Quiz: Are You Working Too Much? Find Out 100% Honestly

Do you feel overworked? Take this work-life balance quiz to see if you are working too much. Just answer 20 simple questions to find out.

How to Know If You’re Overworked

Generally, if you have to sacrifice your time and well-being to manage your workload, you’re overworked. Working too much means putting extra hours and effort into completing tasks beyond your physical or mental capacity.

Overworking might be caused by corrupted management or your own conscious decision. But either way, it has adverse effects on your health and can cause extreme levels of anxiety, depression, and aggression in the long run.

Unignorable Signs You’re Working Too Much

If you have four or more of the following symptoms, you’re overworked:

• You constantly work overtime.
• You respond to work-related calls/emails outside of work hours.
• You’ve been underperforming and feeling overly fatigued.
• You are thinking about quitting your job.
• You are assigned to extra tasks without being compensated.
• You experience abnormal physical pain after work.
• You experience brain fog and are more irritable.
• You’re afraid of losing your job if you refuse to overwork.
• Your work has caused interpersonal problems in your family.
• You don’t have enough time to pursue your hobbies.
• You don’t have regular vacations and days off.
• You can’t participate in self-care activities.

Here’s Why You’re Working Too Much

Overworking has two primary reasons: Lack of effective management or work-related stress. Corrupted or weak leadership often causes burnout through understaffing. And pressure pushes workers to work overtime and fear disconnecting from work outside the office.

But overworking might have understandable reasons as well. As David Lawrence Ramsey from the Ramsey Show pointed out, an emergency or seasonal overwork is nothing to be afraid of. Sometimes, businesses require extra effort to survive a specific period or fix an urgent matter.

Overworking is only an issue when it’s constant, unconsented, underpaid, unnecessary, and mandatory.

The Real Problem with Overwork & the Culture of Workaholism

According to the American Sociological Review, 70% of working Americans struggle with too much work. But the real problem is that our society rewards the workaholism culture, encouraging individuals to work non-stop.

Businesses, on the other hand, use understaffing as a coping strategy to cut back on costs and increase profit, not knowing that overworking their staff will have the opposite effect.

Here are some side-effects of working too much—both for workers and employers:

• Overworking decreases workers’ performance.
• Too much work causes absenteeism and disengagement.
• Burnout leads to mental illnesses and other health complications.
• Overloading the staff with too much work damages the corporation’s reputation.
• Chronic overwork increases the business’s employee turnover.

How to Stop Working Too Much

If you feel like you’re working too much, communicate your needs with your supervisor and let them know how you feel. Set boundaries and let your colleagues know you won’t be taking work-related calls outside of work hours. And always re-negotiate your salary before taking on new recurring responsibilities.

Analyze Your Work-Life Balance with the Overworking Quiz

Do you ask yourself, “Am I working too much?” If yes, take our overworking quiz to see if your work-life balance is healthy.

We used the primary symptoms of burnout to create an accurate quiz that determines whether you are overtasked at work or are becoming a workaholic.

Remember, overworking happens even if you have found your dream job. And the following questions help you identify if you’ve been a victim of that.

Questions of the quiz

• Question 1

  How often do you work overtime?

  

  • I rarely work overtime

  • I work overtime occasionally, but I try to limit it

  • I work overtime frequently (even on weekends or holidays)

  • My job requires no overtime work

• Question 2

  How often do you check your work email outside of work hours?

  

  • I rarely do that

  • I occasionally do that, but I'd like to set boundaries

  • I do that all the time (even during weekends and holidays.)

  • I don’t receive many work emails

• Question 3

  Do you take breaks during the workday?

  

  • I do take regular breaks

  • Sometimes, but they’re short, inevitable breaks

  • No, I rarely take breaks during the workday

  • My job is relatively easy, so I don't require any breaks

• Question 4

  How often do you engage in self-care activities? (e.g., exercise, meditation)

  

  • Regularly. It reduces my stress level

  • Occasionally. But I’m trying to improve that

  • I rarely engage in self-care activities

  • My whole routine is like a self-care activity

• Question 5

  How would you describe the time you spend with family and friends?

  

  • Quality. I’m happy with the time I spend with them

  • Inconsistent. I want to be with them more often

  • Insufficient. I can’t spend enough time with them

  • Too much. I’m constantly with them

• Question 6

  Do you have sufficient time to pursue your hobbies?

  

  • Yes, I have plenty of time for that

  • Not really. I wish I had more time to pursue them

  • Not at all. I don’t have any hobbies outside of work

  • Yes, I spend most of my time pursuing my hobbies

• Question 7

  Are you constantly fatigued and tired?

  

  • No, I rarely feel like that

  • Most of the time, yeah

  • All the time. I’m constantly fatigues

  • I never feel like that because my job is easy and light

• Question 8

  Would you say your work causes you to have physical pain?

  

  • No, I don’t think so

  • Yes, that happens frequently

  • All the time. I’m always in pain

  • Not at all. I’ve never experienced that

• Question 9

  Have you been irritable and edgy lately?

  

  • No, I’m pretty calm and relaxed

  • Maybe. People tell me that I’m edgy

  • Yes, I’m extremely edgy these days

  • People actually say that I’m overly chill and relaxed

• Question 10

  Do you take time off for vacation?

  

  • Yes, I do that frequently

  • Not really. But I’m working on it

  • No, I don’t have any vacations

  • I’m vacationing all the time

• Question 11

  Are you able to disconnect from work at home or on vacation?

  

  • Sure. I’m pretty good at that

  • I don’t think so. I take calls and answer emails

  • Not at all. I’m working all the time

  • I’m completely disconnected from work all the time

• Question 12

  Do you feel like you're constantly rushing?

  

  • No, I have a slow routine

  • Most of the time, yes

  • All the time. I’m rushing every second of my life

  • Not at all. People say I’m overly sluggish

• Question 13

  Are you nervous about work-related deadlines?

  

  • Not really. I can manage my time

  • I do feel nervous about most deadlines

  • I’m constantly nervous, with or without deadlines

  • I don’t have any deadlines in my job

• Question 14

  Do you feel like you’re not performing as well as you used to?

  

  • No, I’ve been performing better

  • Maybe, but I’m not sure

  • Yes, I’ve been underperforming

  • I don’t know because I don’t track my performance

• Question 15

  Has your job caused any arguments between you and your loved ones?

  

  • No, not really

  • Yes, but they were minor arguments

  • Yes, my job is ruining my relationships

  • I’ve never experienced that in my life

• Question 16

  Would you say your workload is manageable?

  

  • Absolutely

  • I’m not sure

  • No, it’s not

  • I can’t even say I have a “workload”

• Question 17

  How many hours do you work per week?

  

  • 30-40

  • 50-60

  • 70 or more hours

  • 20 hours or less

• Question 18

  Are you being fairly compensated for your work?

  

  • Yes, I’m happy with my paychecks

  • I think so. But I want to ask for a raise

  • Not at all. I’m underpaid

  • I might be overpaid

• Question 19

  Do you feel like you have to overwork to keep your job?

  

  • No, I don’t think so

  • Yes, I’ve been struggling with that recently

  • Yes, it’s a fact, not a feeling

  • No, I’ve never been overworked in my life

• Question 20

  Final question: how much are you getting paid per hour?

  

  • $20-50

  • $15

  • $10 or less

  • $60 or more