Is Working Overtime Worth It?

Is working overtime worth it in the end even with the extra pay you receive? Here are some things you have to consider.

Near the end of December, I was required by my employer to work some forced over time.

While most people were out enjoying their holidays, my colleagues and I were out on the street paying our dues. In fact, my schedule was so hectic during the holidays that I am still surprised how I survived the consecutive 14 days of work.

However, now that the hustle of the holidays is over, I have had some time to reflect upon the matter. I have come to the conclusion that working the overtime was definitely not worth it. Here are three reasons why:

The negative effects on the health

The biggest reason why I will opt out from working overtime in the future is due to the negative effects on the health it may cause.

My 14 days of consecutive work days left me with no time to rest. In fact, I have even caught a nasty cold just a couple of weeks ago. Of course this isn’t to say that the over-time work is the sole blame for me getting sick but I have a feeling that it played some sort of role.

Additionally, my sleeping/eating habits are also really messed up now and I am simply too exhausted to complete my exercise routine.

Even up to this moment, I am still trying to get my health back on track.

is overtime worth it

Is overtime worth it when you get your pay?

Even with the double pay on the holidays, my net income for the 2 weeks was not much different than a regular 2 week work period.

Despite a very high gross income from the overtime work, taxes have taken a huge portion of my pay and what I was left with only surmounted to an additional couple hundred.

On top of it all, my job is one that is very stressful especially during the holiday season. That extra two hundred per paycheck was not worth the emotional distress I had to go through.

Impact on the social life

Working throughout the entire holiday season has also taken a toll on my social life.

I barely have enough time to do anything with the family let alone hang out with my friends. Additionally, as a single guy, I would also like to spend some time to build up my social life and to make new friends.

Finding time to work on my social goals is extremely hard in my line of work where I have absolutely no work/life balance whatsoever. Not to mention, working overtime does not help the cause either.

Conclusion

Although it is no surprise that I have been complaining a lot about my job recently, I am still grateful that I am employed. I don’t know, maybe I am just a pessimistic person by nature.

With that being said, I look forward to the day when I finally reach financial freedom and escape this rat race that I have found myself trapped in.

What about you? Is overtime worth it? I would love to hear all about it in the comments!

15 Responses to “Is Working Overtime Worth It?”
  1. CheapMom January 21, 2015
    • Jeff January 21, 2015
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  4. No More Waffles January 23, 2015
    • Jeff January 23, 2015
  5. Tawcan January 27, 2015
    • Jeff January 27, 2015
  6. debt2retirement February 2, 2015
    • Jeff February 2, 2015
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    • Jeff December 2, 2016

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