Americans put in more work hours than any other industrialized nation in the world. We also get the least amount vacation time (over 40% of us get no paid vacation at all). In fact, the average U.S. worker now works more hours per day than medieval peasants did.

We are told that the good boy or girl “stays busy”, that the good employee “works hard”, and that the good person strives to “become successful”.

Workaholism has turned into our national identity.

Productivity has become our addiction.

THE SOURCE OF THE ADDICTION to “Being Productive”

The addiction or being “productive” is founded in the base values of every westernized industrial society, societies where we learn in childhood that we are “loved” (i.e. complimented or praised) only when we are “industrious”, and that we are unloved (i.e. ignored or scolded) whenever we are “lazy”.

This mind-set is re-enforced throughout our adult lives – every time we receive a raise for “working hard” or a criticism from our employer for “not meeting company standards”; every time we are jealous of another person who “earns more” or have pity on those who “have nothing”; every time we meet someone new and they ask us what we do instead of how we serve or what we believe in.

And yet the deepest source of this addiction is far more primal. Most of us are addicted to making our lives “busy” and/or “productive” because we dread facing what exists when the work is done. We dread being forced to look at our lives that are somewhat meaningless with their superficial goals and self-centered fixations; we dread being forced to look at our lives that are mostly devoid of real intimacy and real interconnection with others; we dread being forced to look at our lives that often feel empty & trivial – that ironically feel somewhat lifeless.

So we fill them up with “busyness” and “wealth” and “productivity” instead.

The CONSEQUENCES of “PRODUCTIVITY”

Even if they do not go to radical extremes, people who overwork still suffer serious physical and emotional consequences, as well as the debilitating social effects of their inability to focus on the welfare of others – their inability to deeply Care.

*Busyness causes MENTAL INSTABILITY … The high levels of stress experienced by people who prioritize their work ahead of most other facets of their lives inevitably leads to them experiencing some degree of “burnout” (what used to be called “a nervous breakdown”) – a state of mental exhaustion characterized by intense fatigue, moroseness, irritability, negativity and depression. Workaholics also tend to be easily angered or agitated, and often suffer from insomnia, memory black-outs, and radical mood swings.

“Burnout is nature’s way of telling you that you’ve just been going through the motions; that your Soul has temporarily checked out – that you’ve become a zombie; a member of the walking dead; a sleepwalker.” ~ inspired by Sam Keen

*Over-productivity causes UNPRODUCTIVITY … Ironically, the high stress levels that over-workers endure actually makes them less productive employees. They might indeed get more done in short bursts than most “normal folks”, and yet, over the course of an entire workweek, workaholics tend to be less focused, less efficient and prone to making far more mistakes than their more grounded counterparts.

“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing” ~ Lao Tsu

*Workaholism causes DAMAGED RELATIONSHIPS … Even if workaholics themselves can avoid the personal consequences for their overworking, their relationships will always suffer. Sometimes there is intense resentment felt at home to them placing work ahead of the family, their children often feel alienated, and their partnerships often end in emotional separation or actual divorce. Just as tragic, the children of workaholics often either follow in their workaholic parent’s footsteps and become overbearing workaholics themselves, or they rebel against that parent and suffer from chronic non-productivity and indolence.

“I used to be a classic workaholic, and after seeing how little work and career really mean when you reach the end of your life, I put a new emphasis on things I believe count a lot more. These things include: family, friends, being part of a community.” ~ Mitch Albom

*Over-working causes POOR HEALTH & even DEATH … “Busyness” means stress, and stress is a killer – having been directly linked to digestive problems, migraine headaches, ulcers, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer and various other serious illnesses. In fact, according to the American Institute of Stress, up to 90% of all visits to American doctors are for essentially stress-related disorders.

“Life is for living, not for living productively.” ~ inspired by Leo Babauta

RECOGNIZING YOUR ADDICTION to “PRODUCTIVITY”

If you are living in an industrialized country and “work for a living”, chances are you too are at least mildly addicted to overworking … To help yourself gain a fresh perspective on the degree to which you are unhealthily fixated on your “productivity”, consider the following questions …

*Do you work at home, think about (or worry about) work at home, or regularly talk about (or complain about) work at home?

*Are you hard-driving and competitive while “on the job”?

*Do you take office equipment with you &/or stay virtually connected to your office wherever you go during the day (even on your lunch break)?

*Do you take work materials with you &/or stay virtually connected to your office even when you are “done for the day” (or on vacation)”?

*Does your work make you happier than most other things in your life?

*Do you find yourself cutting your sleep short so that you can get up and “get more done”?

*Do you engage in physical or mental recreation less than 5 times per week?

*Do you not have many friends &/or do you have little contact with the friends you do have?

*Do those close to you tease you about being “manic” or “a workaholic” or “a workhouse” or “an animal” or “crazy productive” (etc)?

*Do you spend more time at work than with your family or closest friends? Do you cancel appointments with friends or family in order to work on or finish “important projects”?

*Are you regularly tired during the day?

*Do you regularly feel like you need to “learn more”, “do more” or “be better”?

*Do you try to sneak in extra work when no one is watching?

*Do you micro-manage others and/or have trouble delegating tasks?

*After discounting your coffee-breaks and lunch-breaks, are you still working over 35 hours per week?

*Do regularly feel like you are “falling behind”? At the end of your work days, do you rarely feel deeply satisfied with the work you have done?

*Do you find yourself attracted to phone-apps, computer programs &/or other “life-hacks” designed to “make your life easier” or get you to “be more organized”?

*Do you lack definitive “end dates” for your projects &/or clear “end goals” for your work days?

*Do you juggle various tasks simultaneously instead of focusing on only one task and seeing it through to its completion?

*Do you work primarily to be respected by your family, your friends or your peers? Do you regularly tell others about how much you work or how tired you are because of your job?

*Does any part of your job violate your personal values or inner sense of ethics? Are you proud of what you “do for a living”?

*Do you work primarily just to pay the bills? Would you quit your job if you won the lottery tomorrow?

If you answered yes to more than two of these questions, then you too are at least mildly addicted to your “busyness”.

If you answered “yes” to more than two of these questions, then you too are working too much; or better stated, you are working for the wrong reasons – you are “living to work” or “working to live” instead of Living WHILE Working (more on this in the next post).

By striving to do more, you accomplish less …

By trying to be admired by others, you lose the admiration of yourself …

By trying to become wealthy, you will sink into the deepest poverty known to humankind.

No one knows what tomorrow will bring, and we are indeed living in bodies that are designed to work – bodies that are run by minds that desire to create and produce. As such, there is nothing at all wrong with “working hard” or “being productive”. Like any other activity in life, it is not WHAT we are doing that is important, but rather WHY we are choosing to do it.

If we are working hard to receive the accolades from others or earn their respect, then we will feel stressed and suffer … If, on the other hand, we are working hard to produce something of value, we will feel energized and at Peace.

If we are remaining busy in order to avoid feeling empty or alone, then we will feel stressed and suffer … if, on the other hand, our bodies are remaining busy while our minds are reveling in the Beauty of our work, we will feel energized and at peace.

If we are being productive in order to “get rich” or “become powerful”, the we will feel stressed and we will suffer … If on the other hand, we are being productive to serve others and make their lives more enjoyable, then we will feel energized and at Peace.

Work hard, my Friends … just make sure that your “work” is actually Working.

“Real work is Love made visible. And if you cannot work with Love but rather only with stress and distaste, then it would be better for you to leave your work and idly sit and take alms from those who do work with Joy.” ~ inspired by Kahlil Gibran

“There is much more to life than merely increasing its speed.” ~ inspired by M. Gandhi