Washington Posts asks: are you are a workaholic, or just a hard worker?

Being focused on your job does not make you a workaholic nor does putting in long hours. Nor, for that matter, does occasionally missing important activities in your life because you are working. Finally, people telling you that your a workaholic doesn't mean that you are one.

So how do you know and why does it matter anyway if you are getting the job done? The answer to the second question is because being a workaholic is a non-sustainable path in life and the work can be being used to mask other psychological problems that need to be dealt with. Just as it is important for people to know if they are an alcoholic, the same goes for workaholics.

As for the first question, how do you know if you are a workaholic, there is a simple test (created by an organization called Workaholics Anonymous no less) of twenty simple questions to help give you a better look at your situation. There is also an entire cottage industry of professionals including career coaches, life coaches, psychologists and other medical professionals trained to understand where you are and how to help you. Start with a self-assessment of whether you have a problem and whether the proper step is simply for you to back off a bit and delegate or whether you have a more serious psychological problem requiring third party assistance.

Here is a link to the workaholic's test as well as a description of the five traits of workaholics; do these fit you?

The Washington Post story (external link) has the following suggestions for people having work-life balance issues:

1. Do the workaholics test linked above to help shed light on your issue.
2. Determine whether your over-attention to work is temporary or rooted in who you are. Be very careful not to self-delude yourself on this answer.
3. Assess your relationships with family and friends. Are all of your friends so-called "work" friends? Do non-work friends complain that you have no time for them? With regard to family, are you impatient with them because you have so much work to do? Do you miss important family events?

The Post article then suggests some measures you can take to restore balance to your life.

1. Slow down.
2. Set boundaries. Start small, for example by shutting off your BlackBerry for half an hour while you eat dinner and then building up.
3. Find a hobby.
4. Get professional help. ("Workaholism is a symptom that sometimes stems from depression, stress and anxiety, compulsive personality, perfectionism, self-esteem and insecurity issues, marital problems and other things that throw you out of whack. If that's the case, a therapist can help you develop strategies for managing your problem.")
5. Consider a new line of work if that is what it is going to take to break the cycle.

With regard to this last point, if you are considering a career change, we suggest you reference LifeTwo's Midlife Career Change FAQ.

Finally, use this period of self-assessment on your work-life balance to address all of the areas in your life that you want to improve. Are you happy with your health, your diet, or the amount of exercise you get? Consider using this trigger to set yourself on a path of overall life self-improvement.

External tags: workaholic