12 Signs Youre A Workaholic

12 Signs Youre A Workaholic 12 Signs Youre A WorkaholicPosted October 13, 2011, by Andrea Riddell People call you a workaholic, but you just see yourself as a dedicated and focused worker. Nonetheless its a fine line between being a model employee and being an ergomaniac (someone with an excessive devotion to work, often as a symptom of a mental disorder). However, diagnosing yourself as a work addict can be just as hard as changing your ways. The only known cure? A long holiday so you can re-evaluate of your priorities Here are 12 signs to snap you out of denial and make you think about getting a little more balance in your life. 1. You start having dreams about work and work-related subjects When your head finally hits the pillow at night your dreams are haunted by spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. Even when youre unconscious, your brain is working overtime to figure out how to save 10 per cent on this years budget. While its great that your mind is on the money and youre extremely focused about your work, it is highly unlikely that you will come up with a resolution for the paper jam in the printer during shut-eye. 2. You get excited about new stationery You find great pleasure in refilling the ink in your fountain pen, and using the brde Post-it note gives you satisfaction. The last time you went shopping you bought an ergonomic swivel chair for your office. Meanwhile, your fridge is bare and youre out of toilet paper. While this could be more a sign that you are, in fact, crazy and just love stationery as opposed to being a workaholic, you are still treading in dangerous waters. It is advised that you get out now while you still can. 3. You have to pencil in time with the kids You have to make a concerted effort to ensure youre home in time to have dinner with the family. You also think its fine to hold conference calls during your sons soccer match. When you first decided to have children you didnt realise just how much work time they would actua lly chew up. In order to make a conscious effort to be a better parent you have started to set aside home time in your filofax but in pencil so you can always rub it out and reschedule if you need to. 4. You still think your daughter is in her third year at school when in fact shes about to start high school This point could possibly be connected to point number three above. Somewhere between the company merger and today your daughter aged four years and someone forgot to send you the memo. The latest photo in your wallet proclaims that shes a toothless toddler and that was only taken a few years ago, right? And you swear it was only yesterday that your progress on the Cooper account was interrupted because you had to take time off work for her first day at school. 5. You dont know how to delegate In your eyes, a job well done can only be done by you. Why risk someone else spoiling those important files when you could just do all the work yourself? Of course, doing the jobs of the whole kollektiv means you need to come into work on Saturday, and probably Sunday 6. The outline of your smartphone is indented on the side of your face Whenever a phone on the television rings, you instinctively reach for your phone. But, its already glued to the side of your face. How else are you meant to keep up-to-date with all your messages and projects? The keypad imprint on your cheek, the RSI in your thumbs and your jaw realignment surgery are small prices to pay to stay on top of the game. Whether youre calling, emailing, texting or talking, your smartphone has become another appendage one that you deem more important than an arm or a leg. 7. You set your alarm at 3am to check your emails (just in case) Despite the time differences between countries, you want to prove to your clients that youre available whenever they need you and this means waking up in the middle of the night. Luckily, you sleep with your smartphone under your pillow so any vibrations signifying new ema ils wake you from your slumber anyway. And you never know when you might have to email your boss about a new proposal. Some of your best ideas come at night (see point number one). 8. You eat lunch at your desk everyday so you can continue working An hour spent eating lunch and twiddling your thumbs could easily be spent organising the accounts. If you do eat lunch rarely, though, as you dont want to get smudges on the files its out with a client for a geschftlicher umgang lunch where youre working your magic anyway. Besides, you dont run on food, you run on success. 9. Youre in the office before the cleaners have arrived To be perfectly honest, you never left the office last night. With deadlines looming, sleep is just a waste of precious time. Last night you managed to finalise two major deals for the company and drafted four proposals for important clients while the world was sleeping. And all you needed was good lighting and a strong pot of coffee. By the time the rest of the stragglers arrived at the office you were prepping yourself for the conference at 9 am. According to you, whoever came up with the eight-hour workday was just plain lazy. Think how much work would get done if people were more like you 10. Hobby? What hobby? When youre not at work, youre working from home. There simply arent enough hours in the day to read, knit, or build models of airplanes as well. The last time you saw a movie it was The Godfather in 1972 because you heard it was about a successful family-run business. And you ended up taking an important business call in the middle of it. 11. Public holidays make you grumpy Except for the time you had to have your jaw realigned, you have never missed a day of work. Sick leave and holiday leave are for weak, unfocused people and public holidays mean you miss out on your favourite day of the week Monday. It also means that you need to catch up on three whole days of unanswered emails and reports, a task that throws your Tuesday sc hedule out of whack. You realise its a great occasion to spend quality time with the family, but you just dont find them as interesting as quarterly financial reports. 12. All you talk about to your friends is work. Does the cat count as a friend? You consider your boss to be your friend. And Jenny on the front desk smiles at you every time you walk in the office. So you dont have a lot of friends outside the workplace all your old friends seem to have drifted away for some reason. Besides, you feel more at home with your computer than in the company of other humans. Does this sound like you? Cure your addiction and reclaim your social life with our tips on work/life balance ResourcesMy first resumeCover letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?Human Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice AdministratorPopular Career Searcheshow to ace your next interviewhow to solve bullying at workp laceretail cv skillstop answers to job interview questionscareers in media and communications CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire OnlineAndrea RiddellRelated ArticlesBrowse moreBossBusinessThe Pros & Cons of Being Your Own BossThere are two sides to being a business owner and working for yourself can have its fair share of perks and downers. 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