Duke University psychiatrist John Rhoads, MD studied successful, effective, and healthy executives who worked at least sixty hours weekly and compared those individuals with executives who developed burnout from working over sixty hours weekly. Here are the differences between the “winners” and the “losers”:

Successful Executives                                                         Burnout Executives
Rested when tired                                                                  When fatigued worked longer hours
Enjoyed scheduled vacations                                                Postponed vacations
Had a supportive family life                                                  Had a chaotic family life
Cultivated friendships                                                            Had few friends
Engaged in regular exercise                                                   Had a sedentary life style
Displayed varied interests                                                      Had few interests
Enjoyed a sense of humor                                                      Humorless
Avoided excessive alcohol intake                                          Used alcohol as an escape
Solved problems                                                                      Ruminated about problems