How Much is Too Much?

There were stretches in my career when I gave almost more than I had to my employer. I traveled constantly, pulled all-nighters, worked seven days a week, and worked around chemotherapy treatments when I had cancer. I always felt like it was worth it. However, I married at thirty-five, never had children, and retired from corporate life at fifty-two. My situation is not the norm.

In this era of high-unemployment and high expectations for productivity, how do you decide whether your professional efforts are worth the personal cost? There is no definitive answer, but I can spotlight some warning signs that fall into two major categories:

YOUR HEALTH IS SUFFERING

• You don’t get enough sleep, because you have some degree of insomnia. Your work responsibilities intrude into your “offline” thoughts and don’t allow you to relax.

• Weight gain is an issue, for a number of reasons. For example, you eat out too much because of travel, or you get home too late to make a decent meal, or you are seriously hating life and feel like you deserve to eat what makes you happy.

• You “don’t have time” to work out.

• Digestion issues plague you. Indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, and/or ulcers.

• Self-Medication issues, including over-consumption of alcohol or painkillers, which you “need” to relax.

• You ignore worrying symptoms, because you would rather not know if you have a serious health issue.

YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOVED ONES ARE AFFECTED

• Your most important relations are jeopardized. Specifically, you don’t have enough quality time to spend with your significant other – intimately, socially, or at leisure.

• Family events just cannot get purchase on your calendar, because of work commitments.

• You rarely get to see your children play, perform, or achieve, although they are rapidly growing up.

• Birthday, Anniversary, Graduation, and Confirmation wishes are missed or belated, because you just can’t keep up.

• Vacations are paid time off that is sacrificed. There is no time.

• You are ALWAYS “connected” to work, via email or text messages. Your boss expects an immediate answer.

There should be boundaries to employment’s intrusion on your personal life. There may be an exception if you are a CEO or an Executive Vice President (in which case you ARE your job). How much of your life blood do you plan to sacrifice for a paycheck? Sometimes, there is a point where too much is asked. That is the time to explore alternatives for your life and your loved ones.