5 Ways to STOP Being a Workaholic (Part 2)

In my last blog, I went through the first two ways to stop being a workaholic. Now, let’s continue!

Third: Get over perfectionism. 

Now, this takes a journey.  I’m just being honest that getting over perfectionism takes a little bit more time and consistency than I can do in a blog. But I'm going to give you three things that I've done myself and that I coached my clients about that we’ve found very helpful. 

How to get over perfectionism:

​​1. 80% done is better than perfect.

A lot of times, your 80% is actually 120-150% of somebody else's 80%. 80% is better than perfect. For example, when recording my podcast, I sometimes fumble while talking about the different topics. I could have said that's not good enough. That's not 100% so I'm going to have to re-record it. But it really doesn't matter, does it? Will people think, “Oh, she fumbled over her words, so I'm not listening anymore.” No. The point is, I'm getting my content out there. My team is going to be able to put it in different places because 80% done is better than perfect. It helps me to have a whole bunch of 80% out there, which again, are probably over 100%. Rather than be just focused on getting perfect every time. 

2. Bring someone else on board.

That could be for two reasons: (1) skills and (2) accountability. For the skills, I was really suffering from perfectionism around my blog forever. In the beginning, what I did was get my blog to about 80%. Then I brought someone else on to edit it, format it, and put it online. She had the skills. The other benefit was I was accountable to get it done then could relax because I would pass it off to her. There was a due date. 

3. Creating milestones for yourself. ​

A lot of times with perfectionism, we procrastinate, we hold off on things, and we do it last minute because we're freaking out about not being able to do it perfectly. But if you have some milestones it’s easier. For example, “By this date, I'll have the outline done. Then by this date, I'll have the draft done. By this date, I'll pick the photos. By this date, I'll have it posted.” 

All the milestones help you to focus on the little steps rather than be overwhelmed with the whole project. You can also set expectations in advance. When I wrote my first book, we were in a time crunch and I knew I would want to be a perfectionist about it, so I broke it down into a repeatable process and focused on one chapter at a time. I was appreciative of my friend who said, “You know what, this is version one and edition one. If you notice there are errors or you want to do more with it, know you can make a second edition.” That took the pressure off. 

Fourth: Don't micromanage others.

If you bring others on like a virtual assistant, a vendor to do some work for you, or someone under contract, it’s important not to micromanage them. 

How to avoid micromanaging others:

1. Be super clear on instructions. 

Be clear. Be brief, be gone sort of idea. You can pick one task, record a video on how to do it and have them document the process. Then do the task!

2. Ask them for updates. 

You can say, “By this date, give me this type of update or give me a weekly update” so that you're not having to follow up with them. They can let you know where they’re at on their task by sending you a simple message. We don't need to have a big meeting or conversation that makes you work more. 

3. When you are in a place where you are the cog in the wheel, look at it, step back, and say, “Do I need to pass this off as well?” 

If you're the cog in the wheel, that means you're probably a workaholic, and you don't have time to do something. Therefore, it’s not helpful if you keep a task that isn’t getting done. Instead it’s better to pass that piece off as well. ​

If you are working too much, have a look at what else you have to do, that you can pass off. Because if you're working too much, you probably have too much on your plate. 

Fifth: Be less accessible

I can remember leading my Dynamic Year Program and asking everyone, “To get the most out of this program, please tell your loved ones, your friends, your co-workers, your team, whoever it may be, that you are in a full-day workshop and that your attention is here and that you're not going to be accessible.” 

Someone didn't and they were messaging during the program. We're all in a room together, and what she said was, “Well, my team member was asking me where a bit of info. was.” She was way too accessible that she was willing to drop what she was doing, her personal development, her business development, in order to text someone on her team, even though she said that she wasn't going to be accessible. 

How to stop being accessible:

1. Be very clear on your communication channels. 

What way do you prefer for people to reach out to you? I say to my clients, “Email me about something if you need support, so I'm in that headspace of supporting clients.” 

I tell them to only text me if it is an emergency, if you actually need to talk to me, or if it's a wonderful celebration. I'm very clear on those communication channels. 

My virtual assistants know that we use the project management tool to talk about our tasks. If they need something right away, they can WhatsApp me. ​

Be very clear on your communication channels. Maybe this is one of the pieces that you need to take on board because you deal with asking yourself, “Where was that message again? Was it through text, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LinkedIn messenger, Instagram messenger, or email? OR Was it on our project management platform?” Having so many ways to communicate makes you too accessible, and gives you a headache causing you to work more.

2. Turn your phone to “Do not disturb” 

On my phone, it’s actually constantly on silent. In Japan, they call it manner mode. I always have it on silent on the side. I also screen my calls. If I'm receiving a phone call or a message from someone, and I'm not ready or in the space to be able to take it or I'm working on something else, I don't answer it. Sometimes with friends, I don't answer. I send a message and say, “Hey, I'll call you in an hour.” Then I pull out my laundry and I start folding it when I call them or when I'm driving somewhere, I'll have a great conversation with them at that point. 

You can turn your phone to do not disturb or airplane mode, especially at night, so that you're not inundated with notifications because you need that time to refresh and relax. 

3. Tell people you cannot be reached on vacation. 

You probably know how to set up the email autoresponder that says, “Hey, I'm on vacation, I'll get back to you on such and such a date.” You can even say, “Please email me back at that time because I'm not going to be able to go through all of the past emails.” Maybe the second day you're back so that the first day you have time to get back into the groove. ​

Then if someone messages, honor that. Don't answer them or be very brief with your answer so they don't think they can keep calling you or texting you on your phone while you’re off. 

Wrapping Up

Those are the 9 additional ways to stop being a workaholic (15 in total if we add the first ones from the last blog!) It's so important to stop being a workaholic because if you don't, it's really going to kill your energy, your passion, or even your spark. 

Which two or three are you actually going to bring into play this week?

If you're interested in knowing a little bit more about if you're a workaholic or how much of a workaholic you are, you can do the FREE quiz How Much of a Workaholic Are You. 

P.S. Have you heard? The Dynamic Women Online Summit 2023 is coming on April 21 and 22! Be inspired, motivated and shown how to be Dynamic in your life and business!
Grab your free tickets here.

Read my other blogs here:

1. 3 Solutions to Stop Spreading Yourself Too Thin
​2. 4 Steps to Stop Judging Yourself
3. Stop Telling Others They are Too Much