Workaholism is not a new phenomenon, but recently its negative effects have been significantly noticed and attempts have been made to understand its deep roots and diverse manifestations. Defined as far back as 1968, it has been described as an inner compulsion to work, continuous thoughts about it even when one is not at work, and a tendency to work more than is reasonable despite possible negative consequences.
There are people who genuinely like their work and derive pleasure from it. They are significantly less at risk of health problems. However, there are six main types of workaholics, each of whom face their own specific challenges.
The Overcommitter
There are people who constantly accept new tasks and commitments, driven by the feeling that they cannot quit. They are workaholics of the “overcommitter” type. As a result of their drive to please people, they quickly find themselves overwhelmed and exhausted. This leads to burnout and states where one feels low levels of energy and motivation, while at the same time feeling guilty because of high stress levels. As a result, people find it difficult to cope with the sheer volume of responsibilities, having become captives to agreeing to everything and constantly saying yes. The solution is setting boundaries and focusing on what matters most.
The Perfectionist
There are workaholics who become exhausted because of making progress on their tasks too slowly. This happens because nothing is ever done well enough for their standarts and there is always room for improvement. Instead of making progress, these people spend a long time finishing details, which often hinders true progress. This relentless pursuit of perfection can paralyze productivity and lead to falling behind on deadlines. The cure for this type of person is accepting the moto that a done task is better than a perfectly executed one.
The Escape Artist
People who avoid their problems by overworking themselves use work as an escape from reality. For them it is a way to stay away from their personal problems and difficulties in life. Alas, the stress they experience often follows them into the workplace without being able to find true escape. In the end, problems in personal life remain unresolved, and the workload further exhausts. They need to take the time to resolve their issues and not hope that through work they will simply disappear.
The Approval Seeker
There are workaholics who are satisfied with their work only when they receive external praise and recognition. The constant need to prove their worth leads to extreme exhaustion and feelings of inferiority if they do not receive the expected approval. Then, when they stop seeking other people’s approval, their attitude changes.
The Unstoppable
The unstoppable are the people who never disconnect from the workplace and remain “always on,” ready at any moment to re-engage in a meeting or answer an email without the situation demanding that it happen immediately. Lack of physical, sensory, or emotional rest quickly leads to burnout and decreased effectiveness, no matter how much effort a person puts in. These workaholics see rest as a time when they fall behind on work, but it is when one is rested that the generation of new ideas as well as productivity increases.
The Lone Wolf
These people are convinced that no one can do the job as well as they can. The refusal to delegate tasks and trust others dooms workaholics of this type to never see the end of their to-do list, as they cannot handle everything. A change can be seen when they realize that delegation does not mean a loss of control, but an increase in impact.
For a person with any of the six types of workaholism, the result is the same – an accumulation of stress, exhaustion, and less and less results from their efforts. The cost of constant overwork is not only personal, it also affects society by affecting people’s health and wellbeing.
