How To Stop Being A Workaholic | 7 Great Tips

How to know if you are a workaholic

What does it mean to be a workaholic? Someone who dedicates excessive amounts of time to work, even if at the expense of their own free time, can be considered a workaholic. Workaholics may have difficulty taking breaks and/or vacations and might struggle to be away from work. For example, someone may not be scheduled to work but may still constantly check their work email and try to keep up-to-date with work matters.

If you find yourself doing work or thinking about it far too often, you are probably a workaholic. If you let an obsession with work affect your ability to find or enjoy free time then there’s a good chance you’re a workaholic, as well.

How to stop being a workaholic

If you feel you are a workaholic it is important to find ways to deal with this. It is paramount that you have a work-life balance because this is associated with an improved quality of life. Never allow work to take away time from the things that should matter more.

There are many things you can do if you are a workaholic but always remember that some professions might require more commitment. For this reason, it is important to take these tips with a grain of salt. If, for example, you are a surgeon that needs to be available at all times, it is not a good (or ethical) idea to ignore work after hours. The point here is to find what is appropriate for your situation and apply these tips as you see fit. Here are some things to do if you are a workaholic.

1. Schedule your time properly

When is your scheduled shift? If it is, for example, 9-5 then that is when you schedule work into your day. If you don’t have a reason to be working at 6PM then schedule something else in that time. 7PM? Schedule something else. When you’ve dedicated a fair amount of time to work you should assure you’ve allocated a fair amount to your own leisure as well. Stick to your schedule and don’t try to fit anything work-related into your free time. Dinner time is only dinner time. Family movie time is only family move time. The list goes on.

2. Don’t think about work in your free time

When the impulse to do work pops up in your head it may be tempting to cave into it and just start working. It can start off as an unwanted thought and spiral out of control. First off, you need to avoid thinking about work in your free time. However, if you feel like the thoughts are out of your control (after all thoughts can just pop up in your mind seemingly out of nowhere) then you need to try your best to not acknowledge them. Let them come and go without taking action. Don’t try to forbid yourself from thinking about work but you don’t need to cave into your thoughts if they do arise.

3. Avoid checking work emails, texts, etc.

If you check your work communication constantly you are putting yourself at risk of finding a task you need to do. It’s understandable that in some jobs you will likely need to stay connected. If that’s the case you can try to find other ways to balance your work and life. However, if you don’t need to stay connected to your employer after hours then simply do not.

Consider changing your phone settings to not allow work-related notifications. Do not check any work system if you are on your free time. You should not be looking for work if you are trying to stop being a workaholic. Restrain yourself and keep the distance between yourself and work-related technology.

4. Do something fun

If you struggle to avoid thinking about work then doing something fun could very well help you distract yourself. It’s hard to want to be working if you genuinely enjoy your time. When you occupy yourself with something that feels good it will be harder for you to want to work. Do anything you enjoy. It can be exercise, a trip to somewhere you like (even if close by), watching some videos online, etc.

5. Set boundaries (stop yourself from doing something you shouldn’t do)

In order to establish a clear line between work and life, work and overworking, you should set boundaries. Make it clear to yourself how much work you think is too much. Make the amount of time you want to dedicate to work clear and make anything over that excessive. If you absolutely need to and you feel it is okay to do so, you can try communicating this with your employer. Generally, however, simply setting boundaries for yourself and being firm in sticking to them should be sufficient.

6. Stay around people you love

Why would you want to be working if you are around people who you care for? People we like being around can be surprisingly distracting (in a favorable sense of the word). Get lost in a conversation or do something fun with someone who you enjoy being around. Do this to get your mind off work and find entertainment and enrichment in something other than just going through job responsibilities.

7. Take time off

Being a workaholic doesn’t always mean that you work after hours, it can also mean you struggle with taking time off work. Always stay on top of and use any vacation time you may have. Try to take mental health days once in a while. Resting is important not just for your own leisure but also so you can assure you are well rested and able to tackle your work. If you need to, set reminders and pick days of the year or month you might take off so you have something to look forward to.