5 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Workaholic

In a work world where we’re expected to be available 24-7, it can be easy to become a workaholic and overly stressed. It’s important to make a conscious effort to stay in balance and implement processes in our life to better manage the workload.

Here are some steps to take to avoid becoming a workaholic. 

  

Manage expectations. Avoid a tendency to be a perfectionist or to think that you can do everything. Nothing is ever perfect, and no one can do everything. Set realistic expectations for the quality of the work that you do, the amount of time you will devote to a project, and the work you yourself will take responsibility for. Having clear and realistic expectations can help you avoid becoming a workaholic.

   

Delegate and ask for help. An important way to reduce stress is to ask for help when it’s needed and delegate whenever possible. There is no shame in needing help and it can be important for the development of others to provide opportunities.

Focus on health. If you’re focused on your health, getting enough sleep, eating well, and ensuring that you add exercise to your regimen, you’ll better recognize when you’re getting imbalanced in your work life and be better positioned to make changes to avoid overwork.

Unplug. Be sure to set aside time when you’re unavailable to your supervisor and colleagues, and unplug from your email, voice messages, and communication apps. Keep your weekends free of work and try to avoid work after a set time each evening.

Consider a job change. If you still find yourself struggling to avoid stress at work, and you’re overdoing things you might need to consider another job. Look into something that will be less demanding and allow for more balance in your life.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Manage Workaholism

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• How to Manage Workaholism:"Whatever the definition, the results of an unhealthy work obsession has some pretty serious long-term consequences."

• How Taking Risks Can Lead to the Biggest Successes of Your Career: "in order to get the best out of yourself, you have to put yourself into positions where you're uncomfortable or vulnerable."

• 7 Income Streams that Generate Passive Income: "If you want to build wealth or achieve your long-term financial goals, you have to diversify your income sources with multiple streams of income."

• 5 Mistakes to Remove from Your LinkedIn Profile: "It's no secret that if you want to get a job, hire great talent or network with the best, then LinkedIn is a solid place to start.."
• Office Design Tips That Will Increase Employee Productivity: "Sometimes the secret to getting work done—and motivating your employees to do the same—is in our environment.... Warm temperature, a certain level of ambient noise and natural lighting seem to increase productivity."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 3 Ways to Stay Sane When You Have a Workaholic Boss

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 3 Ways to Stay Sane When You Have a Workaholic Boss:"For better or for worse, bosses are role models in the office, setting the pace and establishing the culture. When they’re also workaholics, it can make things difficult for employees."

• How Competition Affects Your Brain, Motivation & Productivity: "These lighthearted, unrelated to work performance competitions are a great way to inject some element of competition into the workplace without making it about work, avoiding any resentment building up between coworkers or competitors."

• 10 Tips to Succeed in the Business of Life: "This month, keep track of how many hours you work and what you got done. There’s nothing wrong with putting in a lot of time at the mine, but if you see lagging results, you’ll know when to recharge."

• Why You Should Apply Entrepreneurial Thinking to Every Decision: "By reputation, entrepreneurs will chase opportunities even over a cliff. In fact, successful entrepreneurs carefully assess conditions to judge when enough factors are propitious to launch."
• How to Tell When It's Time to Quite and Move On: "While the right answer in any individual case will vary, there are some common circumstances in which leaving or shutting down a business you’ve built might be the prudent course of action."