Career Journal had a recent article where they laid out five signals that might indicate that you are a workaholic. 
- Preoccupation with work.
- Discomfort in delegating.
- Neglect other aspects of their life.
- Merge other parts of their lives into work.
- ‘Sneaking’ work.
Corina Angel-Dzubiel of the Cairns (AU) Community Newspapers examines whether you might be a workaholic, and how to find some balance if you are.
Here’s her tips for refocusing and getting the most out of life:
EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP! Make it a point to get at least eight hours of sleep and plenty of rest. While food has substitutes in the form of natural medicines or artificial foods, there are no substitutes for sleep and rest. Don’t believe that you can always “catch some sleep or rest later.” Your body cannot make up for lost sleep or rest time because it is not physiologically possible.
STRICTLY FAMILY ON WEEKENDS! Resolve to make Saturdays and Sundays strictly for family time. And stick to this! Mondays until Fridays you make an excuse not to relax and spend time with your family because it’s work time, why not make a similar excuse for Saturdays and Sundays? “I can’t work today because I’m spending time with my family.”
GET SOME FOOD IN! Make sure you get food in your stomach. Workaholics are known to be food-skippers. If you can’t afford to get off your desk or from doing paperwork, have food delivered to you. It’s always a good idea if you have crackers on your drawer to ease the hunger pangs.
CONFINE WORK! Resolve to confine work in your office. Don’t bring work to your home! Keep those files in your office desk where they belong. If you work from home, keep your work stuff in the confines of your home office. Keep them there until the next day when you start work. Practice working only within your working hours. If you have an eight-to-five working schedule, stick to it.
WORK UP THOSE MUSCLES! Exercise, exercise, exercise! Set aside at least an hour each day or every other day for exercise. You body needs to be conditioned, and working non-stop isn’t going to give it the proper physical conditioning it needs. Since most workaholics tend to have their behinds stuck on their chairs, it’s even more important that you get some exercise.
MAKE A PLAN! Plan your day. Work on only one or two things at a time. It’s much easier to work on something and finish it first and then move on to the next rather than do a number of things all at the same time and never finish or accomplish anything at the end of the day. Make out a list of priorities. Write down things that need to be worked on immediately or are urgent, keeping the least ones at the bottom of your list. After you’ve done this, be guided by this list. Turning this activity into a habit will also help you manage your time better, be more organized, and accomplish more.
WORK TO LIVE! Always keep in mind that you work so you can live and have a comfortable life. Always remember that you don’t live to work. Working is just one of the many useful and fruitful activities you do that enables you to live a good life and give your family (or any of your dependants) their needs. Learn to love life…
