Are you suffering from overwork?

Recently I was invited to speak at PepsiCo on the subject of working smarter not harder. Having spent much of my career in corporate America, I know many workers feel stretched just to keep up with daily activities.

With this in my mind, I was shocked and saddened to read a recent Economist article about an employee in Japan who had died from overwork. Just thirty years old, the father of two died after working successive 80 hour work weeks for the previous 6 months.

Working these hours, life starts to feel like a treadmill. You’re running faster and faster each day but not getting very far. You see it happening yet continue with the routine not knowing how to stop and get off. If this sounds like you (I’ve been there too), here are two useful resources you might want to check out:
—Take Time For Your Life by Cheryl Richardson
—Work + Life by Cali Williams Yost

Both offer inspiration and practical tips for making time your ally. If you’re thinking, "I’d love to read them but I don’t have time," then check out a book summary service like Executive Book Summaries.

Above all, remember this: "The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it." ~Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris

What are your strategies for managing time? Do you feel overworked? How do take care of yourself while still taking care of your career?