Addicted to Work

So what if all of my hobbies make me money? Who cares that I like working for twelve hours a day? So what if I don’t like binge-watching TV shows on the weekends? Who cares that I worked instead of going to happy hour with my coworkers? So what if I stayed up late to finish work that has no due date?

I have always felt like I needed to finish something every day. If I didn’t, I felt like I wasted the day. It didn’t matter what it was; I just needed to do something. The task didn’t have to be significant. The activity didn’t even need to get done. It could be clean the house, start a book, or organize the junk drawer. Checking off my to-do list was the only priority. If I can list the activities that I did that were productive, I felt good.

I’ll admit it; I am addicted to working. I can’t sit around all day and play video games or binge watch Netflix. There has to be some time during the day that I am working towards a goal. That means if I have a few moments on busy weekends or social obligations, I don’t scroll through Facebook but open my Google Docs to write or edit.

Why Am I Addicted to Work?

There are a few reasons why I operate this way. It’s partly from how my upbringing, all my interests, and having to study a lot. There are a few other psychological reasons that I will discuss later.