Why You Should Work Less
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Even if it doesn’t come as a surprise that working too much is bad for you, it’s still important to stop, decompress, and evaluate. A new video from Discovery News gives some compelling evidence that our work culture demands too much for us—and at a high cost.
1. You need to learn the work/life balance
“People get burned out. They show up, but they don’t try,” Trace Dominguez, host of Discovery News, explains. “And all of this because they don’t know when to be working and when to not be working.”
This is called the work/life balance, and 70 percent of working Americans struggle with this balance, according to Discovery News.
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2. Stress can lower your libido
It’s well known that stress is bad for your body and mind. But don’t forget, stress can cause frequent colds and infections, aches, pains and tense muscles, diarrhea, and even loss of sexual desire and/or ability, according to Web MD.
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3. If you’re in a relationship and have a baby, things get harder
80 percent of Millennials around the world are part of a dual-income couple, the Washington Post reports. If one member of the family unit calls off work sick, the other often has to do so as well so that the family can be cared for as usual.
“But both spouses feel that stress,” Discovery News says, but notes that women in heterosexual relationships are more likely to pick up the slack at home.
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4. It doesn't have to be this way
Other countries, arguably, do it better. Several European countries like Germany, France, and the Netherlands report high rates of worker productivity, matching and sometimes surpassing U.S. numbers.
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“All while the EU mandates laws that promote work/life balance,” Discovery News notes, pointing out that some Americans might view needing more work/life balance as not working hard.
5. Stopping work actually increases productivity
“Stopping working, even for five minutes, can help you be more productive when you pick it up again," Discovery News points out.
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To learn more about why working too much is terrible for you (and how you can fix it), check out the full video below.
