2099: What To Do When You’re A Workaholic by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense of Cents on Work-Life Balance

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Work Daily. What to do when you're a workaholic. By Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense of Sense I used to be a big workaholic. At one point, I had my 50-hour-a-week analyst day job. I was working towards my finance MBA full-time, 12 to 14 credits each semester, including summers. And I was freelancing online. I was working around 80 to 100 hours each week. Then, even before that, I was working full-time as a retail manager.

[00:01:30] Attending college as a double major. I was taking around 24 credits each spring and fall semester, and 12 to 14 in the summers. And I was involved in school clubs as well, which meant I was busy altogether for around 80 hours each week. So, for around 6 to 7 years, I was working between 80 to 100 hours a week constantly. And I definitely felt a strain from that. I didn't have many breaks except for a vacation one or two weeks each year. I barely ever saw my friends. I didn't really make any friends from the college I went to.

[00:02:01] How sad is that? There was just no time. I hardly ever took care of myself. Eating healthy or working out was not in my vocabulary at that time. And so on. Everything was focused on working. I'm definitely happy with how my life turned out. But sometimes I wonder if I worked myself too hard. I have huge bags under my eyes to show proof of the many sleepless nights I had. I also know that I worked hard during those years as a way to not think about how my dad passed away when I was 18, which I know is not healthy.

[00:02:30] Being busy 100 hours a week meant that I never gave myself time to deal with what was going on. Being a workaholic isn't always bad though. You're probably a good worker and you just want to succeed in life. However, is there a line between being successful and being a workaholic? You might be a workaholic if... 1. You always work on your lunch break. 2. You always take work home. 3. You work on vacation. 4. You work a lot.

[00:02:58] 5. You never see people that you love. 6. You do nothing else besides work. 7. You can't sleep because all you think about is work. 8. You have no hobbies except for making money. Or 9. Others say you work too much and are complaining about you. Here are things you should think about if you are a workaholic. 1. Do you know why you're a workaholic? First, you need to think about why you're a workaholic.

[00:03:26] If you are trying to get out of debt, then a little bit of workaholicism may be needed if you want to get out of debt quickly. However, if you're a workaholic because you are trying to escape problems in your life, you are afraid you're going to lose your job. I have a friend who was recently diagnosed by a doctor with a disorder because they were so obsessed about losing their job even though they're a great worker. Or something else. Then you need to reevaluate what's going on and try to find a better solution. 2. What's more important to you in life?

[00:03:55] Is there something else in life that you would rather be doing instead of working every single minute that you're awake? Maybe you want to start spending time with your family, more time with your friends, being more healthy, volunteering, and so on. You need to find a way to work the things that you love into your life. 3. Have a schedule. If you don't already have a schedule that includes other things in life besides just work, then you need to create one. A realistic one.

[00:04:21] You need to find a way to put down your work at a certain time so that you can do other things in your life as well. For example, if you often find yourself working when you get home from work, you may want to create a schedule that says, starting at 6pm, work is over for you. 6pm marks when you can start enjoying yourself. You can eat dinner with your family, read a book, and so on. You need to find a way to put fun things in your schedule because that may be the only way you let yourself do them. 4. Think about outsourcing.

[00:04:50] Is there a service you provide that you could outsource? Maybe you don't do it as quickly and someone else could do it more quickly. Or maybe you could outsource a service and then focus on other things so that you can increase your revenues. Outsourcing can be a great way to find more time for yourself. You probably can't realistically do everything yourself anyways. 5. Work more efficiently. When you are working, you should try to eliminate all distractions. Turn off the TV.

[00:05:18] Turn off any music if you find that distracting. Work in an office. Close your social media accounts while you're trying to work. And more. Also, are you good at multitasking? If not, then you should stop. Most people are not good at multitasking and all it means for most people is that you're spending extra time doing something when you shouldn't. Remember that switching from one task to another over and over again means that there will be at least some amount of time wasted.

[00:05:47] You just listened to the post titled, What to do when you're a workaholic, by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense of Sense. When you need to build up your team to handle the growing chaos at work, use Indeed Sponsored Jobs. It gives your job post the boost it needs to be seen and helps reach people with the right skills, certifications, and more. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes.

[00:06:12] Listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com slash podcast. That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Good sleep is everything. That's why Oli's science back support is made with a blend of melatonin and L-theanine for both kiddos and grownups. So when your mind won't switch off, you've got something that can help. Erasing thoughts and restless nights won't stand a chance.

[00:06:40] Find Oli's sleep solutions for the whole family at Oli.com. That's Olly dot com. And thank you so much to Michelle. She created Making Sense of Sense to keep track of her financial progress, help readers improve their finances, and help her own personal finances as well. One example, due to this, she was able to pay off $38,000 in student loans in seven months. And like many of the authors on our shows, she went from being in debt to financially free.

[00:07:10] Okay, that is going to do it for this edition. Hope you enjoyed it and that you're having a great day. And I will be back here with you tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits. Thank you.