Workaholic Test
My mind is always occupied with thoughts about my job.
Not being at work makes me feel uneasy and worried.
Work responsibilities often cause me to postpone dealing with personal matters.
I can't stop thinking about reaching my professional targets and accomplishments.
There's a powerful drive inside me that pushes me to work intensely.
I invest more attention, hours, and effort into my career than into my connections with friends and family.
Planning time off for myself is something I struggle with.
I regularly have trouble sleeping because my job is on my mind.
Guilt creeps in whenever I'm not being productive at work.
My life maintains a healthy mix of career, personal interests, and social connections.
I often multitask, like having lunch while drafting notes and taking phone calls simultaneously.
I feel like I'm dependent on my work, almost as if it's an addiction.
Others might say I come across as rushed and lacking patience.
I dedicate more hours to my job than to hanging out with friends, pursuing hobbies, or relaxing.
I see my job mainly as a source of income, doing just enough to earn money and have fun outside work.
I get easily frustrated and angry when workplace situations don't unfold as I'd hoped.
When I'm not working, I tend to feel unengaged and antsy.
I believe it's crucial to put in strong effort at work, even if the tasks aren't enjoyable.
I sometimes overlook or downplay important dates like birthdays, family gatherings, anniversaries, or holidays.
I can easily disconnect from work when I get home and just unwind.
20 questions remaining
Things to Know
- Workaholism is the constant need to work at all costs, even if it hurts your health, happiness, and relationships. It is a common term, not a diagnosis in the DSM-5.
- Fear of failing and needing approval from others often make people workaholic. Instead of doing high-value work, workaholics keep themselves busy just for the sake of being busy. They often do low-impact tasks just to feel like they're getting things done.
- Being a workaholic is bad for your health, happiness, and relationships. For instance, studies show that being a workaholic can make you anxious and depressed.
- Ironically, the need to work can also hurt productivity. It makes people tired, mentally drained, emotionally unstable, and unable to make good decisions, which leads to poor work.
- It can be hard to tell the difference between people who do a lot of work and people who are very good at it. High achievers are motivated by purpose and mastery. They take a strategic approach, putting deep, focused effort ahead of being busy all the time. They don't count hours worked as success; they count impact. They also take breaks to keep up their high standards.
- The answer to getting out of the cycle of overworking isn't to give up on your goals; it's to change how you work so that you can do well without hurting your health.
Change
Change the way you reward yourself. Set goals that aren't related to work, do creative things, and change your focus from results to the process.
Don't let your fear control you. When you have automatic thoughts, ask yourself questions like "What's the real risk of taking a break?"
Get therapy. A mental health professional can help you change how you feel about work and break bad habits.
