Many writers, including myself, have produced articles on the topic of the amount of time that must be spent in running a successful online business. The consensus appears to be that hard work and long hours are required. Those who say otherwise are either so well established that they are paying other people to do the necessary work, or they are distorting the truth. However, there is a flip side to this picture. What about people who are working much too hard and putting in too many hours per workweek? It happens. The technology industry has a reputation for attracting people who work way too much -- people who become consumed in their work and won't allow themselves to relax. They work not out of necessity but because they are driven. Some call them "workaholics."

I've recently heard from a web entrepreneur who told me she was working 12 to 18 hour days. "I'm so tired that I'm shaking and nauseous," she wrote. Less than a week later, I read an announcement that this woman was entering into yet another venture that would consume many hours of work - on top of what she is already doing. This is an example of someone who works because she can't stop.

"So what's the problem?" I can hear some of you saying. "She'll probably get rich. More power to her." The problems associated with chronic overwork are these:

1. Working long hours over an extended time creates health problems. Medical research shows that health and even lifespan are negatively influenced by extended long work hours. In addition to getting insufficient sleep, over-workers often abandon good nutrition and regular exercise.

2. Family life and other relationships suffer.

3. Creativity decreases. Creativity - meaning the ability to discover new solutions to problems or new ways of doing things - increases when a persons sleeps, rests or engages in enriching activities such as walking outdoors, interacting with loved ones, etc. If you routinely spend 12 or more hours a day working, you will lose creative ability and burn out. You know you are approaching burnout if you can work on routine tasks but have difficulties generating new ideas or concepts. If routine tasks are presenting problems, you are already burned out.

4. Productivity decreases. You work more and accomplish less. Concentration is difficult and you have problems focusing on the topic at hand. It takes you longer to accomplish a task than it would if you were mentally alert. You lose track of details and become forgetful. People begin to complain that they have told you things or sent you information several times but you only vaguely remember or don't remember at all. You waste time looking for misplaced material and redoing things that were lost or contained errors. You may become error prone or accident-prone.

5. You experience mood changes. You become irritable or emotional. You over-react to small stresses or problems. Customers, clients, colleagues and co-workers begin to complain or avoid you.

As you can see, chronic overwork is counter-productive. Working moderate hours will generate better results. Of course, many of us run into situations where we overwork for brief periods while a project is nearing completion or when a deadline is approaching. It becomes a lifestyle problem if our overwork is chronic. If any of the above sounds familiar, it's time to take a good look at your work habits and decide whether some changes are in order.

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