10 Signs You Might Be A WORKAHOLIC

Do you find yourself instinctively checking through work-related emails before going to bed? Have you contemplated finishing up a report while catching up with your friends? Will you pass on a Saturday night out to prepare for a presentation due the following month? 

If you answered yes to the above questions, I have news for you… You might be a WORKAHOLIC! 

Here are 10 telltale signs of one:

1.    You feel tired around the clock.*
 

While your colleagues suffer from hangovers on Monday, you suffer from staying up on Sunday night… replying to e-mails. Everyday feels like Monday to you and despite eating all your vitamins diligently, your eyelids can’t fight the Zzz monster. 

*You can be a better warrior at work if you keep your inbox and phones under control under office hours!

2.     You have never taken sick leave.*
 

While some people pretend to be sick to get off work, you insist on coming to work while running a high fever. You visualise yourself arriving to work like a hero with your nose dripping and head throbbing. 

However, it usually results in you falling asleep or fighting the urge to blow your nose during meetings. Furthermore, more employees fall sick when their sick colleagues choose to show up to work rather than stay home. Doesn’t sound so heroic anymore, does it? 

*Do your colleagues a favour and keep those viruses to yourself!

3.    Even when you do take vacation leave… you end up sneaking in some work anyway.*
 

Your laptop is a must-have on your vacation. Even though it is packed for work emergencies, your fingers can’t help but sneak into your laptop bag to check emails when your family is sound asleep and soon you’re whipping up reports after reports rather than enjoying yourself.  “So how was your vacation?” asked your co-worker.  “What vacation?” You can barely remember the fun you were meant to have. 

*Take the full opportunity of the holiday to recharge and refresh yourself so that you can go back to work and spread those positive holiday energy with your colleagues!

4.    You are the first to reach the office and the last to leave.*

You arrive at work earlier than the cleaning lady. It a common sight to see you hunched over your laptop replying e-mails before working hours. You pride yourself as the one in-charge of locking up the office at the end of every day since you are always the last to leave.   

*Limit yourself to work within your working hours to prevent procrastination and improve productivity.

5.     You accept any work given to you.*
   

You have never missed any meetings or talks no matter how unimportant they are. Even though you might be buried under piles of work, you readily accept new assignments that come your way. Why risk other people messing up important documents when you could be the one doing all the work?

*Learn to say “no” to incoming projects in order to focus better on the ongoing ones!

6.    Lunch break? You mean more time to finish up my work?*

You relish the silence in the office as your colleagues head for lunch and use the opportunity to make important phone calls. If there is time to spare, you head over to the familiar pantry and whip up your favourite- instant meals. 

*Do you know those who take hourly breaks perform better than the ones who keep at it without stopping?

7.    Work is your first priority.*

You constantly think of how you can free up more time to work. You put off dental appointments and cancel your gym membership to make space for meetings. Your social gatherings are ranked based on importance and your friends are used to your absence.  

*Make time for other aspects of life to better gear up for work!

8.    You don’t have any hobbies.*
 

Personal time? No, thank you! Your personal time for hobbies is banished to make space for work time. There simply is no time for you to be frolicking in your hobbies or nonexistent personal time. 

*Join a cycling club and ride all the accumulated stress away!

9.    Your family complains that they are seeing too little of you. *

 You try your very best to spend time with them on the weekends but the lack of sleep during the weekdays drives your body to exhaustion and you end up waking up in the late afternoon,  again. To you, dinner time counts as quality time with the family unless – of course- when you have to answer that business call. 

*Pencil in time to meet your loved ones during weekday lunch breaks. 

10.    You don’t call yourself a workaholic*

 You hate being dubbed as a workaholic and come up with countless excuses to deflect any accusations that people make. You don’t understand why others label you as such when you are merely doing your job.   

*Diagnosing yourself as a workaholic is the first step to achieving work-life balance. 

If these sound familiar to you, stop living in denial and start making positive changes in your life! It’s not about having time-it’s about making time. So set aside some time to spend with your friends and family without being guilty about the undone work.

After all, you’ll never feel truly satisfied by work until you’re satisfied by life.