Technology has blurred the edges of a workday, and remote working has ended the gap between work and life completely. We live in a world where work require us to be available 24/7.

Some of us are constantly stuck in the work mode, with non-existent social life. Though it makes them feel important, it doesn’t get more work done. While COVID is the talk of the town, overworking is another epidemic that has been brewing for a few years and has left professionals exhausted and anxious throughout the day.

It can be hard to break away from the habit of overworking. But here we have a few tips for you to regain control of your time, manage the work environment with maximum productivity and also take out time for leisure and your well being.

1. Set expectations and targets from the start

One of the largest culprits of overworking is divesting to impractical expectations. We need to change not just employer expectations, but our own. The expectation needs to be set on producing quality work, instead of being stuck to the chair for long hours. There might be times when we will need to work overtime to achieve desired results, but it should never turn into a cause of stress.

2. Prioritize breaks and your wellbeing

Enjoying your job is the key to effective work and a healthy mindset. Exhaustion, anxiety and stress not only harms your wellbeing but also makes you hostile towards your work. Busyness should not be a badge of honor, slowing down and relaxing is equally important as hard work. Breaks not only provide refreshment, but acts as a motivation for increased work productivity and increased efficiency.

3. Stop comparing your achievements

Every company consists of people that boast about staying late and working (out of which the number of productive hours is low). Competing with such schedules is the recipe of unhappiness. Confidence in your expanse of work within your office working hours and taking out time for your family should be the pursuit that you look forward to fulfilling.

4. Don’t be ‘that’ guy

Don’t be the person who adds the pressure of expectations and overwork on fellow colleagues. It creates a false perception that long work hours will be rewarded and appraised, rather than work efficiency. Limit off-the-clock extra work and maintain a social life beyond work.

5. Money is useless, without a healthy life

“Health is Wealth”, the statement is rightly justified as having money but no capacity to enjoy it is useless. It is better to undertake a less stressful job with comparatively lower income than a longer duration and stressful job. Overwork not only deteriorates our health but also affects our daily habits including sleep. Quality and quantity of sleep plays a huge role in our well being and body functioning.

It’s high time we learn to ‘switch off’ from work and give ourselves some uninterrupted break to recover from the stress and pressure of our work routine. Proper rest, self-care and looking after our well-being will help us in a more effective and efficient work. A more productive and freer lifestyle is worth the change and glorifying overwork is a negative outlook that needs to be rectified!

“Work to live, Don't live to work”