Episode: 541

Episode Title: The Workaholic Life

Most workaholics work so much because they want to get stuff done—but what if all that work is actually backfiring? Let’s talk about it, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 541 show:

Welcome to a new week on The Perna Syndicate! I’m your host, Mark Perna. In general, Americans are far more likely to work longer hours than the rest of the world. And with the lines blurring more and more between our personal and professional lives, an overworked lifestyle can be all too easy to fall into. 

Overwork is connected to a host of physical, mental, and emotional problems, with burnout leading the pack. So why do we do it? I’d like to think for many people, it’s because we love what we do and want to see our projects succeed. But unfortunately, the biggest reasons for our workaholic culture are, well, cultural. 

People feel guilty taking vacation time. Many stay plugged in during their vacations, feeling the pressure of being indispensable. Others work incredibly long hours to be noticed by the higher-ups. In some organizations, you can’t move up the ranks unless you’re willing to make work your life. 

The irony is that being a workaholic is actually detrimental to long-term success. It backfires because it eventually makes us less productive, not more. To avoid it, we’ve got to make a concerted effort to push back against our workaholic culture. 

For younger workers especially, overworking during their formative career years can create habits that are hard to break. That’s why we need to recognize workaholism for the danger that it is, and set boundaries early on to make sure we don’t fall into that trap. 

This week, we’re going to talk about the workaholic lifestyle and how to make sure it doesn’t happen to you. And if it already has, how you can change. See you tomorrow on the next episode of The Perna Syndicate!