# Can you just work and work and work?



## Nickel (Apr 7, 2010)

One of my best friends is an ESTJ, and she can just work all the time. She's currently going to school more than full time and working something like 30 hours. Apparently on her week off from school, she worked 80 hours in one week! I'm afraid that she's working herself too hard, but she put herself in this situation and seems to thrive in it. 

My boyfriend's father is an ESFJ. He works around 10 hours a day at a very physically demanding job, then comes home from work and works on the house. He never stops working - even on his vacations he spends doing active things like hiking for a week. My boyfriend said he's concerned for his dad, but his dad seems to enjoy all the work. 

I can't understand wanting to work all the time. I really appreciate my time off, and even after something like 30 hours a week of work, I can feel like it's too much. I was wondering if any of you can relate. (I was wondering if it was an SJ or ESxJ thing.) And if so, if you'd be willing to explain it to me.


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## Xiong Mao (Apr 19, 2012)

I can...as long as I make it fun or see a rational reason for it. I have to be able to see the bigger picture and fully understand why I am doing something in order to be able to do it nonstop. (This is the same logic that I applied to my chosen career. As soon as I get my degree, I plan to go down in workaholic history!)


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## kittychris07 (Jun 15, 2010)

As an ISFJ, I don't really think I could handle doing work nonstop. Of course, college has sometimes forced me to do this. But I really appreciate my free time. Next year (If my tentative job offer turns into a firm offer), I will hopefully just be working 40 hours per week and then studying for my CPA exam. Hopefully I won't be doing more than 60 hours at that point, though I could afford to go over that amount some weeks. 

I can handle doing a lot of work for short bursts of time (like for a week or so) if I can go back to a normal schedule the following week. I don't want to burn out.

My work ethic used to be a lot different where I would try to work nonstop and make sure to be there for everybody. That did not work out too well for me as I became very anxious, burned out, and then got depressed. Although much of the anxiety was caused by the fact that I didn't know how to do major parts of my work, it wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been a workaholic about everything else that I was doing.


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## Owfin (Oct 15, 2011)

Yeah, nonstop working just doesn't work for me. It'd be hard to work that kind of work, a real work out.


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## WickedQueen (Jun 1, 2009)

For the last 4 months, I've been working for 70-90 hours a week. It's 'peak season' in my office. During this 4 months, there were 7 employees resigned due to exhaustion, and there are 2 more that are going to resign next week. 

I don't enjoy it, but I'm fine with it as long as it's not for forever and I still have the time to meet my family and friends.

In fact, it's pretty much my motto: work hard, play hard, live simple.


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## LeelaWho (Nov 28, 2011)

No, I can't work that intensely. I have health problems which are made worse by stress, so keying down and chillin' is pretty important for me.


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## kittychris07 (Jun 15, 2010)

WickedQueen said:


> For the last 4 months, I've been working for 70-90 hours a week. It's 'peak season' in my office. During this 4 months, there were 7 employees resigned due to exhaustion, and there are 2 more that are going to resign next week.
> 
> I don't enjoy it, but I'm fine with it as long as it's not for forever and I still have the time to meet my family and friends.
> 
> In fact, it's pretty much my motto: work hard, play hard, live simple.


I wonder why some corporations feel like they need to make employees work that hard to get things done. Burned out employees can't be the most productive employees.


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## WickedQueen (Jun 1, 2009)

kittychris07 said:


> I wonder why some corporations feel like they need to make employees work that hard to get things done. Burned out employees can't be the most productive employees.


That's what my ENFJ co-worker said too.

I think it depends on the kind of business that your company runs.

Mine is an investor relations agency. Our biggest project is the production of annual report for our clients (listed companies). The annual reports must be completed and sent to the Government's Capital Market Agency by the end of April. So every year, the season during December to April becomes our most pressured business period.

It can be tough for employees though. During that time, what keeps me motivated is that I'm thinking by doing my job, I'm helping my boss to maintain his business, I'm helping my co-workers to keep their job, I'm helping my client to make good annual report for their investors, and I'm also helping my country on keeping our economic activities on track. The thought of being helpful/useful for others is what make me keep moving on. Isn't helping others is the essence of humanity?


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