Update: 11:23AM ADDICTION is a vice that has played out over the centuries as humans struggle to stay in control.
These days, with our need to put labels on everything, we have seen addiction emerge as one of the greatest generational challenges we face.
There are drug addictions, alcohol addictions and gambling addictions. We have sex addicts, technology addicts and gaming addicts. And then we have work addicts.
So how do we become addicted to work?
In this article, self-confessed work addict Stuart Denman shares his experience.
For starters, I believe the term ‘work addict’ is actually misleading most people in this category are actually in control of their choices, whereas with a genuine addiction you are not.
In many cases so-called work addicts choose to work the hours they do.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not a problem I have seen habitual overwork cause rifts in families and relationships, just as I’ve seen drug and gambling addictions destroy many lives and tear families apart.
I know how hard it can be to balance a healthy work and life schedule with the demands placed on us in today’s world. I have been an employee as well as a business owner and seen the expectations of others (our bosses) and the expectations of ourselves (the business owner) to make deadlines, sales or business growth.
There is saying, ‘What we focus on is what we get.’ This is why we get stuck in a loop of unsustainable life. If we focus 100 per cent on our work or business, we are doing so to the detriment of everything else including our health, friends, family and relationships.
When you become disconnected from your family and relationship, the stress starts to seep into every fibre of your being.
There will come a time when something really gives you a wake-up call, whether its a health scare or your partner leaving.
Before that happens, here are five ways for you to reconnect back into your life:
Just stop
Take stock of what you are currently doing and ask yourself what it will cost you if you continue going as you are. This is often the quickest way to realise that working 24/7 at the expense of your true happiness will quickly send you to your grave.
Is your health starting to suffer? How are you sleeping and how are your relationships? When was the last time you called you mum? Just stop and take a minute to answer these questions. The answers might surprise you.
Give yourself a start and finish time
I hear many small business owners say that they have to be available 24/7 to grow their business. I totally disagree with this and have seen the effects of trying to be available without exceptions for your clients or customers.
Not only do you condition them to expect you to be at their beck and call, you are showing your loved ones that your work matters more than they do. You need to ask yourself, ‘What is my behaviour telling my family about themselves?’
Communicate
Start talking to people about the struggles that you might be having and the feelings that keep coming up when you are working the way you are. You might get some great ideas on how you can outsource certain aspects of your business to free up more of your time.
Make sure that your partner knows why you are working the way you are and if it is only for a short-term goal, let them know when things might get back to normal.
Take a day off
You must take some time off for yourself even in the busiest of times for your sanity and for your effectiveness. Our brains need to have some variety between activities and work at their optimal when they have a chance to rest and focus on a social or fun activity.
Start small. Book a game of golf or invite a friend out to lunch. Even better still, take your partner out on a surprise trip to a movie or a show.
Remember your why
Think back to the exciting future you envisioned when you and your partner talked about your big plans. Sure, owning a business does take sacrifices and working hard, but if you are working yourself into the ground one of two things will happen.
You will either burn out or become resentful of what you are doing. It might not happen for a few years but success isn’t an overnight thing. You can have your cake and eat it too. You just need to widen your focus.
Stuart Denman is founder of Ultimate Business Edge
