Are You Working Too Hard?

Are you working too hard?

…It’s a good question.

How do you really know when you are working too hard?

This problem has come up for me a few times over the years. To be honest, I found it difficult to become aware of when I was working too hard. For me, often I was too far into my work to realise that I was ‘burning the candle at both ends’ and was ‘burning myself out’!

So, what are the symptoms of working too hard?

In my case, I experienced lack of sleep, higher levels of stress and being more susceptible to ‘man flu’!

Below are other typical symptoms of working too hard, where you could be heading towards burn-out:

• Inability to concentrate
• Lack of focus on tasks
• Poor quality sleep
• Stress
• Arguments
• Making mistakes
• Forgetfulness

Although these symptoms may seem minor, these can develop into more serious conditions such as very high stress, overwhelm, anxiety, physical & mental exhaustion and even depression.

What can you do to prevent burn-out?

One way is to check-in with yourself every day: Ask yourself “How am I?” — if you are experiencing any of the symptoms above, you may be heading towards burn-out.

If this is the case, here is a 4-step strategy you can use to help:

1. Slow down

The chances are you are rushing around. Start by breathing slowly and deeply. The benefit of deep breathing should never be underestimated. Can you slow things down further by giving yourself more time to complete the tasks you are working on?

2. Use the 4 D’s of effective Time Management

You may have too many tasks. If you have, then it’s time to review the tasks you have and make a decision on what to do with each of them. The 4 D’s of effective Time Management will help you to evaluate the importance and urgency of each task and decide what to do. For…