Articles
Workaholism
"I find myself working 60 or more hours each week. I have no time or energy for anything other than work. I don't see my family, I don't have time for friends or hobbies and I feel completely overwhelmed. I want more time and fulfillment in my life. I would rather divide my time between work, nature, people in my life and travel as opposed to oozing out meager samplings of these between work."
This is a common concern. People are working more hours than ever. They make a good income and are able to afford more material possessions but at the expense of their happiness and satisfaction. As the client above stated, she's unhappy, exhausted and creatively starved. What can be done?
Begin by simplifying your life. Look at all of the things that you tolerate that only serve to limit you and drain your energy. Make a goal to systematically eliminate them all from your life. Make an appointment with yourself this week. Mark it in your calendar and keep it as you would a regular appointment. Look at what you want from your life and what is standing in your way. Look at what unwanted energy drains you need to remove from your life to make this happen. Do you need to pay off credit cards? Do you need to simplify your living situation? Can you incorporate a more flexible schedule so that you can have more time for fulfillment? Can you take a time management or organizing seminar so that you use your time more effectively? Brainstorm and see what comes to mind. Make a plan with concrete action steps with deadlines and follow through.
Get support. Talk to friends and colleagues to see if they are going through the same situation and help each other brainstorm solutions. Enlist the support of a coach to help you set and achieve practical goals and regain balance.
Copyright 2007, Joel Garfinkle, All Rights Reserved.
Joel Garfinkle leads managers and executives to higher levels of professional and personal achievement. Partial client list includes: BofA, HP, GAP, Citigroup, and Eli Lilly. Visit Joel online at Garfinkle Executive Coaching.
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