In our productivity-obsessed, always-on world it’s easy for busyness to become a badge of honor. But sometimes that effort-ing transforms from the reasonable pursuit of our goals into workaholism: a compulsive, even addictive drive to work. In today’s episode Forrest and Dr. Rick explore what workaholism is really, the psychological functions it serves, and how it relates to other addictive behaviors. You’ll learn both how to approach changing behaviors like workaholism in general and specific interventions that can help.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
2:20: Differentiating workaholism from working hard
9:40: Preempting criticism, and your internal audience
17:10: Competence, approval seeking, and motives
23:50: Addiction without social stigma
28:40: Population groups more prone to workaholism
33:50: The stages of change
37:45: Moving to the wider view, craving and regret
40:55: Embodying your future self, and social support
43:10: Identity, and creating a coherent narrative
46:00: Underlying feelings, mindfulness, and making choices
49:20: Distinguishing being and becoming
52:25: Tracking your time, and scheduling time off
54:50: Giving others influence over your behavior
56:20: Rick’s personal experience navigating a healthy work ethic
1:01:20: Recap
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Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson