Work addiction results when someone is unable to ride out the discomfort of not working constantly. They feel that they “should” be doing more and have a hard time relaxing. Sometimes it occurs as a way to avoid other things in life that are difficult to deal with. For example, if you’re lonely you work to avoid being alone.
The line between hard-working and obsessive is when the amount of time and energy spent on work has a negative effect on other areas of life, such as family, mood, recreation, and health.
Work addiction is not technically an obsessive compulsive disorder (although types of OCD such as perfectionism may be to blame). It is obsessive when one cannot get work off of his or her mind, and it’s compulsive when one cannot get himself or herself to stop working. A workaholic may or may not have OCD, but does have compulsive work behavior.
Job addiction is not helpful because it is just activity rather than productivity. It also becomes a vicious cycle—the more you do it, the harder it is to stop. If you’re addicted to work, start to break the cycle by first, writing out what you’re afraid would happen if you didn’t work so much.
For example, “My boss will think I’m a slacker. I won’t do a great job on my projects, etc.” Then, limit the amount of time you can spend on projects by about 10%. This is a way to put your fears to the test and see if they are actually true (they almost never are). Once you see that nothing negative results (in fact you may be even more productive), limit by 20%, and so on until you find the optimal balance.
If a friend or coworker is addicted to work, have a conversation with them in which you express your concerns, preferably as they relate to you, such as, “I’m disappointed that we don’t get to spend more time together.” And help them to examine the pros and cons of working so hard.
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