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While I was too busy to blog over the last six months I contemplated this thought over and over again. Being a web worker as well as falling into the GenY category I spend a lot of time on the web - for work and for play. Often times the line between these two are blurred. What’s worse is I’ll find myself shifting back and forth between the two in my 12 hour a day shift at the computer. On the weekend, simple web browsing somehow turns into a four hour long hack-a-thon. I’ve become addicted to my work.

Almost any train of thought I have is redirected down the path of critical and analytical thinking… which inevitably leads to an *idea* and a couple of hours of work for due diligence. This painstaking process has lead me to be strung out, burnt out, and overly tired and an ever increasing project load. But this does not stop me, for I am addicted to my work.

My schedule often includes 12 hours a day at my computer working on a dozen different projects. My weekends are a mix between a lot of work and a little play. I cannot seem to break out of the habit, because I am addicted to work.

The last couple weekends I have not had a chance to get to work because I’ve just been too busy with that “other stuff”. Holiday weekends, bachelor parties in Vegas, and some good Iowa weather have helped me break away from the glare of too many LCDs at my desk. Although I couldn’t quite get my brain away I still came back to my computer refreshed. It felt good, although I am afraid I am still addicted to my work.

But now that I’ve acknowledged “I have a problem”, I can begin to cope. After this realization occurred I read two great articles that cemented my newfound awareness. The first one I read was from Norm Brodsky in the most recent issue of Inc. Magazine called “Street Smarts: Get Lost“…

Norm’s article resonated with me on many levels and gave me many goals to attempt to achieve, most notably putting the business on autopilot and taking 16 weeks off a year. Thus I have made my goal this year to take at least a month off. Why? Let’s see what Norm says:

“… But I didn’t have a clear sense of how much better off I would be until I actually started doing it. Not that it came easily. It took time and determination to tear myself away from the business on a regular basis. I started out taking one week of vacation per year and gradually worked up to four, timing my breaks to coincide with the periods when business was slow. The more time I took, the better I felt, and the more I appreciated just why vacations — real vacations, on which you clear your mind and don’t think about business at all — are so important. I would come back from one feeling rejuvenated and able to take a fresh, uncluttered view of the business. I could see issues and problems with a clarity I hadn’t had before. It was obvious to me that I was a bigger asset to the company on my return than I had been when I left.”

Sounds good doesn’t it? Don’t get me wrong - I am still addicted to my work. But I have a new goal: To work towards a self-sustainable business that allows me to follow Norm’s lead. My old goal was, well, just to work and be successful which, in programmer’s terms, created an infinite loop. With my new goal in hand I still need a little positive reinforcement which came from a post from Harvard Business Review by Barbara Kellerman called “Take a Break“. To open she reiterated my old goal, a seemingly ironic mantra that defined my problem:

“The harder we work the better we are. The harder we work the higher we climb. The harder we work the more we control. The harder we work the closer we get to the gates of heaven.”

Religious connotations aside that describes the infinite loop I had created for myself. Now that I have addressed, and thanks to Barbara, defined the problem I can begin to conquer it.

Now it’s time to outsource more, work less, and go canoeing as much as possible until the Iowa weather turns cold and forces me back to the dimly LCD lit room that is my office.

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