How to be happy as a WORKAHOLIC.

Does this describe you?

(takes deep breath)

(realizes he is describing himself)

(realizes he is talking about himself in the third person and this letter is already off to a strange start)

• If you aren’t working on something, you feel guilty

• If you are relaxing too much, you get this pit in your stomach feeling like there is “some opportunity” you are missing by being “lazy”

• Paradoxically, you feel BEST after you’ve busted your ass for a 12 hour day and can’t possibly work another minute.

If any of those describe you, congratulations, you are JUST LIKE ME!

A CLASSIC CASE OF “THE WORKAHOLIC”!

Oh, it’s pretty miserable being us.

Yes, we are usually extremely driven.

And also extremely successful.

But do we REALLY enjoy it?

Eh… hard to say.

Here’s what I’ve done recently (past 6 months) to try to actually enjoy my life and stop feeling like a workaholic ALL the time.

1) Write this ONE sentence EVERYWHERE

I’m serious. You’re going to want to write this down.

put it on your mirror.

Maybe tattoo it somewhere on your body (i’ve actually considered this).

Ready?

—-> Am I Inventing Things to Do to Avoid the Important?

That is my absolute favorite quote from Tim Ferris’ classic book, The 4 Hour Workweek.

It pretty much summarizes ALL of the issues that I have being a workaholic.

Issue #1 -> If I’m not working I feel bad and like I’m wasting time.

Well, the truth of the matter is that JUST WORKING for the sake of WORKING doesn’t actually achieve anything.

We all understand this, but we OFTEN FORGET IT.

This quote -> Am I Inventing Things to Do to Avoid the Important?

Reminds me that it’s really ONLY the IMPORTANT things that move the needle (see 80:20 rule from other letters).

If I start knocking out the important things FIRST, I immediately feel better about relaxing a bit.

Issue #2 -> Literally inventing things to do.

We all do it as workaholics.

Make up something “super important” that we need to do right then and there to feel “accomplished for the day”.

But when I remember this sentence -> Am I Inventing Things to Do to Avoid the Important?

And I really think of the “inventing things to do” part…

IT HITS ME.

Do I really want to look back on my life, and remember it as a haze of invented (READ: Made up) tasks that I gave myself that didn’t really matter? Of course I don’t.

2) Remind yourself you are going to die.

Might sound morbid.

Actually scratch that it definitely is morbid.

But it works.

(I stole it from Steve Jobs so… it’s basically a bulletproof strategy :)

But seriously, that’s pretty sage advice right there…

Would you want to spend the last day of your life obsessively checking your email?

Of course not.

3) Imagine it all going to hell in a handbasket.

If you want a more detailed guide on how to do this, please see my other letter -> “The #1 Happiness Hack” -> https://thekaleletter.substack.com

Seriously.

It’s time to imagine the WORST case scenario.

Whenever I get the “workaholic jitters” (feeling in my stomach like I’m not working hard enough) it’s usually about a specific thing.

So, what do I do?

I take that specific thing I’m worried about not doing right that second.

And picture the WORST CASE SCENARIO.

I mean the worst.

Like, let’s say I’m worked up about not working on one of these letters…

So I picture it going really badly….

I don’t send the letter.

Someone complains.

More people complain.

A lawsuit is filed against me.

DANG. THIS SUCKS.

But if that’s the worst it can truly get….

Then, automatically, my brain starts to think…

Well, if that happened…

I would just refund ALL subscribers.

Sure that would suck.

I’d lose some money.

But then the lawsuit would be dead in the water.

And I would be free as a bird!

IMMEDIATELY I FEEL BETTER!!!

This literally works for anything. Try it.

Okay cool, in the spirit of not being a workaholic, I’m going to stop writing now :)

If this resonated with you, or you think it would resonate with someone else…

Please let me know in the comments, smash that like button, subscribe to this letter, and SHARE it with someone who you think it would help.

I write this letter 5x a week and it comes with a podcast version.

Subscribe if you haven’t yet, I won’t let you down.

Kale