4 RED FLAGS YOU’RE WORKING TOO MUCH

 In today's fast-paced and demanding work culture, it's easy to find ourselves caught up in the pursuit of success, often at the cost of our well-being. While hard work is important, there comes a point where working too much can have detrimental effects on our physical and mental health. Recognizing the signs that we're pushing ourselves too hard is crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. In this article, we will discuss four red flags that indicate you may be working too much and provide insights on how to address them.

 You can’t log out: Vacation days exist for a reason: so you can take a vacation. If you are stressing about an impending deadline while lounging on the beach or trying to fit in a work call from the ski slopes, you might have a problem.

Try this: When you leave the office, try to turn off all work devices; keep them away somewhere safe and inaccessible. Some experts even suggest limiting your email checks to three times a day, max: once when you first arrive in the office, once after lunch, and one more time before you leave. Becoming too preoccupied with work will make you forget to be in the present moment.

You don’t take care of your body: Constantly feeling ill? You might be working too much. Research shows that workaholics are at higher risk for a number of physical and psychological disorders, including heart attacks, depression, anxiety and trouble sleeping.

Try this: make an appointment with a therapist, move your body and take care of your diet.

Your feelings of self-worth are completely tied to your work success:  It’s okay to celebrate your wins in the workplace, but depending on them for your happiness is a problem.

Try this: It’s important to find things outside of work that make you feel successful too, like a recreational softball league or a weekly book club.

 Your productivity is stalling: If you’ve increased your hours without significant results, the longer hours are probably decreasing your productivity. A Stanford research paper found that people who worked 70 hours per week didn’t actually get more work done than their peers who worked 56 hours. We’re not wired to be productive every minute of every day

Try this: Make a to-do list to avoid getting overwhelmed, avoid addressing everything at once. Multitasking might actually make you get less done. Instead, try to achieve at least 3 priorities per day.

XO, Natalia