Are Workaholics More Productive?

Sometimes it seems as though there simply isn't enough time in the day to do all of the things we need to do. Between working long hours and the changing demands of our home lives, finding time to do anything else is next to impossible. Self-proclaimed workaholics that I know claim to work 70 hours a week and never have time to do anything fun or treat themselves to some time off. With so much on their plates, they struggle to get things done. I wondered if they were actually more productive than the rest of us.

According to Laura Vanderkam, the author of “What the Most Successful People do at Work,” most people overestimate how much time it takes to complete a task and how much they actually work. I can see how this overestimation works in my own life. For example, I might put off doing the dishes, under the assumption that it will take a good deal of time. Instead of just doing it right now, I might wait until I have a large block of time later. If I were to actually time myself doing the dishes, I would find that it actually only takes about 15 minutes. When it comes to how many hours we devote to work, it's easy to overestimate. Many people feel that saying they work 70 or more hours a week makes them sound more motivated and more serious about their job. If they were to keep an actual log of each task and how long it took them, they would probably find that at the most, they top off at about 60 hours a week – which is still a lot.

So what's the matter with people overestimating? If it makes them feel better to claim to be so busy, what's the harm in it? Actually, it can hurt them in many ways. For one, claims of working 70 hours a week set the standard to a ridiculous level. If one person works 60 hours, they will still feel that they aren't working nearly hard enough if everyone else in their office claims to work 10 or more hours than they do. Another problem is that when looking at ways to save time and manage a schedule, the choices you make when you're dealing with a 70-hour work week are much different than the ones you would make if you were working 50 hours.

How can you find out how much time you actually spend working and how can you use this information to make realistic plans for time management? Here are a few tips:

Be honest with yourself. In order to get a handle on how you spend your time, you have to let go of the idea that working more hours is somehow better than working less. Instead of measuring your success by the hour, try looking at how many tasks you complete. Be honest with yourself about how you spend your time and don't take anything you discover personally. The goal is to manage your time better, not to determine if you are working hard enough.

Keep a log of your time. Make a commitment to keeping a time log for at least three weeks. During this time, write down each activity and how long it takes you. Most smartphones have apps that work like stopwatches, making it super easy to get an accurate time measurement. While you're keeping the log, write down everything. Remember, this isn't a timesheet, and you won't be punished for wasting time. If you cheat or leave out things you don't want to own up to, like spending two hours reading Cracked articles, you'll only be cheating yourself.

Look for places where you could save time. Once you have an accurate picture of how you spend your time, it will be easy to find places where you can save some time and be more productive. However, it's important not to cut out everything you feel isn't on task. You need some time to take a break and chatting with a coworker or checking your Facebook isn't always a waste of time.

Use the information for effective scheduling. Now that you know how long each task actually takes, use the information to make your schedule actually work. If you know that a task is going to take 45 minutes, then you need to put it in a place where you have that amount of time available. When I'm running late or just behind on completing a task, it's usually because there was a difference between how long I think it should take and how long it actually takes.

Keeping track of what you do and how long it takes is the most important step in managing your time. We, as a culture, need to get away from the idea that people who work longer hours are more productive and that they are somehow a better, harder working, employee. Our goal shouldn't be to become a workaholic. Instead, our focus should be on how to use our time more effectively, even if that means working less.

Do you think that you overestimate your time? What do you do to manage your time? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

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