Don't Be A Hero
Burning yourself out doesn't benefit anyone
I know you’re talented and you can do a lot of amazing things, but there’s no need to burn yourself out.
Your employer doesn’t care if you work harder than expected, and your coworkers probably don’t care either (if anything, they might resent you if your overachievements make them look lazy by comparison).
It’s great that you work hard, but there’s no point in pushing yourself TOO hard.
As a recovering people-pleaser, I know all too well how easy it is to just do a little extra to make people happy. Many of us grew up in environments where we were pushed to always “go above and beyond” and do everything we can to be exceptional at all times. It’s a logical consequence of living in a competitive capitalist society.
But just because people are pleased doesn’t mean it’s always worth the extra effort. Too often the outcome for working extra hard is a casual “nice, thanks” from upper management and a hollow feeling of exhaustion.
It’s worse when this is a long-term pattern, especially if you have a family. Working too hard not only hurts you in the long run, but your family can end up suffering as well (either from your absence, or a residual unpleasant attitude you might not even realize you’re holding because you’re so tired). They need you to be present, healthy, and happy. They don’t want to see you exhausted, stressed, or missing out on life’s important moments.
This all seems fairly obvious to most people, I’m sure, but it’s taken me a long time to recognize this pattern in my own life. I’ll spend SO MUCH energy making a feature just right and throwing in a lot of bonus functionality because I’m an obsessive perfectionist. While the clients often appreciate the extra attention to detail, I’m still spending unnecessary energy doing things nobody asked me to do.
It feels good to be the “go-to” person who can handle everything and always does EXCEPTIONAL work, but this approach is unsustainable and ultimately self-destructive. You can do good work without sacrificing your health, relationships, or personal life.
Of course, I know you still want to do a good job.
That’s something I appreciate about you.
It’s fine to work hard and make the best effort you can.
Just be careful, ok?
