The news keeps hitting us with more results on studies about links between work and health, both physical and mental.  One of my posts last month, titled “Vacations 2008:  Are We Making Strides in Managing Time and Stress?” referenced a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine and another conducted at the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin.  They related to the frequency, or infrequency, of real vacation breaks being associated with risks of depression.

A new study, published in the June Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, reports on a study conducted at the University of Bergen in Norway.  Resulting data showed that working overtime tied in with higher anxiety and depression:  the more overtime, the more likelihood of depression.  Even moderate overtime appeared to increase the risk.

I see overtime, defined as more than a 40-hour week, in a majority of those clients with whom I work on creating effective and efficient systems.  One of the reasons I advocate scheduling an uninterrupted block of time during the day is that you can get up to 80% of your work done within a quiet space of time.  However there are all kinds of excuses to avoid this, from open-door policies to constant emergencies, and the effect is that my clients come in early and/or stay late so that they can still have their uninterrupted block.  However those periods end up taking them outside that standard 40-hour work week.

In a society where regular working hours are a myth for so many of us, we need to be aware of the possible effects.  Tie in long hours with reduced health benefits and we may find that we are not moving forward, regardless of income level.  Resolve to make changes without letting work output suffer.  If you have the right systems in place, you can limit the emergencies and still maintain an accessible environment, being more productive in the process.  Taking the time now to develop more effective processes and make the scheduling adjustments needed will pay for itself very quickly.