I often end the work week with the feeling that, although I’ve got a lot done, I’d need another whole week just to catch up. And thatâs before I deal with the stuff that Iâll be facing the following week! It’s easily solved, right? Work late, work the weekend, and just pull more hours. Wrong. Youâre probably setting yourself up for a bunch of problems down the line if you tackle it this way.
As I read this, I saw myself described in paragraph after paragraph. I hadn’t realized how damaging my work behaviour was getting until a month or so ago, when every day was laced with stress resulting from ‘no down time, and too much to do.’ Life was seriously out-of-kilter.
Fortunately I got some relief. A major burden was relieved, slightly, and I’ve been able to breath. I also saw the result of my ‘work ethic’ after it was maintained for months and years on end: I didn’t like what I saw, and worried about the long-term effects.
As part of my recently ‘normalized’ work schedule, I’m actively trying to leave work at work and not bring too much home. The result has been that I’ve been a more productive writer in the past month than I had been in the preceding three months. Sure, I was pounding out ‘rote writing’ at a impressive rate, but the insightful or interesting stuff needed when writing the conclusion for my dissertation just wasn’t coming to the surface. Fortunately, it’s coming at a rapid rate these days and I also get to (try and) enjoy myself for a few hours each night with non-work related things!
Source: Don’t Be a (Work) Hero
Excited Pixels 