Are you a workaholic?
Our day begins with a mindfulness exercise where we learn to feel ourselves. We take a deep breath, fall into a meditative calm and start relaxing…STOP!
You prune rightly, of course, it was just a joke.
The only thing we feel is the stinging pain from stubbing our toe on the way to the shower, as we are once again in a hurry after pressing the snooze button three times. Afterwards, we chug our black power drink, a beverage brewed according to centuries-old tradition, also known as coffee, in quick puffs and praise ourselves with slightly burnt tongues for having eaten breakfast so effectively.
Now it has to happen quickly. In the morning car traffic, we use all our creativity to create the shortest route to work. Maybe it’s better to take public transport? Sure, who doesn’t feel like squeezing into a bus with a bunch of other people at what feels like 30°C outside, only to find that half of them probably haven’t seen a drop of water in the morning. In return, we can expect exemplary dental hygiene and friendly cooperation. Now you have to smile yourself or?
Only the others have a vacation
While the summer heat outside does its best to give us a pleasant sauna feeling in the office afterwards, we increasingly ask ourselves: How many days are left until the vacation starts? Where are you going this year, has your colleague already booked and who is going to empty the mailbox so that the apartment is not empty when you return? Paranoid, we look at the calendar and realize in a sweat that four weeks of vacation a year is so damn little.
We rush from one appointment to another, listen to our superiors’ parade of criticisms, and increasingly sink into a state of disinterest.
Closing time – time to get back to work
The highlight of the day is the end of the day, which is no end at all. We sit down at our desks with at least three mobile devices and look enviously at our partner, who is enjoying a homemade pizza while we stuff ourselves with the last slice because the boss is calling for a Skype conference. The last freedom on this evening: At the home desk is pants-free zone. Means: Everything is possible, just do not get up!
Finally, the night’s rest. Well, calm is relative. Now it’s time to fall asleep strategically: count sheep, drink warm milk and focus on the inner third eye (yoga exercise).
Done! After making a few more notes, setting the alarm clock half an hour earlier (because it’s finally supposed to be a decent breakfast), you could finally fall asleep around 2:00 in the morning. A day that could not have been more relaxed *irony off*.
Curtain up for the Workeuphoric
Sometimes we feel like it’s our first day on the job. In the morning, the view of the alarm clock falls already 2 hours before the actual alarm. We are excited about what the new day will bring and look forward to events such as presentations or important customer meetings with anticipation and nervousness. We consider the shower our first “creative zone” in the morning, where no one is allowed to disturb us. Here, constructive development, planning and reflection take place.
Let’s not kid ourselves. The healthy smoothie with a sufficient and balanced breakfast is also not on our table. However, since we can’t stand rushing around in the morning and sitting in a team meeting at noon with a growling stomach, we take time in the morning to eat a quick breakfast and catch up on the day’s most important news via smartphone or radio.
It’s the little things…
With the car we meander step by step towards the office, but beforehand we take the time to notice how every morning a grasshopper appears on our side mirror. Of course, we also smile at the completely stressed mother who parks her car (illegally) in the middle of the street, driving all the other drivers crazy, only to then dismiss her children to school with a loving smile and a hearty kiss on the cheek.
The alternative is also for us the public local and long-distance transport.
The bus is full, as it is every morning. A first challenge, which we do not like, but masterfully mastered and are proud as Oscar, when we arrived back outside, take the first breath alive.
With a quick glance at the clock, we decide to enjoy the first rays of sunshine and the cool morning air while looking forward to a nice “good morning” from colleagues in the daily “coffee line” in the cafeteria.
Keywords: positive stress and rituals
For us, working means a challenge with a dash of euphoria. We love our work, even if it sometimes drives us crazy with the high demands, time pressure and our own expectations. Positive stress is what the experts call this.
We celebrate the end of the working day extensively. We specifically arrange to have dinner with our partner or friends. Of course, we check our mailbox again on the way home or discuss a few important details with our colleagues before we leave the office. However, we always implement a closing ritual to give our own thoughts a break.
A block next to the bed also facilitates our ritual of falling asleep. Final thoughts are written down here to be reflected on again in the “creative zone” in the morning.
Falling asleep does not always work immediately, but it follows a strict plan that makes us feel calmer in the evening.
Workeuphoric vs. workaholic
Basically, there is no fundamental difference in the daily routine of a workaholic and a workeuphoric. The setting is the crucial point here. The daily work routine does not always leave us with a positive feeling and challenges us on a daily basis. As a workeuphoric, however, you learn to increasingly adjust to the circumstances, accept facts, and thus develop a certain composure. In the end, we find it easier to be happy about smaller successes and to face difficult situations with aplomb.
Inquired:
Workaholic, workeuphoric, both or neither? Which role can you best identify with in your professional life and what does it mean to you to experience a fulfilled and positive workday?
About the author
Kinga Bartczak advises, coaches and writes on female empowerment, new work culture, organizational development, systemic coaching and personal branding. She is also the managing director of UnternehmerRebellen GmbH and publisher of the FemalExperts magazine .
