Workaholic or Call Addicted...

Today was one of those rare Mondays when some calls got cancelled, and after 7:30 PM, there was nothing at the top of my mind that needed urgent attention. I was trying to respond to a few emails, when someone at home requested me for something. I felt angry at being distracted, but responded to the request nevertheless. And then, I started feeling nervous, fidgety, and started thinking that something is a miss – and there it was- I was experiencing some kind of withdrawal symptoms. I closed my laptop for the first time on a work day, and started to think why am I so preoccupied with work always....

• -          I check my blackberry blink every 2-3 minutes
• -          I get excited about work
• -          I mostly always take work to bed, vacations, and read emails over the weekend ( off late though, I try and not respond to them)
• -          I have taken work calls during vacations
• -          I have started talking about work the most
• -          I think about work while driving, eating, sleeping, ....
• -          I work while driving (taking calls) and eating
• -          I read emails in the middle of night
• -          I have read and responded to emails while on a treadmill
• -          I have started to believe that it is OKAY to work long hours 

The only reason I thought of writing this now was because my BlackBerry services are not functional. And don’t get me wrong – I LOVE MY WORK.

Am I addicted, or simply feel compelled to work? Or have I naturally fallen prey to the culture that prizes work ethics, long work hours and achievements?