Here's why long working hours is not just killing you, it's making you dumber

It’s a fact universally acknowledged that smart people get trapped in jobs that make them dumber. The modern day work culture is making us trapped in front of the LED screen and forcing us to do the same monotonous work day after day. Result is horrible. We end up retiring from a position where we have climbed after a lot of hardships but haven’t gained any personal knowledge. Our learning curve goes negative. Just because our pay checks were timely distributed we never questioned. So are you suffering from same symptoms at your work place?

Here are the 6 major reasons why your job is making you dumber everyday.

You are working too long
Working for more than 25 hours a week is harmful for your brain. Yes, you read that right. According to a new study conducted by Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research in Australia, working more than 4.5 hours a day should be your ideal office hours.

Forget about the people who work overtime, the decent 9-5 job duration is harmful for your brain. And if you are above 40, it’s worse. Working for more than 25 hours a week causes fatigue and stress, which affect the right brain.

The research further points out that people over 40 can’t perform memory tests, pattern recognition, and mental agility exercises as good as it used to be during their 20s.

An easy job is all you wanted
You wanted a job. But that’s all you wished for. You didn’t ask for a career progress. Did you? No you didn’t. You wanted a day-engagement, a pay check by month’s end. And you have everything you needed. Instead of snoring on your obstructed career graph, wake up and hunt for better opportunities.

Your company needs to understand one size doesn’t fit all
Most companies in the world believe in same working hour for all employees. That’s utterly wrong. If someone can meet 5 clients in 8.5 hours a day, another employee can meet 10 clients during the same time span. What the company is losing is the person who can give extra isn’t being fully utilized. While you are done with your work, you sit idle and return home after day’s work. The result: you have wasted your day.

You are too satisfied with your company culture
That’s another reason. Your office provides lunch and has an open bar every weekends. You have flexibility and good HR policies. These are essentials for any organization. But don’t fall for it. Even if an organization offers you better responsibilities, you would be reluctant to move on.

You have made friends with colleagues
This is an offence for your work-life. You can definitely make friends with some of them but not at the cost of office hours.

You are pleasing your manager
Many smart people get struck at a job with dumb profile because they were busy pleasing their bosses rather than pleasing themselves. Too much of good appraisal year after year is harmful for your career.