Work is the primary method of making a living. When work becomes your culture, your lifestyle, it is time to re-evaluate that standard of living. Here are a few signs that it is time for a workaholic to go home, and re-connect with life.

Fatigue

Nothing you read or write makes sense. Your eyes are crossed, and the room is slightly spinning. You are fatigued. Nothing of any good will come out of what you are doing. Go home.

When you wake up at 11:00 pm and are still at your work desk, do not consider it a power nap. It is time to go home.

Lately, your health hasn't been what it used to be. You catch colds more often; your weight has changed significantly; your joints and muscles ache all the time; you have headaches when that was never a problem. Guess what? You are working your body too much, not giving it a chance to recuperate. Decrease your work hours!

Fear

When you are working to keep up with your deadlines, when you are afraid of being demoted or transferred to an undesirable position, you need to go home and figure out how to change your work situation. Do you need help? Are you not delegating enough of your team assignments?

If you believe you are working as hard as you can, but do not feel you are making progress, maybe you need to learn how to work smarter instead of harder.

If you are working above and beyond everyone else because your boss is a bear, it is time to go home and work on your resume. It doesn't matter if you are well paid. For some bosses, it is considered combat pay. No job is worth putting up with a critical, negative, never-is-satisfied, verbally abusive boss.

Obsession

When you see work everywhere you go, even at the beach, it's time to pull back on your work hours. Your ability to be rational and reasonable is in jeopardy.

When you realize your friends don't bother to call you anymore, or tell you about events going on around town, it's time to go home so you can get some of those calls.

When your family no longer includes you in their activities, assuming you will not take the time off to participate, you are in a critical mass of separation. It is time to save your marriage, relationship with your children, your friends, and others who used to be part of your inner circle.

Best Reason to Go Home

The most critical time to go home is when you decide there is no reason to go home. You live alone; you have a spouse you don't care to see; your children are teenagers and seem to have their own life. You don't think it matters whether you go home or not. You are most happy when you are at work.

If you are working to avoid a home that has no more meaning to you, you are living in denial. Work has replaced what used to be a well balance life. It is now your crutch, your safety net. You need to acknowledge that you are not just a workaholic; you are in desperate need of perspective.

Just as you do an annual employee evaluation, you need to do a personal evaluation. Are you getting the most out of your personal life, and if not, why? What can or should you change? If you died tomorrow, your boss will go to your funeral, and then hire your replacement. Think about it; then prepare an agenda to shift your life back into balance.

Learn more about this author, Carolyn Gibson Cpm.
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