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Workaholism - Am I in Danger?

June 21, 1999

A leader has the ability to balance work and personal life.  Many of us get caught up in our careers, causing us to neglect our personal life. 

"To see if you are falling into the workaholsim trap, ask yourself these questions:
1. Does my personal identity and value as a person focus primarily on my job, career, job title, and professional or work expertise?  Do I typically talk about my work, even at parties?
2. Do I challenge myself with accomplishing more than those around me and enjoy keeping a very full schedule, frequently working more than twelve hours a day?
3. Do I typically set unusually high work goals for myself and others, make extra-long to-do lists, and pride myself on being more productive than most people, focusing primarily on work?
4. Do I frequently bring work home, hoping to get a few steps ahead on my impossible work schedule by working after dinner, before bed, and in spurts all through the weekend?
5. Do I take a stack of work on vacation and find that I am frequently working while my family or friends are enjoying relaxation and recreational activities?
6. Do I frequently take work home that doesn't get looked at because I am just too exhausted to deal with it?
7. Do I find myself forgoing fun because I have brought work home and am afraid that if I get too involved in play, I won't get back to my work?
8. Do I find myself thinking wistfully of things I would like to enjoy but that take long periods of time, such as making a quilt, sailing, putting in a large garden, learning to play the piano, building model airplanes, learning golf or tennis, making wine, reading War and Peace, or going to the Olympics?  Do I just think about them and not do them?
9. Do I feel anxious when I let a weekend go by without accomplishing anything?
10. Am I critical of my children, spouse, work colleagues, or friends who have a lot of fun in nonproductive activities?  (They spend large blocks of time with 'nothing to show for it.')

If you answered yes to many of these questions, you are probably tending toward workaholism and may be a candidate for burnout  (McGee-Cooper, 1994, p.204)."

Reference:  McGee-Cooper, A. (1994).  Time management for unmanageable people.  New York: Bantam Books

* Time Management for Unmanageable People is available on loan at the OSU Leadership Center.  A listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~leaders

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Created: 2009-01-06, Updated: 2009-01-18