Most People Work Hard and Spend Their Health

graphic © eminentlyquotable.com

“Most people work hard and spend their health trying to achieve wealth. Then they retire and spend their wealth trying to get back their health.” – Kevin Gianni

Putting in more hours of work than the usual may boost your credibility and fatten your paycheck, but it may also cost you your life. Experts say that working long hours could be linked to poor heart health, obesity, diabetes, substance abuse, and even sudden death resulting from exhaustion.

Psychologist and business strategist Liane Davey refers to it as the law of diminishing returns. “We think that we’re staying and doing more and being more productive; but the negative outcome of doing that actually means our core quality suffers.”

Working for long hours causes employees to overlook their physiological needs, like eating on time and getting enough sleep. To top that, prolonged psychological stress reduces their inhibitions on food, cigarettes, and caffeine. Eventually, these harmful habits can take a toll on their health.

In the 1960s, Japan coined the word “karoshi,” which means “overworked to death.” Overworking has long been a phenomenon but the rise of technology and tight competition led the way to an epidemic that victimizes mostly young people. This form of “glorified slavery” may be a shortcut to a promotion but not to real success.

Productivity goes a long way, and having a work-life balance ensures that. Science has shown that well-rested employees are more productive and creative. It goes without saying that one needs a life outside work to be good at work. As a quote goes, “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a LIFE.”