Don't Become a Workaholic, It's Not Worth It

When people think about entrepreneurs, they immediately think of long hours and therefore conclude that they must be workaholics. I suppose it all depends on how you define workaholic. I work 45 hours a week at work and probably another 30-40 on SportsLizard.com. Does that automatically make me a workaholic? I don't think so.

Despite my 80 hour work weeks, I still manage to do the things that are important to me and to my health. I always take time to stay in touch with friends and family, no matter how busy I am. I always make time to work out three times a week. I always eat 5-6 healthy meals a day to keep myself in top shape physically and mentally. And I always sleep 7 or 8 hours. If I stopped doing these things, THEN I would consider myself a workaholic. As long as I am keeping my priorities straight in life, I don't see anything detrimental in working so many hours. I am, after all, doing something I love. I experience some stress, but I still think I am more stress free than many friends of mine that work the "normal" 40 hours. I think that there is more to being a "workaholic" than the number of hours you work.

All of that said, today I encountered a dangerous workaholic at work. A co-worker of mine was looking a little sick so someone asked him if he was feeling OK. He responded by telling us he hadn't gone home last night. We thought he was joking. He wasn't. He worked all day yesterday, went home for dinner for two hours, worked all night, and was still there when I left today at 5! One of my co-workers pulled him aside and showed him photos of a car wreck that he had been in years ago because he fell asleep at the wheel after a similar all nighter.

I was shocked. This guy has been with the company for around 10 years, so I don't think he was trying to impress anyone. He said he had a deadline, but in our industry, deadlines are missed all the time. It's not a matter of life or death if something gets out a day or two late. The co-worker of mine has a wife and kids at home. He is risking his health and potentially the health and lives of others when he finally steps in the car to go home (for all I know, he is still at work).

And for what? To meet a deadline for work. No amount of money is worth doing what he did. Please, please, don't ever do this. Remember the things that are important to you and if you see your work-life balance slipping, it's time to take a step back and question yourself. You can be successful without risking your life.