Master's Reading and Writing, The Workaholic

 

Master’s Reading and Writing, What is a Workaholic?

 

In the modern, competitive work environment, people are encouraged to work as hard as

possible if they would like to get ahead. This mindset has led to an increase in people who

identify themselves as workaholics. While one might see workaholics as people who put a lot of

effort into their work, the term itself typically means something a bit darker.

A workaholic is a person who works excessive hours, often at the expense of other things

in their lives. This person is so obsessed at their work that they blatantly disregard other

fundamental things, such as family and extracurricular activities, such as sports, clubs, or other

social activities. The workaholic often measures his success by how much work they are doing

and are not concerned about other things.

Even if the workaholic is married and has a family, there is the common idea that this

person is married to his or her work. By this, we mean that their work is the center of their

universe. If they have not been to their children’s school in years or been a part of their

activities, this does not concern them as much as others because their career takes precedence

over things they find more trivial. The workaholic shuns things, such as family dinners and

movie nights. Each moment they spend doing these things is wasted time they could be using for

getting projects done.

In many cases, the workaholics indifference to his or her mental or physical health

inevitably has long-term consequences, such as getting sick or having diseases of different sorts.

In some cases, the workaholic eventually suffers a mental breakdown of some kind. In some

really extreme cases, these people literally work themselves death. Their years of ignoring

health needs causes them to die.

The workaholic, which is an unenviable lifestyle, is indeed quite different from someone

you would call hardworking. While it is true that all workaholics are hardworking, not all

hardworking people are workaholics. A hardworking person is someone who puts great effort

into what he or she does and even is willing to go the extra mile to perform well at their job.

With that being said, you can be hardworking without being a workaholic. You can learn when

to turn off the work mindset and focus on other things in your life.

So, a workaholic is a negative term that is related to a person that works and sacrifices

everything around them. Their work is their life. The hardworking person loves their work, but

they don’t necessarily revolve everything around it. So, it is important to recognize the

difference between them.

 

Reading comprehension:

Identify the terms:

*Blatantly disregard

*trivial

*Married to your work

*to go the extra mile

*Takes precedence over