Who else is an [over] achiever?
When I was younger, I would easily pour 12+ hours of my day into working because I believed, as the internet says, that “the grind doesn’t stop.”
When mismanaged, though, all that does is lead to burnout, unhealthy levels of stress, and a feeling of emptiness that is hard to shake.
Even if you love what you do (I do), spending 60-80% of your day on work doesn’t allow you to develop other parts of life (like family, relationships, spirituality, and personal growth).
Your work can become your identity, which can be damaging in the long run. it can hold you back from other opportunities in your life for fear of “losing who you are.”
If there is one takeaway for January from the teams we’ve worked with, it would be: normalize a work-life balance. You deserve it, and so do your teammates. It has to start with You!
Disconnect. Have set working hours that you honor. Take your vacations and share about times when you are unplugging and encourage your colleagues to do the same. Bring in mental wellness experts (like me) to teach how to reduce stress at work.
When you take care of yourself, your productivity soars!
A quote to reflect on:
“He who would go a hundred miles should consider ninety-nine as halfway.”
Japanese Proverb