You are more than your job

Is your job consuming you right now but you feel that you don't want to dial down the effort levels? Think about if for a minute.

?Let's be real, work anxiety, especially in the US with so many people filing for unemployment in recent months - is totally understandable.

?Whether unconsciously or consciously, if you fear being perceived as disposable, there's a chance you might be overworking.

Overworkers will push themselves to the max because they believe they're the only ones capable of doing their job, and sometimes think they're too precious to the company to take time off.

Your life matters more than your job. Overworking isn't good for your health, your relationships, or your paycheck.

If you think you might have fallen into the trap of overwork, here's 5 top tips to get out of this bad habit.

1. Don't pressure yourself to be constantly available

Results will always trump activity. No one will award you any prizes for pushing 60+ hour weeks. You are not leveling up your career - you're hurting yourself by setting high expectations of your availability. Putting in all that time is probably making coworkers feel anxious about their own contributions, so you're potentially making others feel bad too.

?Don't believe that virtual working requires more presence either - it's always going to be what you put into the hours, not what hours you put in.

If you are feeling trapped in a pattern of making yourself available on weekends, at night, and during public holidays, take a step back and STOP!

Don’t believe that you can somehow ‘outrun’ overworking. You can’t. The thing that causes burnout is not the thing that will get you out of it!

?2. Prioritize

Make sure you are clear on your bosses and your organization's priorities and anchor your work with that list. Time spent working on the most essential items will be recognized more than going down the rabbit hole on projects that don't add value. I highly recommend Microsoft Planner, which makes it possible to plan tasks and handle small projects without complex planning effort and stay focused.

?If your company doesn't have Office 365 you might like ToDoIst. This little app can help anyone get more organized.

People are using deep reserves to cope with priorities in the virtual/locked-down world. But if you are mining those deep energies that took a long time to develop, you will be scraping deeper into the bottom of the barrel. Prioritizing will help you retain those important resources.

3. Reduce Stress

Do you feel more stressed out than your coworkers? An Overworker will typically sacrifice their own needs for the job, resulting in high levels of work stress contributing to poor health, poor decision-making and eventual burnout.

Exercise releases happy chemicals in our bodies, and is a great stress buster, so make it an unbreakable habit. Back when we had offices, I loved to take a power walk meeting with a coworker or even a candidate interview, showing them around our floors and agencies. Nowadays, I can't do that, and so I'd recommend taking advantage of Zoom for a quick burst of collaborative yoga.

Another great way to reduce work stress includes picking up hobbies—such as meditation, learning another language, or learning to code, to provide a positive interest that you can direct energy towards.

Work out the ‘good places’ where you can draw strength. It might be something as simple as taking regular time out for meals with your family. It need not be complicated, and it should be consciously planned.

4. Learn to ask for help

Some people are doing the job of two or even three people. But there are no prizes dished out for heroics. If you've been overworking, you may believe you are the only person at the company who can do the job well. Do you delegate brilliantly, or do you have trust issues?

Take a deep breath, and ask a coworker,: "Hey, can you please help me with X?"

?When confronted with A-types who I suspect may be Overworkers, a favorite interview question of mine, is "How do you know when to ask for help?" An Overworker will be eas easy to spot as they struggle to come up with a genuine answer for this question - because they never do it!

Many people love to provide help and collaborate on goals. It's in their DNA. No one will think badly of you for asking them for support. In today's world, business priorities shift all the time. Asking your boss for help prioritizing will make them feel comfortable that you have their agenda in mind.

And take help when it's given by your employer too. Last week at GroupM's Mindshare was wellness week all around the world - the program featured Plants101, Guided Meditation and Cooking Classes.

?5. Use your vacation days

I was on a call this morning and heard “Raise a hand if you have made plans for summer vacation”. Only two hands (out of twelve) went up!

Do you believe by sacrificing vacation time you will get further in your career??

?In the terrifying Project: Time Off study, they discovered that people are using less and less of their paid leave. However, those making this sacrifice were not found to be earning as much money as coworkers who took their vacation time, work normal business hours and create good boundaries.

?To make sure I don't fall into the trap of leaving my holiday allowance fall by the wayside, I set a reminder every quarter in my calendar with the # of unused days and set aside time to plan time out, and since Covid-19, I take off every third Friday. The company has so far stayed in business despite me not being there.

If all your efforts to relieve yourself of the overwork syndrome fall short, it's maybe time to look for a new gig. Could you use some assistance doing that? Why not get some career advice from one of our GroupM recruiters, or go to our career site at Groupm.com/talent and set up a job alert, so new opportunities get sent directly to your inbox.

Please don't work too hard! You are more than your job!