Do You Work Too Much?
*”Work aholic – One who has a compulsive and unrelenting need to work. A person obsessively addicted to work. A person who works compulsively at the expense of other pursuits.”
I was recently speaking with a client who has been working six days per week this year to meet her revenue goals. She’s done well on the client-facing, income-generating side of her business, but when we looked at her actual time under a microscope for a typical week, it was evident that she is really struggling to set aside any time to take care of herself. ON the plus side, business is great, referrals are rolling in, her reputation and hard work is paying off and are selling her services for her. It’s a great position to be in when your business and services are in high demand… The excitement, courage and hope is there to keep on trucking! But, the negative side is that she’s certainly feeling the pain and weariness of working too much.
When you run your own business, and you make squeezing every last moment out of your waking hours your ‘normal’, it won’t be long before you’re feeling exhausted, wiped out, disconnected and resentful.
Did you know that the word Workaholic did not even exist until the early 1970s? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term first appeared in 1971 in the publication “Confessions of A Workaholic’ by Wayne Oates, professor of psychology of religion, pastoral counselor. For his cross-disciplinary work in the fields of psychiatry, spirituality, and counseling, Oates was recognized as the recipient of the Oskar Pfister Award, by the American Psychiatry Association.
Examine Your Normal
If you’ve chosen to run your own business, consider yourself one of this era’s pioneers, traveling uncharted territory. (Excuse, the metaphorical reference, but it works if you’ll stick with me.) When you are in business for yourself, working around the clock is easier and easier. HOURS can slip by as you stare at your computer screen. Although you may not be saddle-sore, you have different body aches resulting from hovering and hunching over your keyboard. Your eyes get glazed over from screen. If you’re cyber-road weary it’s time to grab the reigns of your business and slow down.
Although difficult, even the pioneers had hard-stops in their days. Daylight limited their work time, and the feeding and care of animals and children set their daily priorities. In addition to survival, their days were metered by biologically-driven needs. Are yours?
Today more than ever before, Mompreneurs need to be the cause of balance in their lives. Balance is not some ethereal thing that will magically happen for you. It’s just too easy to get sucked in and victimized by connectivity. You must learn to create a down beat by which you can not only manage your business and daily living, but one that establishes good, healthy habits that nurture you.
Recognize, Embrace and then Let Go Of Fear
This is easier said than done for most of us, but fear is a driver behind many people’s tendency to overwork. Fears of failing, not supporting yourself financially, and not measuring up usually top the list of drivers for most entrepreneurs. The term ‘Horriblizing’ is a casual way to describe the tendency to let fear generate unrealistic and disastrous outcomes. We all have a tendency to see the glass as half empty when operating from our fear base. If fear is behind your workaholic tendencies, write each one down. Get them out of your subconscious and onto a piece of paper. When you do – take a pulse of where you are currently, and how realistic those fears are. Another very helpful way to deal with fear is using the technique of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). EFT has been credited to helping MANY people clear their subconscious beliefs and move forward through fear quickly and more powerfully.
Establish Your Own Personal Goals & Past-times Separate from Business
The immense responsibilities, endless decisions, projects and tasks that occur when you are in business for yourself are bigger than most new business owners expect. Now, more than ever before, it is important for you to establish clear boundaries, and some set time for yourself, (even if that is only 10 minutes during the day). And, the sooner you start, the better!
You write goals for your business, but have you ever considered balancing productivity and power with the same sized personal goals and past times just for you? If not, create five different goals that focus on the very personal parts of you: Health, Fitness, Leisure, Spirituality and Family Time.
Practice Gratefulness
The Law of Attraction states that it is impossible to feel negative and grateful at the same time. Therefore the BEST and easiest way to let go of negativity in your life is to make gratefulness a daily practice. Whether you get there via meditation, journaling, dance, chanting, or prayer – gratefulness is the SHORTCUT to moving out of negativity toward a much more positive state of being.
Establish Positive Pastimes
Create positive rituals and fill your life with past times that make you feel good. Connect with old friends, take up a hobby, and immerse yourself in artistic expression… Do whatever it takes to NOT focus your time on work.
If you are at a loss when it comes to positive pastimes, look backward. What did you enjoy doing as a kid? Were there certain things you made time for then that you do not do now? Or, look forward! What is on your bucket list? What do you want to do before you leave this body? Write up your Bucket List today and begin moving in that direction.
What suggestions do you have to help fellow workaholic mompreneurs? What has worked for you? What do you struggle with that you can share? What wisdom do you have that can support others?
(Workaholic Definition – American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)
