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Overwork Doesn’t Work So Why Can’t We Stop?
25 August 2015
Allison read The Research Is Clear: Long Hours Backfire for People and for Companies by Sarah Green Carmichael and appreciated an excellent summary of why overwork doesn’t work as well as the writer’s thoughts on why we can’t seem to stop.
Tags: allison read, balance, leadership
I regularly write, teach, and coach about how to choose balance AND leadership. I get a lot of head nodding when I talk with individuals and organizations about the diminishing returns of long hours, sleep deprivation, no breaks, poor sleep hygiene, starting the day with devices, checking email every moment, skipping vacations or staying lightly connected on vacation, etc. And yet, when it comes to actually changing these behaviors, very few people are able to break old habits.
Sarah Green Carmichael is a senior associate editor at Harvard Business Review. Last week she provided an excellent summary of compelling arguments for stopping overwork in The Research Is Clear: Long Hours Backfire for People and for Companies. If you’re having a hard time convincing yourself or your organization that long hours lead to less productivity and efficacy, then this article may give you the hard proof you need.
After you’ve digested what the data tell you, then you’ll have to grapple with Carmichael’s closing comments, “So why do we keep doing it? Why can’t we put the book down? It could be ignorance. Maybe most people just don’t know how bad overwork is, objectively speaking. It could be skepticism. Maybe they’ve seen the research, but just don’t buy it (or choose to act on it). Or it could be something stronger. Maybe when you combine economic incentives, authority figures, and deep-seated psychological needs, you produce a cocktail that is simply too intoxicating to overcome.”
No one will be surprised to learn that I’ll be hoping that the main problem is that people just don’t know how detrimental long hours can be. With enough knowledge and support to change our habits, I’m betting we can overcome this intoxication.
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