Overtime may bring short-term benefits, but it doesn’t work in the long run and can even be harmful.

The feeling of finishing tons of work in a short period and depriving oneself of quality personal time can be addicting, especially when it results in „saving the day“ for a project. Rolling up your sleeves and cranking to the end of a deadline makes you feel valuable in a very concrete way. Without your overtime, the project doesn’t get done on time. With it, the project is saved. It’s hard to find such black and white ways to add value in daily „normal“ work.