#093: 3 Reasons You Can’t Stop Working

Good leaders can handle a lot of responsibility. In fact, they thrive on it. But that can lead to the most under-diagnosed condition in our culture: workaholism. Often, this goes undetected until it results in a personal or relational crisis.

We don’t believe you should have to sacrifice your personal life to succeed at work. We’ve identified the three reasons you’re probably working too much, and the three simple steps that will fix the problem. 

Try it! You’ll go from working away your family time to having a full, balanced life. You really can win at work and succeed at life. 

This episode of Focus on This is brought to you by Michael Hyatt & Company's new book, Your World-Class Assistant. Find out more at focusonthispodcast.com/assistant.

Here’s a preview of this episode:

• We share our own history of working way too much. 
• The fallacy that keeps us stuck in the habit of overworking. 
• Why it’s often psychologically easier to overwork than to spend time at home. 
• Why boundary setting is critical to escaping the trap of workaholism. 
• Three simple boundaries that will keep in perspective. 
• The reason you may be sabotaging your own attempts to set boundaries on work. 
• How “secondary gain” may be driving your work habits. 
• How hard boundaries make you more productive. 
• Why you must determine where you add the most value to your business in order to get your work under control. 
• Why it’s critical to prune your calendar, and a simple guideline for doing it. 
• The single biggest threat to your success after a promotion. 
• Why play is vital for productivity and well-being. 
• How mastering your calendar helps you cultivate personal interests. 
• Why having a hobby boosts your creativity and productivity at work. 
• The false idea that may be keeping your from developing your interests. 
• How trying new things in your personal life makes you innovative at work.  

After you’ve listened to the episode, try this simple next step. Set one hard boundary on your work time. That could be leaving the office at 5:00 p.m., refusing to check email at home, or not working on Saturdays. Just pick one. We think it’ll give you enough clarity (and relief) that you’ll never go back to 60-plus hours again. 

Better than Starbucks?

Here’s a big thank-you to iTunes user “brh1965,” who left us this review: “I love the encouraging, not guilt-ridden, challenges!” And to René Nelson who writes, “When I need a mental break or a power shot, I skip Starbucks and listen to Lead to Win instead. Super helpful. Thank you!”

Thanks to you both. We appreciate the feedback. And we’d love to hear from you too. Good, bad, or indifferent, tell us what you think of the show by leaving an iTunes review. We really do read them!