple more emails or a couplemore things, right?
You have to start drawing thelines.
Burnout isn't inevitable, it ispreventable, but you need to
make sure that with clarity foryourself, for your team, setting
those boundaries and making surethat what you're setting up
serves the team.
I'm gonna leave you with a quotefrom entrepreneur Dan Pallada,

(12:36):
which I thought was a really,really impactful quote that kind
of ties all of this up well.
Worry isn't work, being stressedout isn't work.
Anxiety isn't work.
Hating yourself isn't work.
We stopped burning witches atthe stake 400 years ago.
Maybe it's time we stopped doingit to ourselves.

(12:57):
All right, friends, if thisepisode resonated with you, I
want you to tell someone andshare it with someone that is
how we get this work out thereand we can help more people.
Thanks for listening.
And as always, lead withclarity, protect your energy,
redefine what effort and whatwork means to you, and always,
always, always be kind.
I'd love to hear from you.
You can email me at hello atdeal griffincoaching.com, and

(13:19):
I'll see you next time.
Thanks so much.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.