Last Friday, I ended up working much later than I’d planned—and it took its toll on me. At 5:30pm, I was wrapping up my week at the office and looking forward to dinner plans with a friend who was in town. Unfortunately, at the last minute, my friend texted me that she wasn’t feeling well, and needed to cancel our dinner.
I was suddenly left with a wide-open evening. Given the hour, it was too late to find another friend to “sup” with, or even scramble to look for a movie or concert or other activity to decompress with that evening.
With no compelling plans for the evening, I decided to take a few extra minutes to put finishing touches on a document I’d prepared for a meeting on Monday afternoon. It was something that I definitely needed to do, but could have easily tackled in 20 minutes on Monday morning. Instead, I ended up “tinkering” with that document for 2.5 hours. That little task took six times longer because I was operating on an empty tank.
As I walked out into the cool, night air at 8:30pm, I felt physically overexhausted and beyond spent, like I was suffering from a work hangover. It occurred to me that overworking is a lot like overeating or overdrinking; the act of not knowing when to stop and then regretting it afterward. Any extra indulgence (in work, food, or drink) tends to take more out of you than it gives.
I was reminded of a meal I had at a wonderful, trendy restaurant called Jonathan Livingston Seafood in Chicago many moons ago. My friend and I had just finished a truly incredible, special meal of the most delicious appetizers and main courses—and were feeling fully satisfied, in a state of bliss. Then the waiter came over with the dessert menu. We weren’t hungry, but in the spirit of “what-the-heck–everything else-was-so-good”, we went ahead and ordered dessert. Within 2 bites of that dessert, I went from perfectly satiated to overstuffed and physically uncomfortable–and wished I had stopped at content.
A Stanford study revealed that output diminishes after a 50-hour workweek and plummets after 55 hours. As a productivity expert, I have taught and practiced healthy boundaries between my work and personal life for many years–having learned and witnessed the power of renewal first hand. But, that night, with my guard down, I fell into the pit of overwork. Habits can slip. And I paid for it dearly. I did not get that much out of the extra time I spent at my desk, and it took me the entire weekend to recover.
So next time you feel yourself slipping into the temptation of working beyond reasonable work hours to get a few more things done, remember that it’s better to stop working, go recharge and come back to work rested, energized and with perspective the next day. Here are three tips to avoid the overwork trap:
1. Learn Your Signs of Diminishing Returns
When you start hitting the productivity wall – there are physical signs– endless rereading of the same paragraph, slowed thinking, or multiple trips to the kitchen in search of a magical energy snack. When you see those happening it's time to log off and replenish your mind, body, and spirit.
2. Create an Irresistible Plan for When Work Ends
When you have something exciting to do after work that you’re looking forward to, it's much easier to resist the pull of your work and embrace renewal. Make plans with friends, get tickets to a game or concert, sign up for a class, tee up the movie for movie night.
3. Have a Plan B for Fun
Life's unpredictable, and plans can fall apart or cancel, like my dinner date. Instead of being stuck at the last minute, think ahead and come up with a backup plan for your time off. The importance of renewal is too great to risk getting caught into the gravitational pull of your to-do list, and ending up with an overwork hangover.
Time spent on activities outside of work (fitness, relationships, hobbies, fun) not only makes us happier, more fulfilled people but, just as importantly, better professionals, leaders, and workers. Avoid the sneaky overindulgence of overwork, and the subsequent miserable state of a work hangover.