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.

How to Manage the Stress of a Big Project

Sometimes it feels like the deadline will never arrive or that the big deadlines just keep coming. It is easy to get on the roller-coaster of stress and feel like you’ll never be in control of your work life again. However, there are ways to deal with the stress-filled times at work to make them more manageable.

Implement the following steps to reduce your stress at work.

Tackle the worst first. There are parts of every project or every responsibility that we have in our jobs that is something we dread or find ourselves putting off. Take the opposite approach. If you dislike the phone calls you need to make for the project tackle those first in the morning or take on the budget tracking that frustrates you. When you get rid of some of the worst parts of your work first it frees you up to work on things you enjoy later, when you’re feeling a sense of relief and accomplishment at putting some of the most stress aspects of your project behind you.

Talk to your manager. Many of us put off discussing our stresses with our manager because we don’t want to give off the impression of being overwhelmed or incompetent at something. Your supervisor is there to help and wants to see projects completed well and on time. If the stresses you experience threaten the success of the project your manager will want to know. In addition, he or she should be interested in your well-being and might be able to help you identify strategies to be more effective in your work or perhaps can take some things off your plate to help you devote additional time to the more important project.

Work for focused and brief spurts. Consider setting aside dedicated periods of 45 minutes throughout your day to focus exclusively on your project without allowing for outside disruptions, including phone calls or checking of emails. It’s likely you’ll find you accomplish more throughout the day with this approach, leading to reduced stress as you see the end in sight.

Pay attention to your health. It’s critical to reducing your stress levels to take care of yourself by exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, eating well, and engaging in a mindfulness practice such as meditation or yoga.

By putting into practice these four steps you can learn to more effectively manage the stress in your work life.      

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 5 Tips for Managing Stress Over the Holidays

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!

• 5 Tips for Managing Stress Over the Holidays: "You might feel like you have to do everything and be everywhere, especially when technology makes it so easy. But it's just not the case. You might be missed, but your time and energy is limited, so use it wisely."

• 5 Ways to Kickstart Your Side Hustle: "Ask your HR department if they provide access or discounts to premium resources, business management tools or training. Some organizations offer education budgets; use those resources to get ahead."

• How to Help Your Employees Stay Productive Around the Holidays: "closing the office for more days during the holidays has a direct and positive impact on in-office productivity."

• 5 Healthy Resolutions to Make: "This is the easiest of the five, and yet it is so often overlooked, especially by men. An annual checkup is your chance to measure your progress from year to year."
• Why Soul is the Secret to Family Business Success:"when you realize that you're closer to the back end [of life] than the front, you begin to wonder about whether your life has meant something."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Identify Your Life Purpose & Leverage it in Your Career

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!

• Identify Your Life Purpose & Leverage it in Your Career:"each of us can identify a key, over-arching purpose of our lives and live from that knowledge, and doing so is helpful and positive. And I've seen that when we do, we open the door to experiencing more joy, peace, satisfaction and positive energy."

• 7 Ways to Maximize Your Workspace & Productivity: "Now that I’ve fully implemented the formula, I’m much happier and infinitely more productive. My desk is now my oasis. Adopting these seven habits made all the difference."

• How to Be Creative When You're Feeling Stressed: "f you still feel stuck and just can’t come up with something new, then you may want to give your brain more material to work with. This could look like reading on the topic, taking a field trip to a place where you can see other people’s creative solutions to a similar problem, or talking to experts."

• How to Stay Productive When You Travel A Lot: "People overvalue money and undervalue time. I have been willing to spend money to make sure I am fully staffed so that I can leverage my time better."
• 25 Lessons Business School Won't Ever Teach You: "You may learn negotiation strategies in business school, but the act of doing it in real time, in real life, is entirely different."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Manage Your Workload During the Holidays

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 Your Workload During the Holiday Season:"if you’re concerned about keeping up with your workload in the absence of much of your team, try suggesting to your boss that you hire some temps to help compensate."

• Well-Meaning Career Advice to Avoid: "There are probably just five people in the world who have learned to like–or at least tolerate–the unfiltered version of you, and I doubt your boss is one of them."

• A New Way to Become More Open-Minded: "If openness to experience means you’re willing to try pickle-flavored ice cream, intellectual humility means you’re willing to admit you like it, even if you initially thought you wouldn’t."

• How to Ensure That You Are Constantly Improving: "Hearing others’ stories oftentimes helps me to avoid difficult situations but more importantly motivates me to set goals for myself."
• What Makes Teams Work?: "When we face the fact that none of us is above making a mistake, we create a space where innovation can take place."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 4 Coping Strategies When You're Overwhelmed at Work

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!

• 4 Coping Strategies When You're Overwhelmed at Work: "Learning to accept imperfection enables you to keep moving forward, and that’s precisely what you need to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed."

• These are the Jobs Older Workers are Looking For: "the most clicked-on job openings for workers over 62 (the earliest you can qualify to get Social Security benefits) are an assortment of construction and transportation positions."

• 4 Strategies to Schedule a Productive Workday: "While it may be tempting to tackle the easiest items on your to-do list first and save the more time-consuming and demanding tasks for later.... Instead, it's vital that you prioritize the tasks that will bring you the most benefit."

• 7 Skills That Aren't About to Be Automated: "if you have a reputation for excellence in a domain, it will feed on itself and give you preferential access to new knowledge and information because of your insider status."
• Best Beach Reads on Leadership: "In a world where we face the reality of digitalization and our increasing reliance on technology like artificial intelligence and augmented reality, the need for soft skills like empathy is vital"

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 5 Habits That Will Make You a Better Leader

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!

• 5 Habits That Will Make You a Better Leader: "A great leader knows that his or her most important task is developing others—teaching people how to think and ask the right questions."

• 13 Inexpensive But Effective Benefits That Keep Employees Happy: "Investing in personal development initiatives for employees at all levels is critical in maintaining a strong workplace culture."

• To Take Charge of Your Career, Start By Building Your Tribe: "Instead of demanding conformity in exchange for safety, such communities keep our working lives exciting and us stable, ultimately helping us master our working lives"

• Leaders Who Make Their Own Luck Do These 5 Things: "Giving employees time to pursue their own projects increases the chance they'll discover something and, because it's their baby, pursue it with the passion that produces lucky results."
• 7 Ways to Reduce Stress When You Are Overwhelmed: "Take the less than five minutes required to do a mind dump. Get everything bothering you out on paper. Write down what's stressing you out, all that you have to do and the other thoughts or ideas occupying your mind."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Are You Ready to Start a Company?

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!

• Are You Ready to Start a Company? Ask Yourself These 6 Questions: "Yet, even beyond any specific idea or execution strategy, many of the founders I interviewed said they were motivated to solve a particular problem."

• 5 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress and Recharge Daily: "Getting involved in your community also gives you an intrinsic boost that keeps you going when you get bogged down. Put those skills that make you successful in your career to use, and exercise a sense of purpose"

• 3 Tips to Stay Productive Without Risking Burnout: "The best way to maintain steady levels of energy throughout the day is to do at least some form of physical exercise."

• To Control Your Life, Control What You Pay Attention To: "Attention management is the practice of controlling distractions, being present in the moment, finding flow, and maximizing focus, so that you can unleash your genius."
• 13 Things Socially Intelligent Leaders Do Differently: "Social intelligence relies largely on the ability to see other people objectively, and to understand that personal experiences can largely influence biases toward or against someone."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: The Importance of Moving Past Adversity

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!

• The Importance of Moving Past Adversity: "The future is yet to be determined and can be influenced by what you do today. Today is the only day that really matters."

• 5 Creative Interview Questions to Ask Job Applicants: "But how can you use the interview process to ensure your company hires the absolute best person for the job? Specifically, are you asking the right questions, and how do you know if you're hearing the right answers?"

• The Best Advice for Leaders in the New Year: "We learn through the stories of those who experience something firsthand. Real stories, recollections, have an unvarnished transparency. They tend to be chock full of great examples of how to do or not do something."

• The Simple Way to Turn a Stressful Job Interview into a Relaxed Conversation: "Getting a hiring manager feeling comfortable talking to you must be part of that plan if you want to stand out and get the job."
• When Burnout is a Sign You Should Leave Your Job: "When the conditions and demands you encounter at work — like workload, level of autonomy, and norms of interpersonal behavior — exceed your capacity to handle them, you’re at risk of burning out."

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 9 Stress Reducing Tips for Busy Professionals

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Entrepreneur, Jack Canfield shares nine tips for reducing stress, including eating healthy and exercising, and cleaning up incomplete projects. Watch the video for more.

How to Practice Self-Care After Losing a Job

Losing a job ranks rights up there--along with death, divorce, or a move--as one of the most stressful and difficult times in a person’s life. 

A job loss can lead to anger, depression, and solitude and it’s very important to develop healthy habits during this time of unemployment.

Take the following steps to create a regime of self-care.

Focus on friends and family. Seek out and spend time with those you are closest to. Meet up with a best friend for a regular lunch appointment and spend some extra time with family. Be open with those close to you about how you’re experiencing the job loss and accept the support of others.

Let’s get physical. Pay attention to your health. Now you have some additional time to ensure you can fit in a daily exercise routine, whether it’s yoga at a nearby studio, joining a local fitness club, biking across town, or simply taking a brisk walk around the neighborhood. This time will also stimulate creativity and just might stimulate some ideas regarding your next career move.

Embrace the pillow. Get adequate sleep. Make an effort to avoid staying up late to watch television or staying on a computer or mobile too long getting lost in the world of social media. Instead, go to your library and pick out some great books to read in the evening before falling asleep. Good sleep will provide you with energy and a positive attitude to continue on with the other healthy practices your implementing.

Resist the bottle. This is a time to avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Drinking will not change your situation and will only make it more difficult to practice other healthy habits. This might be a great time to avoid alcohol and instead make a switch to a healthier diet that make you feel more energized and optimistic about your situation.

Turn down the pressure. Take some time to minimize expectations and resist the temptation to put too much pressure on yourself to find a new job or make a decision about a career path. It can be difficult to make clear-headed decisions when we feel under pressure. Implement a daily practice of calm breathing, meditation, prayer, and positive affirmations to quiet the voices in your head, reduce the pressure, and set aside expectations.

When you develop habits of self-care—deepening your friendships, getting adequate sleep and exercise, eating well, and developing positive thinking patterns—you’ll be better equipped to handle a period of unemployment or under-employment.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Stressed Out at Work?

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!

• Stressed Out at Home? Stop Doing These 5 Things at Home: "The way to maintain your sanity is to find a few specific things you can stop doing at home to take off a bit of pressure. And then, when things calm down — maybe don’t start doing them again."

• 5 Ways to Reduce Work-Related Stress: "While one might think a vacation could be a good cure for this, many people feel pressure to work during their time off. According to the survey, 33 percent of women and 26 percent of men say their bosses expect them to work during vacation."

• 5 Steps to Resolve Work Conflicts Before They Get Personal: "At the root of many of these issues is a simple, common problem: miscommunication. At work as in life, it comes in many forms."

• The 10 Commandments of Effective Communication: "To communicate in a way that others understand, you have to learn what's on their minds, first. That's why listening is so important."
• What to do When Work Stress (Literally) Makes You Sick: "Take inventory of your own stress touch points, and set boundaries that feel right to you. Try removing your phone from your bedroom entirely, which can take away the temptation to check in early or late and allows melatonin to work its magic."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Handle Stress During a Job Interview

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 Handle Stress During a Job Interview: "Remind yourself that stress in an interview is not only normal — it’s necessary. Prepare yourself for stress while you train yourself to do a great job."

• How to Sidestep the "Nos" and Be Persistent in Your Career: "You will have people around you who can’t see how big your life is going to be. You have to sidestep them."

• 5 Skills You Need But Rarely See in Job Postings: "on the next resume or cover letter you write, make sure you pair those technical talents of yours with examples of ways you’ve deployed them collaboratively."

• Why Introverts Are Actually A Lot Better at Sales: "Inbound or email marketing, however, demands an ability to research a customer, see the world from the customer's perspective, and adapt to the customer's situation and specific response--all skills that come easier to introverts."
• 5 Ways to Put Mindfulness to Work in Your Life: "Simple things like noticing the sensations in your body or your breath as you brush your teeth, drink water, wash dishes or drive home from work… anything you do every day on a regular basis will work."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 8 Tips to Help You Manage Stress

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!

• 8 Tips to Help You Manage Stress: "You can’t fight it if you don’t know what it is. If a certain situation or person at work pushes your buttons, own that feeling."

• Making the Most of Strategic Relationships: "Great products are rarely invented by solo practitioners. Great companies cannot be produced by a recluse. Our increasingly interdependent world makes relationship-building more critical than ever."

• 5 Interview Lines That Make Job Interviewers Cringe: "You should have questions! Asking questions is how you determine if this job, this manager and this employer are right for you."

• 4 Ways You Know It's Time to Make the Leap and Start Your Own Business: "There is no one who can tell you, ultimately, what’s right for your life and your business but you. Trust your gut."
• How to Be Productive During the Summer: "Work hard, rest well. The hard work will keep you from being distracted by the temptations of summer, while the days off will help you enjoy those temptations."