• Confessions of a HardCore work-a-holic

    Bad WorkaholicWorkaholism and the internet seem to go hand in hand. Especially for those who love building websites and helping people learn about money.
    ( 1I am the example in this post)
    ( 2That ISN'T a picture of me)

    I thought I would take a moment to talk about a reason why being a hard core workaholic is not all that it's supposed to be.

    Many years ago, as I developed into a workaholic, I worked 7 days a week with the idea that, the more I work, the more I would get done. Being self employed, there is never a shortage of things to do. And, as soon as you complete one project, you're on to the next project.

    Over the years, I have had as many as 15 employees working for me. I thought that with that many employees, they would do the work that I used to do. That was the case, however, I inherited the job of managing the employees, which became... alot of work!

    As I am currently redesigning this site, I've been kind of over doing it at the office. Working on templates, graphics, site designs, database designs. (I should write about the site building aspects of this site.)

    Over doing it means that I have been working excessively based on the logic of getting more done.

    What's been happening lately though is that I am getting burnt out and I am actually getting less work done. I have to rest more often. It's pretty counter-productive relative to trying to get alot of things done.

    Stop and Smell the RosesSTOP AND SMELL THE ROSES
    Today I decided to just take the day off. Taking the day off for me means, working 2 hours and then coming home. I went out and did some yard work, and now I'm writing this article. I'm writing this article in a relaxed format, so it's kind of like taking the day off! :)

    The point I'm trying to make is this... I am learning that after 20 years of hard core workaholism, it's becoming more and more important to stop, take a break, and appreciate things more.

    I used to believe that by working 7 days a week that I would make more and more money. This was the case for me a few years ago, however, the body can only sustain so many years of wear and tear and abuse.

    Working a proper amount of time is good for a person. Over working the mind and body is not a profitable habit in the long term. I've found that rest is a good thing, and that I need to do alot more of it.

    EVERY THING IN MODERATION
    Being that I love what I do, workaholism is very easy to get into. I love working on the internet. I love talking about money and finances. I NEED to do it in greater deal of moderation.

    There are just some things that take a life time to learn. This will probably be one of those life long lessons for me. I hope that other people can learn a lesson from my experience.

    It's good to work hard. It's good to be innovative. It's good to put in stretches of time to get project off the ground.

    It's bad to continuously work 7 days a week, even after you're suffering from burnout etc. (I'm very guilty of this) This is not good for business, and it's not good for developing your personal finances in the long run.

    The Work-a-Holic Takes a Rest
    Now I can rest another hour before getting on to the next thing!! :) I love taking the day off, and plan to do more of it, especially with these beautiful spring days that we're experiencing.


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2 Comments
On May 16, 2007, Monty Loree Said:
Hey Promod,

I agree... the problem with business is that it's either expanding or contracting.

If you're trying to grow your business you've got to keep up with the work, and if you have time, be innovative to stay ahead of the competition.

It's a never ending struggle.
On May 15, 2007, Promod Said:
We know that being any kind of "holic" is bad, Monty. But that doesn't make it easy to change :(

It's easy to get into a downward spiral in which good habits become bad, badder and eventually "badderest". At this point we wake up or sickness makes us take a break.

Deadlines are a big problem. We borrow hours from family, sleep and recreation. When the project is finished, we don't slow down to recuperate because something else demands our attention.