They’re a Warning Sign
Every once in a while, someone casually drops a late-night LinkedIn post: “Been working 16 hours a day lately. Grinding nonstop.”
It’s not a headline.
Because let’s be real: Bragging about endless hours doesn’t make you look impressive. It makes you look like you’ve lost control.
Yes, working hard matters.
But here’s what you’re really saying when you talk about those 16-hour days:
You might be busy, not productive. Filling time is easy. Creating impact is hard. Long hours often mask the difference.
You’re normalizing burnout. Overwork has become so common we’ve started celebrating it. But exhaustion isn’t a virtue it’s a risk factor for mistakes, poor decisions, and resentment.
You’re not protecting your energy. If your only strategy is to work more, you’re ignoring better ways to work: smarter systems, clearer priorities, real rest.
You’re teaching others the wrong lesson. Whether you manage a team or just share online, broadcasting overwork sets an expectation that success requires self-neglect. It doesn’t.
Hard work is beautiful. Chronic overwork is not. Let’s stop confusing the two.
