What’s a workaholic to do? Part II

Earlier this week, I admitted to being a borderline workaholic—a fact which, according to an assessment recently posted by CNN, could have extensive negative effects on my health and personal life. I also posed the question of what active workaholics can do to help combat their workaholic-ism. It can be assumed that many of America’s vibrant workforce would fall into the category of “highly” workaholic—especially given a recent revelation that “only 57% of U.S. workers use up all of the [vacation] days they’re entitled to”. Yet workaholic-ism seems to be more a symptom of the stresses put on American workers to out-perform competitors than a deeply felt commitment. So what’s a workaholic to do?

1. Use your vacation time. Although you may feel a deep-seated commitment to your work, that emotional attachment will most likely return after vacation. Vacation serves as a counterbalance—a stabilizer. If an American president can find time to put his work on hold to visit a ranch in Texas, to rest at Camp David, or to travel to Martha’s Vineyard, why can’t average Americans? For additional reasons why you should take a vacation, see this post.
2. Think about lost time. Living a healthy, professional life is all about striking the perfect balance between work and home—about finding a way to balance your work life and your home life and being able to pay equitable attention to each. While you might justify your decision to work late day-in and day-out, remember that by simply re-juggling your commitments (and changing your mentality), you may be able to keep your job and be present for special family moments.
3. Make a schedule, and stick to it! Breaking the bad habit of workaholic-ism can seem like an almost insurmountable task. It involves putting your professional life and tasks in order and learning how to walk away from your work at the end of the day without feeling like doing so will put you behind tomorrow. Learn how to complete all of your duties and work assignments in the time you have allotted. You know what they say: If there’s a will there’s a way!