I’m a self-diagnosed workaholic. I’m obsessed with keeping busy, always living life in the fast lane.
When lockdown fell upon the country, like many others, I thought it would be a great opportunity to relax and rejuvenate, whilst also getting plenty of work done.
But, with the constant torrent of facts and figures, the cascade of incessant news reports, and the underlying fear of a deadly virus, it’s no surprise that for many of us, focus is proving difficult.
The Oxford English dictionary defines a workaholic as: ‘a person to whom work is extremely or excessively important; a person addicted to working.’
Although originally a colloquial term that we tend to bracket with ‘shopaholics’ and ‘chocoholics’, obsessive overworking has been recognised as a genuine compulsive-disorder.
“I realised, throughout my second year, that my conscientious approach to my studies was taking its toll on my upkeep of friendships.”
Workaholism is often categorised with OCD, usually characterised by compulsive behaviour, stress, anxiety, and perfectionism, but any number of these can point towards an unhealthy relationship with your workload.
It can lead to a laundry list of problems such as intimacy issues and sleep deprivation. Workaholics tend to positively associate their behaviour with their devotion and dedication to work, but this has serious negative repercussions.
I realised, throughout my second year, that my conscientious approach to my studies was taking its toll on my upkeep of friendships.
” The lack of sleep and social interaction, and the unhealthy eating tendencies, all result in collateral damage to the standards of your work.”
University is a time renowned for building lifelong relationships, but I realised I’d been sacrificing those for the sake of my academic responsibilities.
And, I don’t mean just turning down the odd night at Ocean in exchange for a cosy night of Netflix in my PJs; I mean excessively mulling over notes and extra reading to a point where I could never switch-off from work.
Continuous working does more harm than good. The lack of sleep and social interaction, and the unhealthy eating tendencies, all result in collateral damage to the standards of your work.
Sleep, for example, is crucial in processing memories and improving concentration throughout the day, and sacrificing it risks damaging your cognitive function.
“The BBC states that cases of perfectionism amongst students, strongly linked to obsessive working, are significantly higher than they were a decade ago.”
This is a common problem within the student population. The BBC states that cases of perfectionism amongst students, strongly linked to obsessive working, are significantly higher than they were a decade ago.
Our cohort is constantly reminded of the high expectations of standards of work, the need to strive for improvement, the importance of adding to the list of achievements to boost our employability in order to survive the demanding and competitive world of work.
We’re all aware that we’re having to work twice as hard as our parents’ generation to find a professional career.
So, when lockdown was initially announced, I felt relieved that I had all the time in the world to focus on my mountain of essays without making any excuses.
But, understandably, the news followed that exams were cancelled. Then, the Faculty of Arts announced that second assessments were being scrapped in favour of a part-for-whole method of grading.
I felt guilty, like I was undeserving of a grade I hadn’t had to work as hard for. Second year seemed like a complete cop-out.
I don’t want to sound insolent – the uni have been incredibly considerate, and for some, completing assessments is completely out of the question right now – but the workaholic in me longed for a reason to study.
I felt guilty, like I was undeserving of a grade I hadn’t had to work as hard for. Second year seemed like a complete cop-out.
Perhaps more importantly, studying would prevent me going stir-crazy in isolation.
The looming lockdown didn’t seem too bad considering students’ Easter holidays are largely spent indoors studying and revising anyway – now I had more time and more reason to try even harder.
But no assessments meant no motivation or real reason to work, and I hit a brick wall.
The preoccupation of a busy university lifestyle means you often neglect those hobbies you once loved. When faced with seemingly endless free time, something you usually long for, you’re suddenly at a loose end.
I was bored. I’m so used to being caught up in keeping to schedules, planning to-do lists, and checking my diary – the pressure of being busy is usually my driving force.
I came to accept the lessened workload. Indeed, like many like-minded people, I thought isolation would be a perfect opportunity to complete the mental list of things I’ve always wanted to do but have never found the time for.
But, alas, whenever I put my mind to something, I found myself unable to concentrate, my mind constantly wandering somewhere else. Even the most meagre tasks were, and still are, proving difficult.
“Our Instagram feeds are filled with Mary-Berry-wannabes baking banana bread, fitness gurus who could give Joe Wicks a run for his money, and Duolingo fanatics teaching themselves Latin.”
The relentless hours trapped indoors have piled on the pressure to be productive during this pandemic.
Our Instagram feeds are filled with Mary-Berry-wannabes baking banana bread, fitness gurus who could give Joe Wicks a run for his money, and Duolingo fanatics teaching themselves Latin.
Journalist Vicky Spratt captures the plaguing guilt of an unproductive isolation perfectly: ‘everywhere we look, we are being encouraged to optimise a global pandemic. To use it as an opportunity – not to mourn the senseless loss of lives, of our freedoms and our futures, but for self-improvement.’
“We’re subconsciously trying to distract ourselves from the underlying dread, shying away from the hard facts – people are dying.”
And it’s true. We are all feeling the ubiquitous urge to spend this time wisely so that something good can come from this isolation – to find a new hobby, take on another project, adopt new creative pastimes.
We’re subconsciously trying to distract ourselves from the underlying dread, shying away from the hard facts – people are dying.
And for some, the trepidation is preventing our ability to carry out even the most mundane tasks, let alone that bucket-list project.
But it’s imperative that we recognise this is a seriously big deal with profound repercussions, the biggest disaster our country has faced since the Second World War.
“I’ve found a calm sense of self-acceptance in doing nothing at all.”
This is an unprecedented situation we’re all dealing with in our separate ways. Processing the continuous streams of information is overwhelming to say the least– it’s okay if it’s getting in your way.
Admittedly, I haven’t spent my time being overly productively, but it’s been valuable, nonetheless.
I’ve revisited old hobbies, indulged in Netflix series’ (thank you Tiger King), relished reading leisurely, propagated plants, and savoured several hours of sunbathing.
And, rather than planning for tomorrow, I’ve found a calm sense of self-acceptance in doing nothing at all.
Lilith Hudson
Featured image courtesy of Samantha via Flickr. No changes made to this image. Image license found here.
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