Why Working Too Much Might Actually Make You Less Productive

New data shows just how run-down working overtime can make you feel.

If you feel pressured to work even after you’re technically off the clock, you’re not alone. But did you know that people in your situation report that this actually makes them feel less productive overall? It’s counterintuitive but true. Here’s what you need to know about why you should call it a day at the end of the day. 

Working beyond your work hours makes you feel burned out

It’s common sense that if you work too much, you’ll start to feel overwhelmed and burned out, but Slack’s latest survey of about 10,000 desk workers shows how bad it really is out there. Of their respondents, two out of five said they regularly work after hours and 50% of those say it’s because they feel pressured to, not because they choose to. What’s really interesting, though, is that those who feel pressured report 20% less productivity throughout the day, which Slack attributed to a “focus on quantity over quality across many aspects of work.” In other words, when you’re working more than you should be, feeling more stressed about it all and not taking time for yourself, overall work quality can decline, not just the quality of whatever you’re doing in your off time.

The most common reason these workers give for why they work so much is that they don’t have enough time during their day to get their work done. One in four respondents say they spend too much time in meetings and the same amount say they spend too much time focusing on email. 

How to stop working overtime

So, it seems pretty clear that working outside your regular working hours isn't a great idea for a variety of reasons. But how you do stop? There are a few things you can do to combat these feelings of not having enough time to work, therefore pushing yourself to work beyond your time on the clock. 

First, you need to figure out what you’re doing with all your emails. You have some options for inbox management, like the 4D method of quickly deciding whether you’ll delete, do, delegate, or defer any incoming message, or the LIFO method of going through your inbox at a scheduled time, starting from the top and working down. 

Next, start timeboxing, or scheduling, every little second of your day and making these blocks of time visible on your work calendar. Whichever email management system you choose, make sure you only use it during an allocated time. Try a half hour in the morning and 20 minutes after lunch, then 10 minutes just before you leave for the day. Put these clearly defined boxes in your schedule, plus every other thing you need to do in a day. If you’re having a hard time deciding how long each task will take, spend a week or two tracking your time with an app to figure out exactly how much of a commitment all of your responsibilities require. 

Finally, if you have any say in whether you have meetings or not, try implementing a policy of one day for meetings per week. Research has shown that getting pulled into too many meetings sucks and makes you less productive, so do what you can to minimize the amount you have to be in and consolidate the necessary ones on a single day. Then, do what you can to make the essential meetings actually useful and efficient.

Remember that your productivity needs breaks. Working too much just isn't good for you, so prioritize getting off work and staying off work. Employ the methods above to get more done during the regular day so you can leave without feeling pressured to do more, then go out and enjoy your off hours.