Overachiever
🧠 Confessions of an Ex-Overachiever: I Worked 6 Days a Week So My Boss Could Watch YouTube in HD
Let me tell you a little story.
There once was a bright-eyed corporate optimist — punctual, enthusiastic, dressed in Uniqlo because it was “professional yet affordable.”
He raised his hand in meetings.
He volunteered to work six days a week.
He believed — truly believed — that hard work pays off.
That young man… was me.
And I’m here to tell you, dear reader: I was a damn fool.
📆 6 Days On, 1 Day Dead
Every Monday to Saturday, I was in the office by 8:45.
Laptop open. Brain on. Soul gradually deteriorating.
“Look at you go!” my boss would say, amused like a Roman emperor watching a jester do flips.
“You’re such a rockstar.”
But Sunday?
That was Corpse Mode™.
No hobbies, no hangouts.
Just sleeping off the corporate hangover, trying to recover enough sanity to start the treadmill all over again.
💸 Yes, The Paycheck Was Fat. But So Was The Lie.
Sure, my paycheck was technically decent.
But here’s the kicker:
I was paid by the hour. Not by the impact. Not by the passion. Just the clock.
Every extra contribution?
Every late-night report?
Every fire I put out before management even smelled smoke?
Didn’t matter.
I was a high-efficiency cog.
And the worst part?
Cogs are cheap. Cogs are replaceable. Cogs don’t get to ask for raises.
🛋️ Meanwhile, Upper Management...
Let me paint a picture.
While I was debugging spreadsheets at 10 PM,
My manager’s manager — who once proudly admitted he doesn’t know how Excel formulas work —
Was reclining in his ergonomic throne, AirPods in, watching Top 10 World Cup Goal Compilation #26 on the company’s unlimited fiber optic plan.
He wasn’t more skilled.
He wasn’t more experienced.
But he was older.
And in late-stage capitalism, that’s all it takes to qualify for a business-class trip to Thailand.
Fully reimbursed, naturally.
🧳 Paid Vacations? Sorry, That’s Above Your Pay Grade.
If he goes to Bali for 10 days?
That’s called networking.
If you want to take a 3-day trip to Chiang Mai?
You better submit your time-off request 6 weeks in advance, get it denied twice, and then go unpaid anyway.
“Remember, we’re a family,” they said.
But last I checked, families don’t fire you because you took a sick day.
🍽️ Treat Yourself™ (With Interest)
Every now and then, I’d crack.
“I work hard,” I told myself. “I deserve something nice.”
So I’d buy a fancy steak, maybe a pair of headphones that weren’t held together by hope and duct tape.
On a credit card, of course.
Fast forward 3 weeks —
I’m checking my statement, full of regret and 18.9% APR remorse.
But the credit card company?
They love me.
“Loyal customer. Never defaults. Full-time job. Minimum payments on time. What a good boy.” 🐶
🫠 Where Did My Money Go?
Rent. Utilities. Loans.
Groceries that feel like they’ve doubled in price since last week.
Fuel. Insurance. Random subscription I forgot to cancel.
And that stupid little coffee that gives me the illusion I’m not trapped in wage servitude.
I tried to trace it once.
Every baht I earned.
And you know what?
It’s like trying to find your dignity after begging HR for your missing overtime pay.
📉 The Corporate Equation
Let’s do the late-stage math:
- Worker with actual expertise:
- Paid hourly. Disposable.
- Gets burnout and back pain.
- Executive with no domain knowledge:
- Comes into work after Golfing
- Paid 10x more.
- Streams Netflix at 2 PM.
- Crashes meetings to say “circle back” and “synergize”.
In the end?
One flies first-class.
One prays that GrabBike doesn't reject their debit card again.
🎭 The Mask Comes Off
I used to believe I could climb out.
That if I just worked hard enough,
showed enough “initiative,”
delivered enough PowerPoints with animations…
I’d be rewarded.
But no — I was just easier to exploit.
Eager. Naïve. Programmable.
Now?
I do my job description.
I log off at 5.
I eat lunch slowly.
I don't respond to “urgent” emails sent at 6:57 PM.
I’m not lazy.
I’m just done being the office hero while someone else earns villain money.
TL;DR:
I was the overachiever.
And all I achieved was giving my boss more time to scroll TikTok in peace.
So to all the other cogs out there:
Do your job. Not theirs.
Live within your pay grade.
And never, ever work harder than your paycheck.
