Career Overdose

Is your office #1 on your speed dial? Do you fall asleep at night reading material for your work, or stay awake at night planning your day at work tomorrow? Have you forgotten what it’s like to eat a meal outside your office? Do you know your colleagues, clients, or suppliers better than you know your own friends or family? If so, you could be heading for a ‘career overdose’.

If you’re on a roll at work and are enjoying the successes of all your time and efforts then great!…But remember there is such a thing as ‘too much of a good thing’.

If your addicted to the rush you get from progress in your career, you may like to sit back and consider whether your addiction could actually be damaging your health in the long-run.

As recent surveys have shown, New Zealanders working hours are second only to Japan’s (the country where ‘karoshi’ or ‘death by overwork’ is a very real phenomenon).

We pride ourselves in our ‘work hard – play hard’ image, which lures many people to our country in search of the elusive ‘lifestyle’ we have to offer, only to have them find that for many of us it is all work and no play.

The bigger the role work plays in your life, the more dependent you are on it going smoothly in order to maintain your sense of self-worth and fulfilment.

If you have a full, happy life outside work with a good range of interests and friends you may experience any setbacks in your work-life as irritating but, in the bigger scheme of things – relatively minor. If work is your life, you may experience the same setbacks as catastrophic. Work-life balance is more than just an idealist concept – it’s a necessity.

Unfortunately, it appears that many of us may be working harder, not smarter. To avoid career overdose and allow the time necessary for all-important work-life balance we need to direct our focus to more effective (yet somewhat flexible) time-management.

Finding things to eliminate from an overly busy schedule can help you not only reduce stress, but provide you with more time for yourself and more energy to put into your remaining commitments. Look closely and objectively at your work and personal life and ask yourself, "Is this a true obligation for me? How much do I need (& want) to do this?

How important is doing this to me/to someone I care about?" For many people, the most difficult thing about creating balance between work and home life is the ability to say NO. Practice saying NO in various ways, “No, I have other plans for that night”, "No, I have enough on my plate at the moment, I wouldn’t be able to give the project the attention it needs”. Say it without guilt.

Life is too short to live based on other people's agendas. This is your life, based on your priorities.

You may even like to create your own ‘Workaholics Anonymous’ support group of friends with one strict rule – no talking about work! Make time to ‘play hard’!

For more information about Career Analysts careerMAKEOVER coaching programmes contact anne@careeranalysts.co.nz, or phone (09) 356 9758. For a D.I.Y CareerMakover, try our online career assessment centre at www.careeranalysts.co.nz !!! (Through the ‘Career Centre’ link on our homepage)