Being a workaholic, working every time, sounds familiar?. It can just creep in that you’re just working too hard. There are several reasons why you can think that working hard is a good idea, while you actually have to do something quieter. To find out when you work too hard and what kind of convictions you hold in your mind for this, I will discuss the effect of many hours of work in this blog.
Australian research among people aged 40 and older shows a possible explanation why women in the Netherlands often work part-time. If you work more than 25 hours per week, your cognitive ability, your thinking ability — deteriorates. Up to 25 hours of work per week, of real working, is indeed good for your thinking ability.
These Dutch ladies are brilliant! This also shows why many companies experiment with 5- or 6-hour workdays because this is good for the thinking ability. The theory is that this makes no difference to the productivity of an 8-hour working day. Making a working week of 40 hours is, therefore, more than enough for most people. Primarily if you work more than 50 hours a week, the extra hours over 50 will no longer be of use in terms of productivity.
Do you prefer to work longer? Then there may be something going on. For example, if you need money, it can be logical that you work more hours. Has the working become more compulsive? Only then check, whether you have no work addiction or are running into a burn-out. Too much work correlates with a disturbed balance between work and private life, stress and poorer health, both mentally and physically.
People who are more troubled or have a tendency to work too often are often perfectionists and usually have the following personality traits:
- Extrovert
- Ambitious
- Aware of status
- Inpatient
- Proactive
- Organized
The numbers and characteristics are clear, but which convictions now ensure that you suddenly work too much?
Persuasion 1: At a quieter moment you do slow down.
You have the idea that the crowds you now have at work are temporary. The strange thing is that success often leads to more success and you do not always get it calmer.
Every time you think you can take it easier, there is a new project or a new chance that you just have to grab. Ultimately, it is essential to set priorities. Especially if you are afraid to miss opportunities, it is important to examine that fear. A hypnotist can help you with that. Many people have a fear of missing on opportunities. This can, for example, be reflected in people who like to go out, but also in people who work a lot.
If you are busy with problem-solving all day long, find out for yourself what can happen if you do not solve the problem immediately, but you shift this one week. A hypnotherapist can help you to find out why you are always in a hurry to solve problems. This can be done, for example, by means of regression. During regression you go back to an event in your life that has caused the conviction of haste and that problems must be solved immediately.
Most convictions are formed in early childhood, so you can come up with surprising results.
Persuasion 2: Actually I am a scammer when I stop working I fall into the basket.
Many people feel that they do not actually deserve the place they have at work. Then you suffer from the scammer syndrome.
A hypnotist can help you to suffer less from these complaints. Also, it also helps to keep an eye on the thoughts that you have and to recognize when this syndrome has its head. Besides, people can also see a lot of “overtime” as a sign that you are a poor planner. So who is kidding now?
You are certainly not a scammer, but why you can think that is something that a hypnotist can help you with. By means of a Socratic Conversation, in which the why-question is repeated a number of times you come to the core of your conviction and then you can find out together with the hypnotist why that conviction is actually not correct.
A good way to reduce the feeling that you are a scammer is to make a list of all the talents and skills you have. You can also make a list of things that you have achieved in your career.
Persuasion 3: I can work better than other people
Did you know that most drivers think they drive better than the average driver? This is because we like to believe that we are the (positive) exception to the rule in dangerous or risky behavior.
You have just read that with more than 50 hours of work per week, your productivity does not get along with it. If you then thought to yourself that it really is not right for you and that you are still 60 hours a week, even those last 10 hours, you also think you are the exception to the rule. To keep it safe you can better assume that you are just like the average person. They really work best between 25 and 50 hours per week – that’s a maximum of 10 hours a day, which isn’t that little!
You do not really have to do that to impress your supervisor. Research shows that managers can not see the difference between people who work 80 hours a week and the people who work as if they work 80 hours a week. If you do overwork anyway, do not do it for yourself for the promotion. If you are working overtime to solve a problem, you can work 60 hours for 2 weeks. After that, it really stops, and it is time for rest and sleep.
Hypnosis can also help to make this something more realistic for this conviction. Especially the benefits of not overwork can be repeated during self-hypnosis in order to put the importance of rest above the importance of overwork. For example with the following suggestions.
- “If I do not overwork, I have more time to sleep which is better for my thinking ability.”
- “If I do not overwork, I can relax earlier, which means I have less stress hormones.”
- “If I do not work overtime, I can focus better the next day.”
Persuasion 4: You can always do a little extra
Do you often have the thought at the end of the working day that you are doing one more thing… and then you are suddenly gone for another 2 hours? Especially if you are already working 40-50 hours per week, it is essential to find out why you have this belief while you work for more than a full working week.
A hypnotherapist can help you to find out why this voice is coming up and he/she can help you to change your beliefs so that the voice is silent, especially if you have been working for more than 40 hours a week.
This can be done by repeating other beliefs during self-hypnosis, such as:
- “I do not have to push myself when I work for enough hours.”
- “I can stop earlier than if I am tired.”
- “I can work better if I take my rest.”
Persuasion 5: I have all the time in the world
You only live once, and you can only spend your time once. That is why time is the most important thing you have, and many people find it important to have a high hourly wage or to work part-time.
Do you think that you will have enough time later to play with your children or to do something nice with your partner? Think again. Most parents have the idea that time goes very fast because their children are growing so fast. Before you know it you have a rebellious adolescent who considers you unimportant because you are mainly at work. Therefore always decide which option you actually let go if you work an hour extra. If you are faced with the option to work over, ask yourself what kind of choice you really are.
As:
- I can now work an extra hour, or I can assemble Lego with my child.
- I can now work an extra hour, or I can cook together with my partner (a bit of wine, who knows what happens).
- I can now work an hour extra, or I can read that book at home.
- I can now work for an extra hour, or I can enjoy a good workout.
- I can now work an hour extra, or I go to my friend (s) again.
So there are all kinds of pitfalls in convictions that can cause you to work too hard, luckily you can also do a lot to put your balance between work and private life right again.