The Dangers of Overworking

The phrase I’ll sleep when I’m dead has become a popular sentiment for people in the work environment who believe that hard work should trump everything, and I mean everything. The only problem with this is that by continuing to follow this lifestyle, death might be closer than you think.

Rest and breaks are shown to be a clear necessity in order to live a long and prosperous life. Without the bare necessities, we open ourselves to serious risks which could impact how long we live. If you find yourself, eating poorly, sleeping less and not having enough time to see friends or family, then you are definitely in need of a break.

Better Late Than Never

There will be times when it feels like a break is the last thing you have time for. Matt D’Avella speaks of the Sprint Mindset where he discusses how new business ideas and careers have a small starting runway which are constrained by time and money which cause you to work extra hard for a short period of time.

The key thing here is in the name! A Sprint is a short burst rather than something that is maintained long-term meaning if you find yourself continuing the rate of work you put in from the start, it will only be a matter of time before you burn out. This is why planning breaks within these work cycles are so important.

Action Plan: Three Breaks You Should Implement

You can work your socks off day and night in an attempt to earn a good living but if the time when you finally have all the money in the world and your health is at an all-time low, was it really worth it?

1. Break One: This break should be implemented in between work sets in your daily life. Whether it’s the Pomodoro technique or the 3-3-3 method, make sure you are scheduling break times to ensure you remain focused and refreshed throughout the day.

2. Break Two: This break involves taking a whole day off and should occur once a week. Sometimes you can get caught up in making work your complete life which I have shown can negatively impact you. The benefit of taking a day off where you switch off from work and take time to recharge can be a real positive for your long-term work endurance and motivation levels. Take this opportunity to snap back into reality, meet a friend, go for lunch and reconnect with your life outside the office.

3. Break Three: This break is arguably the most important and involves taking a complete week off from the work you have been doing. It can get to the stage where you know nothing better than to work work work (Sorry Rihanna). But what if I told you that taking a week off could actually motivate and inspire you even more?! I too thought taking a week off would only put me behind, but in actual fact I bounced back better. The break gave me time to come up with new ideas for my work, gave me more time to see family and friends, and finally let me demolish the sleep debt which was hanging over my head. Overall, I become more productive, more motivated and completely refreshed when I returned to my work.
   

Now you might be thinking, this is all good and well but I simply cannot afford to take a break which is completely understandable. If you can do one thing today, start implementing the first break as this shouldn’t disrupt your day massively. The benefits alone will show you how important it can be to rest and I’m sure in no time, you’ll be leading yourself to break two and three. That’s all from me this week, keep an eye out over the next couple weeks where I will be discussing productivity techniques so that you can rest that little bit longer!