Workaholics

These days, everyone claims to be a Workaholic. Somehow, labeling yourself as a workaholic is THE easiest way to avoid uncomfortable queries about your personal life, and yet make a hell of a good impression. The term Workaholic seems to be used, in all intentions, as an example of positivity. After all, being committed to your work 24 hours a day, is better than admitting that you have deeper issues which you are unwilling to explore. However, I can't seem to understand why people would proudly admit that they are workaholics, when workaholism is a servitude.


Although many of my peers claim to be workaholics, i can't help but notice that everyone seems to have a different idea of what makes a person a workaholic. I've broken workaholics into the different categories below;


The Passionate Workaholic


The person who is passionate about what they do, almost obsessed to a point of encircling their entire life around a certain passion. Every activity that they do, must reflect their passion and be in line with their beliefs


The Closeted Workaholic


A person who is "kiasu" and constantly worried about being left behind, therefore working his ass off to prove that he is indispensable. He doesn't necessarily like what he does, but works incessantly to secure his place and position. He has an incessant need to be "always on capacity".


The Narcissistic Workaholic


A perfectionist and narcissist who believes that there is none other than himself/herself who can get a job done correctly. Someone who is obsessed about micro-managing and lives by the motto "if you want to get something done right, do it yourself". He/She ends up spending more time tweaking details to achieve perfection, rather than coming up with ideas for new projects.


The Fake Workaholic


The type where he/she works extra hours and sometimes round the clock because of his/her inability to multitask or manage time efficiently, This type of workaholic is always working at the 11th hour because of the lack of certain aptitude or skills, but manages to disguise his long input of hours as being hardworking and meticulous to details.


The Seasonal Workaholic


Alas, the one who claims to be a workaholic, but is really tying up loose ends for all the procrastination that has left him/her behind.


The 9-5 Guilt Workaholic


The one who is accustomed to working certain hours a day, in order to prove himself/herself as a good employee, to a point where he/she feels guilty for taking off days, naps, holidays, and deserving breaks while others are working.


The No-Life Workaholic


The one who claims to be a workaholic, just because there's nothing else but the Telly to look forward to if she/he does return home on time. This kind normally hides behind the walls of his/her office cubicle and finds his/her work satisfaction as a pain reliever for the other fallen aspects of his/her life.


The Perpetual Workaholic


The kind who is always working towards something in all aspects of life. From work to love to friendship to health to life in generally, a perfectionist who is tirelessly striving to be tip top at all areas. Commonly found among housewives/working moms who are constantly escaping judging eyes.


Am I a workaholic? Been there, done that, and got over with it. I am not particularly proud or ashamed to say that I am an ex-workaholic. But it is a lifestyle change I have decided upon, which has proven to be healthier to my mental state and brought more Zen into my life. The fact is that, being a workaholic is a very selfish act. It is like living in a bubble and working towards your goals and making sure no one comes in between you and your goals. But we always forget that no man is an island. Your workaholic attitude, is bound to reflect or neglect someone who is around you. As lonely as the loneliest man on the planet, your actions will always impact someone or two out there.
We are not Drones, especially in this age and time and we should not indenture ourselves to such servitude. What kind of culture are we inculcating to the future generation? Work till your last breath because that is the one thing that will keep you alive and successful?

We are a workaholic society, oh yes we are, in one way or another. We live in a culture that is enslaved by work and we will fall short of acceptable expectations if we choose to etch away from that culture.

Instead of trumpeting about family or kinship values, we worry about fitting into our society places and career achievement than it does on parenting skills. Work is where it is at. In our twisted culture, work is the your friend, your life partner, your family.

If you have proudly labelled yourself as a Workaholic, then maybe it is time to take a few seconds, to reconsider if you are truly at peace with your priorities in the order which they are in.