Uncategorized

You are working on something and you are feeling stressed. You’re not so stressed that you are worried you are not going to get it done, but you are stressed enough that you can feel it in your body and you are super focussed and working hard. Someone comes to your door and asks you … Continue reading Saying Yes When Stressed?

Have you ever had your boss ask you to meet when you were planning to get your own work done, like a presentation or project work? When you say yes to the meeting with your boss, you push off your own work and you end up doing it in your time off. This moment of … Continue reading How to say no to your boss’s schedule

Intellectually, we know when our cup is not full, work takes longer. When we haven’t rested, we are tired. We don’t show up as our best selves. We lack creativity. It’s hard to make decisions quickly and solve problems easily. Yet, we tell ourselves that we won’t be able to achieve what we want if … Continue reading Do you want to stop working on evenings and weekends?

When I was overworking, without the awareness of it, I was very confused about why I was so tired all the time. I was telling myself that I don't know. Whenever we tell ourselves that we don’t know, we get stuck. When we are confused, we make it so there’s no way forward. I was … Continue reading Do you tell your self, friends and family – I just don’t know why I am so tired all the time.

As an academic achiever, this thought got me through a lot of assignments and exams. When I started working, I started to notice it translated into wishing time away. I can't tell you how many times I said to myself: when I finish this grant it will be better; when I finish this project, it … Continue reading Do you tell yourself “I just can’t wait for this [deadline, day, week, project] to be over.”

I find this one shows up at home especially. You work all day and then you come home and you slow down even just a little bit, and that idea that we are lazy floats in. And feeling like we are lazy, doesn’t feel good so we avoid it by making sure we are still … Continue reading Do you tell yourself “If I am not working, I am being lazy.”

For me, this is a source of feeling good. When I think I am doing a good job, I am feeling positive. But I've seen this work against us when it comes to overworking. If doing a good job means that there are never any mistakes, or any problems that come up, we might do … Continue reading Does wanting to do a good job create overwork?

This sounds like a positive thing to tell yourself - very reassuring and comforting. But, when you think this maybe you end up preparing for every little thing that might possibly go wrong and maybe you end up doing way more than what’s needed, even for high quality work, to make sure you have done … Continue reading When things get hard do you tell yourself: “As long as I do my best, it will be ok.”

As academic achievers, there was a way to create 100% in school. Wherever you are now, really ask yourself, is there a way to "get" 100% - in your position, job, at home, in your relationships? The pursuit of perfect will be exhausting, just by it's inherent nature. What do you think will happen if … Continue reading Is perfecting underneath your overworking?

Do you tell yourself “It’s important to be available all the time” or “It’s important to respond quickly.” Who says? Has anyone ever said this to you? This may be true - if you are "on-call" or there is a specific role where you need to be contacted in an emergency. But if that's not … Continue reading Being Overly Available and Responding Quickly May Lead to Overworking