Starting a new job? 3 steps to avoiding your workaholic ways

New job – new you. That’s what you told yourself when you handed in your notice. In your last job, you were a self-confessed workaholic. You had a tendency to work every hour under the sun to the point where you eventually burnt out –it’s one of the reasons you left!

You spent so much time staying at your desk until gone dinnertime and responding to your emails at home all weekend, that your work-life balance really took a hit. And as enthused as you are about starting your new job – you really don’t want to fall into the same workaholic trap. Yet you know that with the added pressure to get up to speed and prove yourself to be the right person for the job, there is a high risk this could happen. So how can you avoid your old workaholic ways in your new job?

Being somewhat of a workaholic who has taken on a new, more senior role relatively recently, I understand the pressure that we all put on ourselves to work extra hard during those early days in a role in order to get up to speed. However, if you start off this way in a new job, you’ll find it harder to change this later down the line.

I’ve also come to understand how important a well-managed work-life balance actually is to both our performance and our wellbeing. According to the World Health Organisation, workplace stress can lead to an increase in errors, poor decision-making and planning, and an overall decline in our physical and mental health – which doesn’t surprise me at all. So as we approach World Mental Health Day on 10th October, I think it’s fitting that I share some advice on how to manage your time and achieve a healthy and positive balance across your professional and personal commitments when you start your new role:

1. Pinpoint your productivity pitfalls

As I said, there will be lots to learn the first few weeks, and you may feel inclined to work extra hours in order to get a head start. Instead, try a new approach – making the most effective use of your working hours, so that you no longer feel that it’s necessary to stay late or work on weekends.

This will involve an honest assessment of how you currently manage your time. How do you manage your workload, and what gets in the way of you completing this workload during working hours?

Trying to do everything at once

In your last role, did you find yourself frantically trying to complete everything at once? We’ve all done it – when the emails are pouring in, the meeting invites are piling up and the to-do list is getting longer and longer. However, this is completely counter-productive and can impact the quality of your work.

Instead, map out your to-do list for a working day either first thing in the morning or the day before. Separate each task into high-value and urgent, low-value and urgent, low value and non-urgent – and prioritise accordingly. Don’t start one task until you have completed the last one.

Trying to do everyone else’s work 

How good are your delegation skills? How often do you say no to taking on something that doesn’t actually fall within your job remit? Sometimes a workaholic can end up busying ourselves with trying to take on everyone else’s stuff that they neglect their own priorities. You especially run this risk when starting a new job when you don’t fully understand everyone’s job remit and are eager to please and say yes to everything you’re asked to do.

This isn’t an efficient way of working, and you can’t set this precedent for being a “yes person” so early on. Once you start your new job, clarify everybody’s remit so that you can delegate effectively, know when to say no to something, and focus on your priorities.

Losing track of time

Would you set out to start a task, only to find yourself getting distracted and losing track of time? Make a pact with yourself in your new job to record the time that you begin a task, and give yourself a time you want to have this task finished by. If you go over this time, take note of what holds you up and slows you down so you can be aware of this for next time.

If you can identify the hindrances to your productivity in your previous role, you are better placed to avoid these in your next one.

2. Focus on the value that you can deliver, not how hard you can work

I think that sometimes workaholic tendencies aren’t just related to time-management, but also focusing on how hard you can appear to be working, rather than the value you can bring. This is especially true when you start a new job and are keen to prove yourself as a “worthy hire”.

Before you begin your new job – clarify in your own mind what exact value you are going to bring to the team and the business. Revisit the job description, try to recall what was said in your interview, and reach out to your manager with any questions that you have.

Once you join the company, confirm what your boss is expecting of you in your first few weeks, and how you plan to meet these expectations. I’ve spoken before about the importance of setting yourself SMART goals when you start a new job (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Scaled). This will help you to focus your time on the tasks that are of value to the team, as opposed to trying to do everything at once and running yourself into the ground. 

3. Look after number one from day one

Once you join the company, you may still find yourself getting caught up in the new job whirlwind – so be conscious of that, and try to maintain your work-life balance during those early days so that you can start as you mean to go on. I advise following these tips:

• Set the precedent early on: Make people aware that you aren’t going to be working excessive hours. You don’t have to say this, actions speak louder than words. For example, once you are given your work phone and laptop – don’t switch on at the weekend or late at night and start replying to emails, no matter how much you want to prove your enthusiasm. By all means, turn up to work early – but only so you don’t have to stay at work hours after the day is done
• Keep fit and healthy: They say a healthy body equals a healthy mind, and I couldn’t agree more. Stack your fridge and freezer shelves with nutritious, brain-boosting meals, and commit to regular exercise on certain days in the week or certain times of the day. I found it hard to drag myself to the gym after a long day in my new job when I was feeling tired and demotivated, so I started going in the mornings instead. I’ve found that it’s a great way to start the day and clear the mind so that I feel focused and sharp by the time I get to the office. I would also highly recommend practising mindfulness. There’s not much to it really. It’s a case of taking some deep breaths and focusing on the present moment. Very simple, but very effective for realigning your focus and easing your stress
• Reach out to the people closest to you: be it friends, family, or your spouse. Explain that you're working to achieve a better work-life balance and ask them to keep you in check if they think you’re going back to your old ways. Make sure you also book in some leisure time with them too – be it a spa day or cinema trip at the weekend, or a relaxing meal after work. Sometimes the last thing I want to do after a long day is to go out and socialise, but I always feel a hundred times more relaxed and happy once I do, even if it’s just for an hour
• Get into a healthy routine on your commute: read books, listen to podcasts or pop on your favourite series to help you unwind. I actually look forward to totally disconnecting from work and catching up on my favourite TV shows on the tube home. By the time you arrive home, you're free from distractions and can be fully present for your loved ones

Don’t get me wrong, I have been known to open up my laptop on a Sunday morning or work a little later than usual. However, I do all I can to keep this in check so that I don’t become a workaholic before I realise. Because my performance takes a hit if I’m exhausted, as does my personal wellbeing - and I will go from loving my job – to feeling burnt out by it. I don’t want any of these things to happen, and I’m sure you don’t either. So before you start your new job, make a pact with yourself to avoid your workaholic ways and place more importance on your work-life balance than in the past, because we both know this is the best thing for your personal and professional wellbeing in the long-run.