How To Know When You Care Too Much At Work?
6 ways to know if your job is taking over your life
By: Kemi Alake
I've been there. I experienced a major burn out in the early parts of 2021 because I cared too much. I had gotten a leadership role at a hospitality outlet and I was ready to do my best to make the business successful.
I should have seen the red flags when the owner of the business relocated and left a great deal of the decisions and planning on my shoulders. I remember thinking, “This isn't what I signed up for,” but still I was willing to make it work, to step up and lead the team.
But in the end, I realized that I was operating way above my pay grade, not getting the support we needed, but I was sticking it out all because I cared. I wanted to do good work and sacrificed myself for the cause.
Here is a list of red flags that could mean your work is taking over your life:
1. You're always thinking something would go wrong.
Some say you're an alarmist and you are known to start raising alarms when there is no fire. All you see is the flaws in yourself and other employees and how they don't take their job seriously. You rarely see the fun in working and you're always worried that the task is not being done perfectly. Unless it's a matter of life and death, done is better than perfect.
2. You are finding it impossible to delegate.
Your desire to get things right means you are hoarding tasks that could otherwise be delegated. You don't have patience to share the workload with others and would rather get the job done yourself.
3. You bring work home (outside of your working hours).
You just can't figure out how to leave work at work so you continue working on tasks at home. You clock out physically when you leave the office but mentally you're very much clocked in.
4. Your job is all you talk about with family and friends.
Maybe you were able to squeeze out time for friends outside of work but you don't get or enjoy the full experience because you see your job as a huge part of your identity and it's all you can talk about.
5. You focus more on results and less on the process.
It's all about the bottom line right? You're results driven which is good but do you give yourself room to enjoy the process? You have so much anxiety. The job being done is the most important thing.
6. You don't practice self-care at work.
You've thrown self care out the window. You don’t allow for down time or breaks during your working hours. It's all work and no play. You don't stop to enjoy moments you once used to. You don't eat lunch sitting down, or drink enough water, or go outside during your day because you need to get it all done.
It’s important to remember:
Who you are at work is not your identity. Maybe you love to dance to your favorite bands, are crazy about movies and cars or just love listening to the sea. Maybe your loved ones yearn to see you actually present at lunch or dinner, not just constantly checking your emails and half listening to conversations. You're an amazing person and you deserve to show the world that there's more to you than your job. It is ok to care about doing good work, but not at the expense of yourself.
