Why Working Too Much is Costing You Your Career
The truth is that the stagnant product managers are often the ones who are working long hours. Meanwhile, the product managers that are making incredible progress are living more balanced lives. We should not be ignoring this correlation.
When we are working long hours, it begins weighing on us. Not only does it weigh on our careers, but in our personal lives as well.
We start to feel unappreciated. (Why do we keep putting in all of this work for no recognition?)
We feel like we have no choice. (After all, we have already set a standard for working this way. It would be too hard to stop now, right?)
Our peers are succeeding, but they must just be lucky. (we could be lucky too, but everything is working against us.)
Over time, our health declines. We worry and stress more. All facets of our lives are related to each other. Our health, sleep, how we interact with loved ones, and our happiness depend on our career satisfaction.
Here’s what happens when you work too much:
- Burn out
- The day’s agenda gets away from you
- People expect immediate responses/results from you
- You resent your job & your life
These four things seem daunting, don’t they?
But there is another side.
We can do the work and get this right. When we do, we have a balance between flow & hustle; meaning we still put in an excellent job, but we also let the flow of success into our lives as well. Promotions and raises turn up without even trying. We are able to land new jobs and get recognized for our work.
We can get this right, and we should get this right.
