15 Confessions of Workaholics….Is this you?

While the Swedish are testing the efficacy of a 30-hour work week, many of us are have been extending the regular 40 by stashing work hours at home, hiding them from our time and labor sheets, and pretending it’s the fault of our work-machine boss.

But let’s face it… the education system worked a bit too well… you love what you do for a living… and now you’re stretching the bounds of monogamy with your significant other/spouse with your seemingly inappropriate relationship with work.

Still in denial?

Recite these 15 confessions of workaholics out loud and see if they resonate with you. Better yet, recite them to your significant other and see what he/she thinks:

1. Sometimes I think my spouse/significant other gets in the way of the joy and validation I will get from completing my assignments… at 2 in the morning.
2. Whenever I feel my cell vibrate for an incoming message, I secretly get excited… or frustrated if I can’t check it immediately because it would be rude while someone is speaking to me.
3. My idea of a flexible work schedule consists of working from home 7am to 8am; working from my office 9:30am to 6:30pm; and working from home again when the spouse and kids go to sleep.
4. My computer files are a reflection of my nervous system. If deleted, I’m just a hard, useless shell of myself.
5. I daydream about an additional course/masters/PhD like it’s a summer camp for adults.
6. My worst nightmare is losing my cellphone and tablet and not knowing what to do next with my life.
7. Weekends are opportunities to: (a) get more work done without the phone ringing; (b) convince my work colleagues that my productivity rate is superhuman; and (c) take advantage of the my spouse taking the kids to soccer/music/anything practice to finish sending some emails.
8. When people ask me what I see in my future at a social gathering, I automatically assume that they are interested in my work goals.
9. My personal hobbies? Umm… [insert things I used to do years ago].
10. I publicly renounce but secretly request to work with other workaholic colleagues on my team.
11. I turn any work-related award (President’s award, Vice-President’s award etc.) into World Cup Final-like motivation.
12. Every time I joke that my work is my second spouse at a party, I have a serious conversation with my first spouse about it as soon as we get in the car or back to the house.
13. Work-leave (vacation) feels like work is leaving me alone involuntarily for a week or two.
14. My official retirement will mark the beginning of my consultancy career.
15. I think the way my mind works is pretty sexy when I’m working.