All work and no play is no way to go through life.
“Work hard and you’ll get ahead” is something you have probably heard for the better part of your adult life .The all work, no play lifestyle was so heavily ingrained into our parent’s generation that many of them forgot to stop and smell the roses. If you get so wrapped up in making a good living, you will forget all about enjoying your life. While there are a number of benefits to working hard, there is a limit to how much you can give to your business. Every now and then you have to stop, recharge your batteries and then put your nose back to the grindstone. Check out the warning signs below to find out if you are one of the many people out there who are working too hard.
When Your Life is Devoid of Free Time, You Are Working Too Hard
Spending every waking moment at the office can make you forget all about the enjoyment that comes with having free time. There is nothing wrong with laying around all day in your pajamas binge-watching Santa Clarita Diet, which is something you need to realize in order to avoid burning out. Everyone needs downtime. It doesn’t mean you are weak or lazy, it just means you are human.
You Are Taking On Too Much Responsibility At Work
The inability to delegate responsibility at your job can cause a lot of problems. Having too much on your plate can make you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. What good does it do you to take on so much of the work and increase the stress you have in the process? Instead of increasing your stress level, you need to learn how to delegate some of the responsibilities at work to others.
If you are a mild mannered and reserved person, you may have a problem with people taking advantage of your people-pleaser attitude. Instead of letting your emotional and physical well-being suffer as a result of too much responsibility, you need to calmly and concisely tell those around you to pitch in and take on some of the jobs you are currently doing.
The Goals You Have All Involve Your Career
Setting goals is a very important part of getting ahead in life. While having career-related goals is important, you also need to set some personal goals as well. Goals like starting a family or giving back to your community are great. Achieving these types of goals can give you a renewed sense of worth and can give you an identity outside of work. There is nothing wrong with having a desire to climb the corporate ladder, but don’t let this desire completely consume you.
Shutting Your Mind off at Night is Becoming Harder
There is denying how powerful a good night’s sleep can be to your mental and physical health. When it starts to become increasingly hard to shut off your mind at night due to work-related thoughts, it may be time for a vacation. Having too much stress and responsibility can lead to your mind moving a thousand miles a minute. This can lead to bouts of insomnia. Without the right amount of sleep, your energy levels will decrease and you will find it increasingly difficult to perform at work. Take a break. Go on a vacation or just take a few vacation days to hang around your home and cuddle up with a good book.
Getting a hobby, learning a new skill and volunteering with local charities are just some of the things you can do to forget about work when you are off. Taking the time to do a bit of research is the best way to figure out what type of extracurricular activities best suit your needs.
Originally published at medium.com