Workaholism’s mental toll

I read this great story in The Atlantic about workaholism and mental health and, man, it really does feel like I’m teetering on the edge of being a literal workaholic sometimes. Like, I have a hard time switching off. I’ve been better and worst at certain points in my career, and I think a lot to do with that are other factors and influences on my life.

The weather. Overfilling my schedule with other activities. Not getting enough sleep or exercise. Family issues. Relationship issues. You name it, it’s caused me to dive deeper into work, putting in more time for — let’s face it — not a lot of extra productivity. Or at least not as much as you think.

It used to be much worse before COVID and I was driving to an actual office building. I'd actively save work that required real focus on until 5pm, and then start on it. Often times I'd be the only one left, sitting in the dark, working away on some poster or magazine feature or super-involved Photoshop work.

And as far as I can recall, all those times — wouldn't you know it — I was depressed and irritable. But I was rewarded for it. That's capitalism, baby. Trade your life for money, 40 hours a week, minimum. Most of the time, it was more like 50-55 hours. If you don't count checking mail on my phone. And that's one of the points that the article drives home.

You wouldn't get complimented on finishing a bottle of whisky in one night... but putting in hours after work or on the weekends, and you might just get yourself a raise or a promotion. It's kind of sick how normalized it's become, especially in the past 4-5 years with this hustle culture that is baiting people half my age into absolutely shredding through their youth just for some extra money. Or shit, nowadays, probably just to make ends meet. I've been there, for sure.

But what about me?

I took a moment to reflect on (holy shit) almost 3 years of working from home, and it's been very beneficial, personally. I've got other posts about how being able to stack chores with work, for example, really opens up my evenings. It used to be I couldn't even start the laundry or dishes or any other chore that requires me being home until at least 7pm. Now, that's all done throughout the day.

If I want to take a nap in between meetings and the work is all caught up on, I set an hour time and have a little sleep. That's a beautiful thing. Or I can go shopping. Or run my cat to the vet. Or be home for a signed delivery or repairman.

Or ... or ... or ...

It goes on and on. I'm sure I still put in about the same number of hours. But I get to see my daughter way, way more often. Every day I pick her up from school. Or in the summer, see her literally every hour. That alone. That one reason is enough to keep me WFH forever. The rest is a hogshead of gravy.

One thing I could do better is schedule some regular downtime. Like work it into my schedule and treat it like I was meeting with the most important person in the world. Put away all devices and do something analog for a while. Or at least, have a specific movie or show to devote time to, if not a book, rather than reruns or random channel flipping.

Maybe that will be a good first step in slowing down and enjoying my life and being present, 100%.