You remember that kind of annoying kid who was close to tears when they get a 98 percent on a test? Yeah, that’s me. But I know I’m not the only one, and I will not apologize for the way that I am wired. I cannot tell you what made us this way, the “overachievers.” Maybe it was a cautious mix of parental expectations, pride and competitive spirit. The life of a go-getter is a constant internal competition. This disorienting sense of continuous pressure and self-evaluation expresses itself in many forms. Here’s seven daily signs that workaholics know all too well:
A Social What?
I cannot even begin to tell you of the parties and good times that I missed out of in high school. No, I literally can’t tell you, because eventually people just stopped inviting me. No hard feelings, but I just couldn’t go. Socializing on a school night is never an option. Going out to eat is fun, but not when you have a test the next day and a project due Friday and a math quiz on Monday you know you should start studying for in advance. It’s not to say that an overachiever still can’t have a good time, but any form of leisure is done under the stressful knowledge that you could be using that time for something more ‘productive’. Workaholics have to train themselves to realize that spending time with friends is productive, or at least important enough to leave the homework alone on a Saturday.
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Troubled by Trouble
Project X was a good enough movie, but we have scholarships to keep. The desire to have conventional “fun” is trumped by the fear of getting caught. After all, what will they say when the Class President Honors Student Grant Receiving Teachers Pet is caught fleeing the cops? Granted, that may be a little dramatic, but it’s still true. With so much going and even more to lose, the risk is not worth the reward. Plus, what’s a night of partying compared to filing your online notes and SAT preparation anyway?
Hyper-Organization
Speaking of, the life of an overachiever is not possible without a large degree of planning and organization. If color coding was a language, I would be fluent. Sticky notes are the window to the soul. Using these systems allows a complex network of obligations and requirements to become clear. A visual representation of all obligations translates into a mental checklist, and makes the day go by (almost) stress-free.
The BTF (Best Test Friend)
An overachiever is never as popular as they are the night before the test. The classmate that you haven’t spoken to in over two months needs your Google Doc, and in that moment you two are back to being the closest of buds. This may bother some, but take it as a compliment. This means that you’re the one they see as reliable to help them cram for the exam.
Always On the Move
There’s no such thing as lunch for an overachiever. There’s only working…in front of food. One key to multitasking is utilizing every second that you’re given. Granted that breaks, naps and times for relief are necessary, but those things come once the work is done. With a finger in every pie, there’s often no time to sit down and enjoy a slice.
The Perfect Perfectionist
OK, yes, not everything can be perfect. However, why wouldn’t you want it to be? If 100 points are available for every test, then that’s what we’ll strive to earn. Overachievers know that not everything is going to work out in their favor, but it doesn’t hurt to try. And likewise, the subsequent disappointment and regret that comes from “failing” (getting like a …85) is just part of our complicated and underappreciated thought process.
Ultimate Fulfillment
In the end, every person is built in their own unique way. Although the life of an overachiever can seem like a neurotic desire to do anything and everything, us busybodies see other ways to function. Once the work is complete and the dust has settled, we can look back and take comfort in a job well done. Or maybe a job overdone — we’ll never really know.
