u/scurrymend

I spent a large part of my professional life convinced that dedicating my evenings and weekends to work was the secret to advancing and succeeding. But all I got from it was increasing exhaustion and bitterness. About four months ago, I put an end to it: I decided I would leave work exactly when my shift ended, no matter what. And you know what the surprise is? My focus and productivity at work throughout the day not only improved, but I also reclaimed my personal time. These days, I'm able to genuinely connect with the people I love, return to any creative projects I'd forgotten about, and I just feel much more refreshed and ready to do anything. And the bigger surprise? My manager and the entire team didn't see any drop in the quality of my work. This was a huge shock to me when I realized that all that extra effort wasn't benefiting anyone, and I was literally building my own prison of over-commitment.