(Source: Viacheslav Kabanov)
I like working. I work hard. And, I really like Google, but I also know my identity is more than just my work.
Despite all the technological advancements over the centuries, we are actually working more hours, not less. In fact, it's estimated that our prehistoric counterparts worked 6 hours per day, 2 days per week to sustain life (note: I fully recognize the lack of credibility of the source, the caveman times).
After 7 years in the competitive workplace (management consulting, private equity and tech), I've seen long hours worn as a badge of honor, and workaholics idolized by managers and subordinates alike.
But, to be truly innovative at work, you need to connect the dots in a different way, which means pulling from a wide-range of knowledge on diverse subjects. And, this means you need to know something outside of your small scope of work -- whether it be fixing automobiles, the Russian language or historical figures from the mid-16th century. To acquire this knowledge, you have to keep on learning and having new experiences both in and outside of work.
So, rather than hold workaholics up in esteem, perhaps we could question why they don't have anyone or anything more interesting to pull them away from the daily grind (even if it means being the guy in the photo, hanging out in a bathtub with a sombrero and a fake horse).
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